Upcoming Lectures:

March 5th: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

March 8th: Hollins University, Roanoke, VA

March 11th: Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY

March 12th and March 13th: University of Missouri–Women’s Leadership Conference keynote speaker–Columbia, MO.

March 15th: University of Missouri–Women’s History Month keynote–Columbia, MO.

March 17th: Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, PA

March 18th: Emerson College, Boston, MA

March 20th: SUNY-Oneonta, Oneonta, NY

March 22nd: University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL

March 24th: Siena College, Loudonville, NY

March 25th: Boston University, Boston, MA

March 26th: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

March 31st: Molloy College, Rockville Center, NY

April 14th: College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL

September 22nd: Miami University, Oxford, OH.

Now scheduling lectures for spring and fall 2010

Liz Funk has been a speaker at Columbia University, Duke University, Rice University, NYU, American University, Whitman College, Hampshire College, Penn State University, Pace University, Russell Sage College, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, SUNY Buffalo, Stevens Institute of Technology, and the University of New England.

She has given keynotes and spoken on panels at countless fundraisers, conferences and summits for non-profit organizations and media groups, including the YWCA Omaha, the College Democrats, Young People For, the YWCA, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.  

Liz is excited to brainstorm topics and prepare the ideal talk for any school, organization, or event.  You can book directly through Liz or for larger-scale events, through the American Program Bureau.  Liz is prepared to speak on panels, give lectures, and teach workshops on the following:

Topic Categories

Perfectionism; women and anxiety
Generation Y; youth trends
Parenting; raising teens
College student wellness; authenticity

All of the below programs can be presented in a lecture or workshop format:

The Supergirls:

This lecture would discuss the pressure on young women to be perfect and how today’s limiting-and-demanding “female ideal” has taught young women to find themselves in AP classes, their looks, and what others think of them, instead of embracing who they are inside and maintaining a sense of “intrinsic worth.”  Part of the problem is our society’s relationship with technology and love of speed; girls have been racing through life, all the while texting and Facebook messaging, and they’ve never had a moment to be alone with their thoughts… which is crucial to understanding who you are and why you matter.  But luckily, finding yourself can be easy… and fun! This lecture would be largely based on the research presented in Liz Funk’s first book, “Supergirls Speak Out: Inside the Secret Crisis of Overachieving Girls.”

Another Kind of Hunger:

This lecture would discuss eating disorders, body image issues, how today’s young women manifest their need for control and attention in food issues, and how the media teaches body loathing to both genders (body image issues aren’t just for girls!).  This author can talk about her personal experience with anorexia, exercise addiction, and overeating, and how aspiring medical professionals can better understand the secret selves of eating disorder sufferers.

How to Be a Savvy Media Consumer:

Today’s young people enjoy a record consumption of media.  But some people don’t know how to digest all this media, and it causes some problems, particularly as it pertains to “media literacy”–understanding that the media is a profit-driven industry that mostly serves as entertainment, and never a model of how to live.  This lecture would discuss the portrayal of women in the media, how marketers try to sell empowerment to a “retail therapy generation,”  and how consuming and trying to use clothes and style to feel good is a big part of the Supergirl issue.  I would discuss how to master “media and news literacy” and point out industry secrets that keep girls thinking that they need to be like their favorite celebrities and spend a lot of money to do it!

Young Writers Breaking In:

The competition for entry-level media jobs is very intimidating right now: there are many more eager applicants than there are jobs in newspapers, magazines, and web publications.  However, aspiring media professionals who approach interviews with clips from professional publications have a large advantage over their competition. Young writers with clips also have the option to make a living writing freelance right out of college if they can’t find (or don’t want) a full-time media job.  There are also more young people than ever getting book deals; in fact, several recent bestselling novels, non-fiction books, and collections of creative non-fiction were written by writers under age 28.

This lecture would give a 101 on freelance writing, pitching articles, writing book proposals, writing books, networking, and other ways to forge a successful career in writing and publishing (before even graduating from high school or college!).

Bullying:

Today’s girls have been raised to be perfect, and it is evident in the rise of impeccably well-groomed, charming, hyper-ambitious sixteen-year-olds across the U.S.  However, overachieving amongst girls isn’t always a good thing, and it has one especially damaging consequence: bullying.

When girls are raised to be perfect, their peers are the standard to which they’re compared.  Girls don’t get credit from their communities or peer groups for just being “smart” or “pretty” or “nice”—they need to be “the smartest girl in the grade” or “the nicest girl in the social circle” or “one of the prettiest girls in the school.”  As such, for girls who want recognition, all other girls are a girl’s competition… and resentment and mocking of their peers is one way that girls try to beat the others.  A girl who is doing particularly well (or worse, a girl who is struggling in her attempts to dress nicely or impress a popular crush) is a target for other girls’ gossip, sarcastic compliments, and anonymous cyberbullying.  Not only is this cruel—some girls’ talent for malicious gossip and snark is jaw-dropping—but it’s also counterproductive.  A lot of girls decry the pressure on them to be perfect, but the only way that girls are going to reverse these high expectations is to confront them collectively.  Girls must dress casually when they feel like it, not finish extra credit homework when they’re tired and need to go to bed, and not strive for all A+’s even in classes that they’re not naturally good at, together for example.  Girls need to produce a tidal wave of authenticity and originality in youth culture if they want things to be different.  But if girls continue to try to outdo one another, this Catch-22 of perfect girl competition will never end!

Liz is happy to provide bullet points for any of the above speeches… and she can also come up with many more ideas for talks! All her talks are unique and tailored to the venue, and she can work with you to brainstorm an event that’s perfect for you and your vision.  Clips of Liz’s articles, bullet points for lectures and workshops, copies of Liz’s original handouts distributed at events, references from organizers of previous events, and a copy of Supergirls Speak Out are available for interested college professors, student organizers, and non-profit events managers to review if considering an event.

Please contact Liz directly at lizDOTfunkATgmailDOT com.