Who is Esmé?
Esmé is the author of the highly acclaimed and bestselling Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year, which received favorable reviews from magazines such as Entertainment Weekly, People, The New Yorker, Elle and Kirkus. She has been a keynote speaker for the International Reading Association and the American Library Association. She gave a "virtual" keynote for the National Education Association's "Stay Afloat!"online conference for first-year teachers and was dubbed "Generation X's answer to Bel Kaufman and Frank McCourt" in February's NEA Today. Esmé was a featured speaker at the National Museum for Women in the Arts and has appeared on CBS This Morning and CNN. Esmé's public radio reading, "Call Me Madame," produced by Jay Allison for the Life Stories series earned her first place for National Education Reporting from the Education Writer's Association. Her performance prowess was also seen on CSPAN's Book Talk and heard on NPR's Voice of America. She is a children's literature specialist who graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern Illinois University in 1992, and is certified in the field of K - 8 Elementary Education with an endorsement in Language Arts. She has five years of teaching experience and five years of experience as a children's bookseller. She runs the popular children's literature web site, Planet Esmé.

Esmé's goals as a speaker are to empower teachers, promote read-aloud and advocate for literature-based learning and an integrated subject approach. Each pragmatic presentation is designed to serve as a springboard for further research, involvement and activity. Perfect for enlivening staff inservice meetings, enlightening college-level students or adding charge to conventions!

"Our goal was to motivate our teachers to find ways to help children develop a love for reading and literature. Our goal was reached and then some. The teachers went away saying it was the best institute workshop they had ever attended. We are forever indebted to Esmé for her infusion of enthusiasm and her down to earth (and easy to replicate and extend) ideas for bringing literature to life."
David Carey, Principal

"Fabulous inservice...one staff member said she 'can't remember laughing so much at a staff inservice,' another said it was 'the best inservice we've ever attended.'"
Tamara Deppen, Site Director & Inclusive Education Facilitator

"Now thisis true staff development!"
Catharine Vargas, Curriculum Coordinator