Speakers listed below alphabetically are knowledgeable on various topics. They are members in good standing with WAG. But WAG encourages organizations or individuals wishing to invite a speaker from our Speakers Bureau to do their own research, such as checking the individual speaker’s website and Googling the speaker’s name. WAG in no way takes responsibility for any speaker and the quality of his/her presentation.
WAG members, see Speakers Bureau if interested in volunteering to be a speaker.
Susie H. Baxter
Presentation topic:
- Writing Memoir
- Publishing Memoir
Award-winning author Susie Baxter served for four years as Creative Nonfiction Editor for Bacopa Literary Review. During her career as an acquisitions editor for a health-science publishing house in St. Louis, she commissioned dozens of successful clinical reference books, learned the ins and outs of publishing, and was named a Times Mirror Editor of the Year. She now teaches a memoir-writing course at Santa Fe College. She is the author of C.G. & Ethel: A Family History; Write Your Memoir: One Story at a Time; Pumping Sunshine: A Memoir of My Rural Childhood, winner of the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Award; and I, Susanette…, a coming-of-age memoir. She will speak in person or via Zoom
Contact this author through her website: https://susiehbaxter.com
Robert Crow, PhD
Presentation topic:
- Understanding and Using Insights from Behavioral Science.
The topic will be tailored for the audience; for example, parenting, management and leadership, conservation and sustainability (“save the world”).
After earning a Ph.D. in the experimental analysis of behavior, “Dr. Bob” worked in homes, schools, and communities for over 40 years. His focus was on solving problems and increasing the quality of living for youth, adults, and seniors. He has published on topics of basic behavioral principles, education effectiveness, management and leadership, and the design of supportive social and work settings. His most recent book is Nudge & Boost for Better Living.
Contact this speaker on his website: www.NudgeAndBoost.com
George R. Dekle, Sr.
Presentation topic:
- Abraham Lincoln: Criminal Defense Attorney
Legal Skills Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, Dekle is the author of two books about our sixteenth U.S. president: Abraham Lincoln’s Most Famous Case: The Almanac Trial (2014) and Prairie Defender: The Murder Trials of Abraham Lincoln (2017). After serving as Assistant State Attorney of the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida and as lead attorney in the 1980 trial of serial killer Ted Bundy, Dekle wrote The Last Murder: The Investigation, Prosecution, and Execution of Ted Bundy, published by Praeger (2011). He is the author of several other books and is coauthor of The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case: A Critical Analysis of the Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann (2016).
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator.
J. Elliott
Presentation topic:
- Classic ghost stories
J. Elliott has written and published three novels in a funny, Buddhist-theme-dusted, cozy series set in Florida (Monkey Mind, Monkey Heart, and It’s a Haint Blue Christmas) and three collections of spooky short stories, including Uncanny Stout. Some of her short stories have been published in anthologies—most recently, “Individual Staircases” in The Book of Carnacki, edited by John Linwood Grant and published by Belanger Books. She drops episodes of her ghost story novel Jiko Bukken on Kindle Vella and frequently contributes to Hogtowne Quill. She resides on six acres of overgrown Florida hammock with her indulgent boyfriend, two basset hounds, and Mycroft, an enlightened being, disguised as a cat.
Contact this speaker through her website: https://hedonistichoundpress.com
Lana McAra
Presentation topic:
- Power Up Your Prose: It’s Simpler than You Think
- Your Deepest Darkest Secrets Are the Key to Your Next Bestseller
Lana McAra is an award-winning, international best-selling author and ghostwriter of forty-five titles through traditional publishing with a million books sold, many under the name Rosey Dow. She has been teaching how to write fiction for twenty years. While her own work is fiction, she has ghostwritten fifteen non-fiction books on health topics, personal development, business, and leadership. She won The Christy Award, The Book Excellence Award, and the Literary Titan Silver Book Award for her historical novel, Reaping the Whirlwind, by Rosey Dow; and her mystery series, Colorado, sold more than 250,000 copies.
Contact this speaker through her website: https://www.lanamcara.com/
Shamrock McShane
Presentation topics:
- Hall of Fools: The Crisis in American Education
- Seven Sides of Shakespeare
Writer, teacher, and actor Shamrock McShane, a 1986 graduate of the University of Florida’s Creative Writing Program, is the author of the novel Rock Beauty and the nonfiction novel Hall of Fools. As a screenwriter, he collaborated with his son, director Mike McShane, on films including The Votive Pit, You Are Not Frank Sinatra, and It’s All Good. A Shakespearean-trained actor as well as a prize-winning playwright, his acting credits include playing Mercutio, Macbeth, and Prospero, as well as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator.
Mallory M. O’Connor
Presentation topics:
- Before Bartram: Artist-Naturalist Mark Catesby
- Billy’s Wonderful Performances: The Art and Science of William Bartram
- The Art of Hope: WPA Murals in Florida
- Strangers in a Strange Land: Picturing Florida’s History Through Art
- The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art
Award-winning author Mallory McCane O’Connor taught courses in art history at the University of Florida (1969-1978) and at Santa Fe College (SFC) (1995-2005). She also served as director of the City of Gainesville’s Thomas Center Gallery (1984-1994). O’Conner is the author of two non-fiction books, Lost Cities of the Ancient Southeast and Florida’s American Heritage River, both published by the University Press of Florida. Since retiring from her position at SFC, Mallory has written three novels, the American River Trilogy. Book One, American River: Tributaries, won First Prize in the Fiction Category from Northern California Publishers and Authors.
Contact this speaker on her website: https://mallorymoconnor.com
Elizabeth Randall
Presentation topics:
- Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley
- Creating In-Depth Storylines and Plots for Fiction and Non-Fiction
Randall is an award-winning book author and a widely published freelance writer. She is a retired English teacher with a Master’s Degree in English education.
Four decades ago, a woman was hacked to death in broad daylight on the front steps of her white mansion bordered by a busy residential street. Only a few people knew the whole truth about this murder. Their words are among those documented in Randall’s book, Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsey.
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator.
Debra Segal
Presentation topics:
- True recounts of traversing Gainesville’s roadways by horseback
- Stories of the daredevil cowgirls and their horse escapades
- The Idylwild Cowgirl journey from memoir to novel
Author of The Idylwild Cowgirls, Segal experienced many of the stories chronicled in the book. Over the years, she has given many scientific presentations. She uses PowerPoint slides in all her presentations.
Contact the speaker directly through her website, http://idylwildcowgirls.com/.
Dan Sharp, PhD
Presentation topic:
- Fear and Courage: How to Manage Our Most Debilitating Emotion
Emeritus Professor of Physiology with the Department of Animal Sciences at UF, Sharpe is comfortable speaking to large audiences. Since retiring in 2008, he has studied the mechanisms of fear and believes he can provide a helpful message to those who suffer anxieties or absolute fear. In his studies, he has become a practitioner of mindful meditation, which could also be a subject for a talk.
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator
Gary Steele
Presentation topics:
- Proofing and Editing Your Own Writing: Waging War on Bloopers, Typos, and Thematic Disasters in Fiction and Nonfiction
- The Gypsy Family Circus of 1933: Stories from a Long-Gone Era
Writer, editor, and storyteller, Steele has lived in Cuba, Niger, Haiti, and Congo. He is a polygot and has done consultant work extensively in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. One of his specialties is executive training, with an emphasis on cross-cultural sensitivity and communication. He grew up on circuses and has a Gypsy heritage, factors which inspired him to write his historical fiction work, The Gypsy Family Circus of 1933: Stories from a Long-Gone Era. He is also the author of the college English text, Shortcuts to Basic Writing Skills, (1978; 1984), and for more than a decade, he served as a lead instructor on writing topics at Santa Fe College.
To contact this speaker, send an email to the Speakers Bureau Coordinator.