Bring Dave Crawley to Your School!

An Emmy-winning television reporter from Pittsburgh, PA, Dave Crawley has published dozens of zany poems in books and children's magazines. He makes frequent appearances at area schools, reading his rhymes to poets of the future. Dave’s assemblies feature lively readings, and his classroom and library programs encourage students to write their own rhyming poetry. Using examples from his own poetry, Dave demonstrates the use of poetic devices, and students are encouraged to contribute ideas for an offbeat poem Dave will create right on the spot.

Home: Pittsburgh, PA

Travels to: Dave travels anywhere he is invited!

Dave’s poems appear in : His poetry appears in several anthologies, including five by Meadowbrook Press—My Teacher's in Detention; Miles of Smiles; Rolling in the Aisles; If Kids Ruled the School; Peter, Peter, Pizza-Eater; and has more than a dozen poems featured in popular nation-wide children's magazines such as Jack and Jill; Cricket, and Spider. Most recently, he has written Dog Poems (Wordsong), while his previously published Cat Poems (Wordsong) has successfully taken on its fifth printing.

Rates

Half-Day Visit: $600 plus travel and other expenses
One-Day Visit: $950 plus travel and other expenses
Two-Day Visit: $1,600 plus travel and other expenses
One-Week Visit: $3,500 plus travel and other expenses
Evening Event (available only when you book a school visit): $400

Click here to get started on planning your visit!

Biography

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Dave Crawley now lives in Pittsburgh. Dave's first collection of poerty, Cat Poems, was recently released by Wordsong. His work also appears in several anthologies, and he has published poems in eleven national magazines for children including, Jack and Jill, Cricket, and Spider. Dave also works as a television reporter in the Pittsburgh area, where he has won dozens of awards, including eight Emmys. His poetry has won many “Read 'Em and Rate 'Em” contests on GigglePoetry.com. Dave makes frequent appearances at area schools, reading his rhymes to poets of the future.

Event Description

Dave offers the following types of events:

• Half-day and full-day programs, tailored to grades K-8 and parents.
• School assemblies (45-55 minutes) and interactive classroom presentations (30-45 minutes)
• Evening PTA/PTO events

Dave Crawley's assemblies feature lively readings from dozens of zany poems he has published in books and children's magazines. Dave also presents VHS videotape stories in rhyme, produced as KD Country reporter at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. To sample his reports in poetry and prose, visit his KDKA web site: www.kdka.com/kdcountry.

Classroom and library programs encourage students to write their own rhyming poetry. Using examples from his own poetry, Dave demonstrates the use of poetic devices like alliteration, personification, internal rhyme, and meter variation. Classroom sessions are tailored to different age groups. Students are encouraged to contribute ideas for an offbeat poem Dave will create right on the spot. They will also be given time to write, gently critique their own poems, and ask questions.

Click here to get started on planning your visit!

Sample Poem

Hide-and-Seek

I have a perfect hiding place.
They’ll never find me here.
The branches cover up my face,
So I can disappear.

I know that I will not be found.
I like the place I chose—
Although this soggy, sloggy ground
Is soaking through my clothes.

This sticker bush is prickling me,
And I don’t like these ants.
I hate the way they’re tickling me
While crawling up my pants.

The seekers won’t give up the chase.
They’ll search all afternoon.
I have a perfect hiding place.
I hope they find me soon!

© 2004 by Dave Crawley. Reprinted from Rolling in the Aisles (Meadowbrook Press).

Testimonials

 

“Dave has the art of working with children of all ages. He easily adapted his presentation to all students in grades K-5. The teachers were all impressed with Dave’s ability to capture and maintain the interest of the students. Dave included literary elements into his presentations that complimented the content on the state achievement tests. Dave was completely flexible and made our 2-day visit with him flow easily. I would highly recommend him.”

—Robert L. Horner, Title I Coordinator, Cranberry Area School District, Seneca, PA

“It was a pleasure to have Dave Crawley visit our school for Read Across America Day. He was very entertaining to both the children and the staff. His poetry and short stories made the children laugh and inspired them to want to write their own. He showed the children how a few of their own thoughts could be transformed into a humorous and creative poem on the spot. We would highly recommend Dave to any school wishing to enhance students' exposure to the world of poetry.”
—Evelyn Hipchen, PTA Member, McAnnulty Elementary School, Pittsburgh, PA

“Dave was very flexible and willing to adapt his presentation to the needs of our program.”

—Emily Reed & Aliscia Lee, Title I Teachers, Dillsburg Elementary School, Dillsburg, PA

 

“Dave did a great job explaining the process of writing poetry. He introduced new vocabulary and techniques to the students. He motivated the students to write their own poetry and inspired them with his own quick wit. The whole experience was entertaining, educational, and worthwhile!”

—Linda Orr, Third Grade Teacher, Sto-Rox Elementary School, McKees Rocks, PA

 

“Brentwood Public Library hosted a story time with Dave Crawley to help kick off our county-wide Summer Reading Program. Dave was amazing and entertaining and brought the mystery book as well as his poems to life! He had the crowd (fidgety little ones included) riveted! It was a really wonderful night with great energy! What an inspiring way to kick off our SRC program and the spots on KDKA. We really appreciated him coming!”

—Kelley Beeson, Youth Services Coordinator, Allegheny County Library Association, Pittsburgh, PA

 

“Dave Crawley is entertaining and educational—two qualities that are not easy to find in an author for a school visit! Dave spent the day at Mendon Elementary and shared his newscast work and his poetry with our students (Grades K-4). He also taught the students how to read poetry with expression and had many interactive activities for each grade level. I would highly recommend Dave for any school that is looking to incorporate learning with fun!”

—Cathleen Laird, Library Media Specialist, Mendon Elementary School, Ruffsdale, PA

“We all enjoyed Dave Crawley. The students were impressed with his enthusiasm and performance of his poems. They couldn't believe how quickly he could write a poem. The students also thought he was funny. We liked how he was able to incorporate literary devices into the program.”
—Becky Lucas, Fourth Grade Teacher, Powell Elementary School, North Baltimore, OH

If you’re interested in booking an event with Dave Crawley, please fill out the Speaker Visit Query form or contact our Author Appearance Manager at 800-338-2232, ext. 105, or admin@authorsinschools.com. We look forward to working with you.