Speaking Topics

Building Connections and Community

Jen's keynotes centre around the power of storytelling, representation and inclusion. She discusses how personal writing can foster empathy and build community, how to approach discussing difficult news topics with children, and the impact of pop culture on identity and representation. With extensive experience in publishing, Jen also addresses the industry’s ongoing diversity challenges and the need for systemic change to create a more inclusive and dynamic literary landscape.

You can see her in action in the following clips, or read more about her speaking topics below:

• Media representation with Global BC Presents
• The impact of fandom on this Superfan's memoir on The Social
• Jen discusses the stories of people who move across the globe looking for safety, security, and happiness in Telling Tales (for children and educators/caregivers)
• The Superfan Generation on Telus Talks
• Discussing Superfan on the Women of Ill Repute podcast

The Intimate and the Universal: How Memoir Builds Connections and Community

Jen explores how writing about the self can forge deep connections between the author and the reader, but also between seemingly disparate communities. Each story—and each life—is unique and idiosyncratic, but at the heart of great memoir writing is the possibility of kinship and reciprocity, a relationship where humanity’s greatest emotions are shared, acknowledged, and understood.

Talking to Kids About Tough Topics in the News

In an increasingly divided world where disturbing and traumatic news stories are broadcast every day, children are experiencing anxiety and confusion. In this talk, Jen, an experienced non-fiction children’s author and mother, guides educators and caregivers with tips on how to discuss issues such as war, homelessness, racism, and colonization with children, and how to answer their questions with compassion and clarity. 

Pop Culture, Representation, and Identity

Even though we think of pop culture as fun entertainment, the reality is that it holds a mirror up to each of us and our preoccupations, while also shaping the ways in which we perceive others and ourselves. In this talk, Jen discusses the impacts of representation (or the lack thereof) on marginalized communities, the harm that aspirational celebrity branding can enact, how increased visibility has and can change the creative industries and their fans, and the joy and connectedness we feel when a media asset truly reflects who we are.

Writing, Inclusion, and Diversity

After twenty years working in publishing in every role one can imagine, Jen has a few things to say about the role of inclusion in the book industry. How can authors and publishing professionals navigate an industry that has struggled to enact systemic change? Here, Jen chats about why diversity, particularly at the management and executive levels, seems so hard to integrate, and why inclusion from the top down only means a greater variety of stories and voices, and a more compassionate and nimble industry as a whole.