Kids are full people     ✦     Pay attention to the everyday magic     ✦     Notice the kids around you    ✦     Kids are full people   ✦     Pay attention to the everyday magic    ✦     Notice the kids around you    ✦     Kids are full people     ✦     Pay attention to the everyday magic     ✦     Notice the kids around you    ✦     Â
A LITTLE ABOUT ANNA
Flipping the
social narrative
about kids.
I'm an advocate for children and families, a speaker, author + illustrator, and former children's pastor from Tennessee. I have a library degree, a deep love for creative work, and a background that has taken me from children's ministry to children's librarianship to running programming that puts kids at the center.
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At my core, I'm an observer and a peacemaker. My driving motivation is to help communities and families see children as full people — not merely "the future," but a very real part of our present reality.
I believe in walking alongside children as they find their place in the world. And I believe that starts with the adults in the room deciding to notice them.
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I was shaped by a childhood of feeling fully seen and by people who showed up for me. With Fred Rogers as my north star, I am always striving to ensure that the kids in my orbit know that I am in their corner, totally in awe of them, and taking their ideas, their voice, and their perspective seriously.
SPEAKING
Talks that give us
new eyes for kids.
Available for conferences, school events, graduations, professional development, and community events. Select from the following topics.
You Are Important Right Now
A joyful, direct message to kids at preschool and elementary graduations letting them know that their importance isn't waiting in the future. It's already here.
PRESCHOOL + ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADUATION • COMMUNITY EVENTS
Children + Society
An honest look at the roots of childism and practical ways to push back against the systematic undervaluing of kids in our communities.
CONFERENCES • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Importance of Play
Play isn't a break from learning — it is the learning. This talk makes the case for protecting unstructured, child-led play with research and real stories.
CONFERENCES • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • COMMUNITY EVENTS
Lessons Learned from Kids
Children aren't just recipients of wisdom. They're dispensers of it. An invitation for adults to slow down and pay attention.
CONFERENCES • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • COMMUNITY EVENTS
