Author Talks

Testimonials:

"You were a great hit! Here are some of the comments:

'...excellent presentation'

'Superior workshop, excellent speaker'

'dynamic and informed'

- Association of Teachers In Independent Schools in New York City and Vicinity, New York, NY

"Dr. Janice Cohn has conducted a number of programs for some of the corporations for which I coordinate EAP programming, and the audience response has been consistently positive. She is a charming, warm and personable speaker who is a born storyteller. She is able to hold an audience in a state of rapt attentiveness and at the same time weave in teaching points that help to expand skills and awareness"

- Ida Welsh, Ph.D.

"[We] wish to thank you for making such a superb presentation."

- New York City Board of Education New York, NY

Following is a general outline of the author talks I give which focus on The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate. They have been presented at schools, houses of worship, conferences, etc. Presentations are modified for the needs of each audience.

I ask participants: Has anything ever happened to you – or have you heard of anything that ever happened to anyone else – that made you think about things in a different way? Think about yourself in a different way?

I give background information about the Billings, Montana, events and ask students:

What happens when a community says and does nothing to try to stop haters and/or bullies? I emphasize that a “community” can be a town, a neighborhood, a club or a classroom.

I talk about seeing the original article in The New York Times about Billings and recount calling Chief Inman on the phone and:

Realizing I wanted to write about what happened and trying to figure out the best way to do that

Speaking with Tammie Schnitzer (one of the book’s characters) on the phone and deciding I wanted to write a book especially for children

I describe visiting the town of Billings and:

Finding out how the other children in the town were affected by the events.

Meeting Isaac and Teresa, hearing their story, and listening to what they hoped the book would do for other young people

I talk about coming home and thinking about what would be the best way of writing the book and:

Going to schools to read early versions of the book to different classes.

Hearing students critique the book chapters and use their own experiences to offer suggestions about what to include in the book

I talk about the process of transforming the book into a play and working with a lyricist and composer.

I talk with participants about their own writing experiences, i.e.:

What kind of things excite and interest them – and make them want to write?

Have they ever experienced – or witnessed – prejudice and/or injustice? Have they ever witnessed bullying? How did that make them feel? How can they use words to fight back?

Have they every wanted to write (or have written) a book, play, poem, etc.? What about other art forms?