“There’s
No Place Like Home: The Importance of Setting in YA Literature”
Writing on the
Door: Children’s Literature Conference, Door County, WI; April 2018
Words
in Winter: A Celebration of Poetry & Prose
Grinnell Alumni
Association, Des Moines, IA; February 2018
Emerging Writers Reading Series
Design on Main Gallery, Ames, IA; February 2018
Emerging Writers Reading Series
Design on Main Gallery, Ames, IA; February 2018
Events of Yore
OMS Literacy Festival
Oregon Middle School, Oregon, WI; January 2018
Des Moines Area Community College Celebration of the Literary Arts
Des Moines Area Community College, Carroll Campus, Carroll, IA; April 2017
Iowa Youth Writing Project’s Junior High Writing Jam (with Stephen Lovely)
Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature’s One Book Two Book Children’s Literature Festival, Iowa City, IA; February 2017
“So You Think You Can Write: A Symposium of Written Communication”
Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA; February 2016
“Fail Better: Successful Writers Talk About Failure” (with Roxane Gay, Megan Stielstra, Dean Bakopoulos, & Rebecca Makkai)
Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference, Minneapolis, MN; April 2015
Second Story Reading Series: Julie Schumacher and M. Molly Backes
The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, MN; September 2014
Monday, March 31, 2014; Valley High School, West Des Moines, IA
Writers After Grinnell Symposium
Wednesday, April 2 - Saturday, April 5, 2014; Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
Reading & Discussion (with YA author Christa Desir)
Wednesday, April 2, 2014; 8pm in JRC 101, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
Reading with YA Authors James Klise & Philip Siegel
Friday, April 25; 7pm at Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN
"An Exceptionally Charming Panel: The Fickle Factor, Character Likability" (with James Klise & Philip Siegel)
Loft Children's and Young Adult Literature Conference
Saturday, April 26, 2014; 2pm - 3:30pm at the Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, MN
NYC Teen Author Festival -- "The People Who Get You Through: Navigating Love & Friendship in High School" (with authors Crissa-Jean Chappell, Heather Demetrios, Amanda Maciel, Julie Murphy, & Tiffany Schmidt; moderated by David Levithan)
Friday, March 21, 2014; 3:50pm at the New York Public Library Berger Forum, New York, NY
Anderson's Bookshop Children's Literature Breakfast
Saturday, February 15, 2014; 8:00am - 1:30pm at Bobak's Signature Events, Naperville, IL
Introduction to Fiction
Tuesdays, beginning June 11, 2013, at StoryStudio Chicago, Chicago, IL
Accountability Club
Wednesdays, beginning June 12, 2013, at StoryStudio Chicago, Chicago, IL
"How to Parent a Writer," Parent Speaker, Illinois Annual Statewide Young Authors Conference
Saturday, May 18, 2013; 10:15 am at ISU, Bloomington, IL
Funny Ha-Ha
Friday, May 3, 2013; 6:30pm at the Hideout, Chicago, IL
NaNoWriMo Jumpstart
Tuesday, October 30, 2012; 6:30pm at StoryStudio Chicago, Chicago, IL
"YA in IA" Mainstage Presentation with Jan Blazanin and Eileen Bogess
Sunday, October 28, 2012; 4:15pm at WOW! Des Moines Book Festival, Des Moines, IA
Sunday, October 28, 2012; 4:15pm at WOW! Des Moines Book Festival, Des Moines, IA
Guest Lecturer, Valley High School
Friday and Monday, October 26 & 29, 2012; Valley High School, West Des Moines, IA
Dubuque Libraries Teen Read Week
Saturday, October 20, 2012; 2pm at Carnegie-Stout Public Library, Dubuque, IA
Teen Summer Read Pizza Party
Wednesday, August 22, 2012; 6:30pm at The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL
Unpacking Plot
Saturday, August 11; 9am - 1pm at the Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, MN
Iowa City Book Festival
Friday, July 13 - Sunday, July 15; Iowa City, IA
Summer Creative Writing Institute at NEIU
Tuesday, July 10, 2012; 1-3pm; Northeastern Illinois University
Glen Ellyn BookFest (Teen Program)
Saturday, June 23, 2012; 2:30 - 3:30pm at Asian Pearl Restaurant, Glen Ellyn, IL
Author Talk & Writing Workshop (Creating Great Characters)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012; 5:00pm - 9pm at Ela Area Public Library, Lake Zurich, IL
Printers Row Lit Fest
Oh! The Places You Can Go! Panel
Saturday, June 9, 2012; 1pm in Jones College Prep/Student Learning Center, Chicago, IL
Just Get Me Started Writing Workshop & Panel featuring StoryStudio Chicago
Saturday, June 9, 2012; 3:30pm in University Center, Chicago, IL
Grinnell Writes! Alumni Author Panel
Saturday, June 2, 2012; 1:30pm in ARH, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
Princesses of Iowa Reading/Signing
Friday, June 1, 2012; 3pm at Saints Rest in Grinnell, IA
Princesses of Iowa Des Moines Launch Party
Wednesday, May 30, 2012; 6:30pm at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, IA
YA and Children's Writing Workshop
Meets monthly on Thursdays, beginning May 4, 2012; 6:30pm-9pm at StoryStudio Chicago (Chicago Studio, Ravenswood)
Princesses of Iowa Chicago Launch Party
Friday, May 18, 2012; StoryStudio Chicago in Chicago, IL
Princesses of Iowa Wisconsin Launch Party
Friday, May 11, 2012; 6pm - 8pm at the Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon, WI
***PRINCESSES OF IOWA RELEASE***
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012
Princesses of Iowa Book Signing
IRA Annual Convention
Monday, April 30, 2012; 3pm - 4pm at Candlewick Booth #1026, IRA Convention, Chicago, IL
Panel: Then Suddenly, Without Warning (with Julie Halpern, James Klise, and Claire Zulkey)
Loft Children's and Young Adult Literature Conference
Saturday, April 28, 2012; 3:30pm - 4:45pm at the Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, MN
Reading with YA Authors Julie Halpern, James Klise, and Claire Zulkey
Friday, April 27; 7pm at Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN
Whose Story Is This, Anyway? (Writing Workshop for Teens)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012; 7:00pm - 8:30pm at Ela Area Public Library, Lake Zurich, IL
Start Your Novel Now (Ages 18 up)
Mondays, April 2 - April 23, 2012; 6:30pm - 9pm at StoryStudio Chicago (Chicago Studio, Ravenswood)
Panel: Queer Voices in Young Adult Literature (with Meagan Brothers, Alexandra Diaz, and James Klise)
Saturday, March 3; 10:30am - 12:00pm at the AWP Conference, Chicago, IL
Anderson's Bookshop Children's Literature Breakfast
Saturday, February 18, 2012; 8:00am - 1:00pm at Abbington Distinctive Banquets, Glen Ellyn, IL
The Craft of Writing: An Evening of Discussion with Jill Pollack & M. Molly Backes
(for SCBWI's Hyde Park/South Side Network)
Friday, November 4, 2011; 6:30pm at 57th Street Books, Hyde Park
Sunday Salon (with Jen Coffeen, Kate Harding, and Scott Onak)
Monday, November 28, 2011; 8pm at Katerina's, 1920 W. Irving Park Rd, Chicago
I Wrote This, Now What Do I Do With It?
Monday, December 5, 2011; 7:00pm - 8:30pm at Ela Area Public Library, Lake Zurich, IL
NaNoWriMo Jumpstart
Thursday, October 27, 2011; 6:30pm-9pm at StoryStudio Chicago (Chicago Studio, Ravenswood)
How to Write a Novel (in a Month)
Wednesday, October 26, 2011; 7:00pm - 8:30pm at Ela Area Public Library, Lake Zurich, IL
Writing the Young Adult Novel
Mondays, October 10 to November 14, 2011; 6:30pm - 9pm at StoryStudio Chicago (Chicago Studio, Ravenswood)
YA and Children's Writing Workshop
Meets monthly on Thursdays, beginning September 22, 2011; 6:30pm-9pm at StoryStudio Chicago (Chicago Studio, Ravenswood)
WIT Writing: Creative Writing Drop-In Class for Teens (Ongoing)
Wednesdays, September 14 - November 9, 2011; 4pm to 5:30pm at StoryStudio Chicago (North Shore Studio, Winnetka)
Northwestern Summer Writers' Conference
Thursday, August 4, 2011; 9:00am at Northwestern University
Writers Retreat at Ragdale: Word by Word - A (Re)Generative Writers Weekend
July 22-24, 2011 at the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, IL
Teen Writing Workshop: Poetry!
Thursday, July 7, 2011; 7:00pm-8:30pm at Ela Public Library; Lake Zurich, IL
Writing the Young Adult Novel
Mondays, June 13 to July 25, 2011; 6:30pm-9pm at StoryStudio Chicago
Eleanor Brown and Elizabeth Stuckey-French in conversation with M. Molly Backes
Printers Row Lit Fest
Saturday, June 4, 2011; 11:15am-12pm at University Center/River Room (525 S. State St, Chicago)
