Currently booking school visits, book fairs, literacy panels, professional development programs, and storytelling facilitations for 2026.
Globalizing African Enslavement and Abolition
This professional development discusses ways to expand teaching and learning about enslavement and abolition beyond the United States. Attendees will get information about abolition in Britain, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Brazil, plus strategies for incorporation into humanities classrooms.
Poetic Connections: Building Bridges to the Past with Found Verse
This professional development or student workshop (gr. 5-12) introduces attendees to found and erasure poetry. Special emphasis is placed on using primary sources as inspiration as we connect to and lift up voices from the past. Creativity will flow as we converse with different perspectives, produce poems, and end with a Found Verse Slam.
How I Became an Author and a Writer, too.
Hear about Lesley’s unconventional journey to becoming a published author and how it convinced her she really was a writer.
Nurturing the Veteran Teacher in You
With 18 years of experience classroom teaching, Lesley is committed to nurturing new educators. This presentation for educators in training or new faculty features tips for longevity and self-care while doing one of the best, hardest jobs in the world.
Finding and Telling Our Stories
This workshop for community organizations, professional teams, and other adult audiences nurtures time and space for creative connection. What has the journey been like and how did you end up where you are? Participants will gain valuable tools for self-reflection, storytelling, and building the confidence to share.
Teacher Lesley 