Where Am I Speaking: Winter/Spring 2015 Edition – Champaign, Dallas, Kingsville (TX), Northfield (MN), Rock Hill, Chico, Terre Haute, Gainesville, Springfield (MO), Ft. Wayne, Portland (IN), Daleville (IN)

These are my winter/spring dates so far. A few other events are pending. If you are nearby, stop in and say hi. I’ll buy you a beverage of your choice unless there are like 15 of you and then, well, I’ll sit beside you.

2/25 – 2/29 University of Illinois

I’m going back to college! Well, at least for a week. I’ll be chatting at and with students each night, and I’ll be living among them. Fingers crossed that I get my own bathroom.  I still suffer nightmares involving the bathroom in my freshman dorm.  I’ll be talking about both of my books, how I got started, the Facing Project, and about the Axis of Awesome.

2/7 – 2/10 First Year Experience Conference (Dallas, TX)

I’ll be hanging at the Wiley booth.  My books have been selected at 30+ university common reader programs, so this is basically a family reunion at this point. I’ll reconnect with people here with whom I’ve shared canoes and bathrooms. I can’t wait! Plus, Wiley will probably by me dinner.

2/25 Texas A&M-Kingsville, TX

WEARING was selected as the schools freshman common reader.

 2/20 Carleton College (MN)

 I’m not just the speaker, but the CONVOCATION speaker. That sounds more legit. My favorite title is still “endowed lecturer.”

3/3 & 3/4 Winthrop University

EATING was selected as the university’s freshman common reader. I’m really looking forward to this visit. They selected WEARING a few years ago and I traveled with some of their students to Guatemala. Looking forward to catching up with friends and making some new ones.

3/6 Chico State Human Trafficking Awareness Conference Chico State, CA

This is a student led conference, which makes it that much cooler. I spoke at the conference a few years ago and enjoyed getting to meet the students. Chico is also the home of Sierra Nevada beer, which is nice. Anyhow, back to the conference . . . here are the details:

The fourth annual Stop Trafficking of Persons (STOP!) Conference, organized by the student club of the same name, features daily film screenings, discussions and presentations around the subject of human trafficking, including activity in the Chico community. Students have been working for months to bring awareness to this important issue, said club president Courtney Hudson.

“We are lucky enough to have connections with local law enforcement, survivors, authors and specialists who are willing to speak at our conference,” Hudson said. “Last year we had a little over 1,000 attendees, which we are hoping to surpass this year.”

The March 4 training by trafficking survivor Phelps is aimed at supporting local efforts to protect and care for at-risk youth. Trafficked as an adolescent in Fresno, California, Phelps is now a human rights activist and author of “Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets” and will share her experiences and insights with attendees.

According to the Polaris Project, an organization working to end trafficking, in 2010 an estimated 27 million people were enslaved across the world, and the trafficking industry profited nearly $32 billion annually. Eighty percent of transnational victims were women and girls; 2 million children each year were exploited by the global commercial sex trade.

3/10 Human Rights Day Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN

This is my second time speaking at this event geared toward area high school and college students. The last time I spoke the tornado warnings went off mid-talk. Barring an act of God, I’ll be speaking at 9:30 AM.

3/11 University of Florida Gainesville, FL

Author Kelsey Timmerman will discuss the book Where Am I Eating? which tells stories of the farmers and fishermen around the world who produce the food we eat, explaining what their lives are like and how our habits affect them. The talk will be on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. in the Reitz Union.

Contact: Kevin Baron

Website: http://www.bobgrahamcenter.ufl.edu/event/where-am-i-eating-kelsey-timmerman

Location: Reitz Union

3/15 Earth Care Coalition Ft. Wayne, IN

At 3PM somewhere because nowhere is not a very good place to make a presentation.

3/16 Jay County Library Portland, IN

I’ll be talking about Where Am I Eating at 6PM

3/21 Rural Urban Talk Daleville, IN

I’ll be talking about a country mouse talking about the push-pull of the country and the city on farmers around the world.  Not sure what time yet.

4/7 Missouri State Springfield, MO

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Plaster Student Union, Robert W. Theater

Kelsey will be speaking about being an ethical consumer and being aware of where products that one buys come from. He enlightens people on how their purchases affect societies all over the world!

4/9 & 4/10 Miami University Oxford, OH

I’m still waiting on firm details, but I’m really looking forward to speaking at my alma mater.