Speaking & Workshops

Every place carries a story.

Through keynote presentations, author visits, and interactive workshops, Jessica invites audiences to explore how story connects us to history, creativity, identity, and one another.

Jessica has presented for educators, students, writers, arts organizations, libraries, professional associations, and community groups across Ontario.

Storytelling, Creativity & the Writing Process

Jessica believes everyone has stories worth discovering and sharing. Drawing on her experience as an author, poet, playwright, and writing facilitator, she explores how creativity develops, how stories take shape, and how writers can nurture their own creative practices.

Some big ideas:

The creative process and finding your story
Historical fiction: researching the past to inspire the present
Writing from memory, place, and identity
Revision as discovery
Creativity and innovation
Building sustainable creative practices

Would you like to learn more about?

The Writing Spiral
Holistic Approaches to Story
The Four Seasons of Story
Revealing Story through the Four Elements
The Labyrinth Creative Living Plan

This image is some of the themes explored in the Writing Spiral.

Story & Lived Experience

Jessica speaks from her own experience, family history, writing, and ongoing learning. Her talks often explore the stories of her Georgian Bay roots and the ways identity, memory, language, place, and the impacts of colonization have shaped generations.

She enjoys sharing about:

family stories and Georgian Bay
identity, belonging, names, language, and memory
researching and writing family history
the ways colonization can be traced through family stories
the role of poetry and storytelling in remembering and making meaning

Some talks and presentations she has shared include:

A Story of Georgian Bay through Poetry
Family, Story, and Identity
Writing from History, Memory, and Place
Stories We Carry: Family History and the Impacts of Colonization

These talks are offered independently in Jessica’s personal capacity as a writer and reflect her own experiences, family history, research, and perspectives.

This photo of Georgian Bay was taken by Jessica Outram.

Author Visits &
Literary Events

Jessica offers author visits and literary programming for schools, libraries, festivals, and community organizations.

Drawing from her award-winning middle-grade historical fiction, poetry, and creative writing practice, Jessica shares how research, family history, imagination, and storytelling come together to create meaningful stories.

We work together to determine what's best for your group:

Author readings and conversations
Writing workshops for students
Historical fiction and research discussions
Exploring identity, place, and family stories
Poetry and storytelling events

Selected Speaking Engagements

Some organizations and communities I have worked with:

Trent University
Métis Nation of Ontario
Ontario Principals’ Council
Art Gallery of Northumberland
Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre
Community of Asphodel Norwood for International Woman’s Day
School boards, libraries, and classroom visits across Canada and the United States
Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs Conference
Ontario Writers Conference
Ontario Council of the Canadian Federation of University Women
League of Canadian Poets events
Storytellers of Canada
Brockton Writers Series
GoodMinds / Truth North Aid – Northern Reads Series
Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre
Film Access Northumberland
Northumberland Festival of the Arts
Writers' Circle of Durham Region
Literary festivals and community arts organizations

You can read more about my professional qualifications on LinkedIn.

This photo is of an original painting by Jessica Outram.