Birth City

Cleveland

Birth State

OH

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Biography

I am a God-fearing woman, a mother, family member, and friend. I love with all of my heart and leave a smile on the hearts of those that I encounter. I am always full of joy and positive energy. I always keep it real. I have lived in Colorado Springs for 30 years.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Domestic violence

Birth Year (-Died Year)

1962

Birth City

Campana, Buenos Aires, AR

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Keynote Speaker

Biography

Four-Time Olympian in the sport of luge. First four-decade Winter Olympian. Spoken for over 100 Fortune 500 companies since 2002. Sold over 300,000 books in 10 languages. TED talk, "The Power of Following the Leader" has over one million views. Ruben moved to Colorado Springs in 2010 and visits the Monument Library at least a couple times a week.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

BS in Chemistry and Biology from Houston Christian University (1988)

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Interviews

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Leadership, Overcoming Challenges, Change, Inspirational / Motivational, Teamwork, Success Principles.
- Topics Page from Website - https://ruben-gonzalez.com/speaking/motivational-keynote-speaker-topics/
- Speaker Videos Page - https://ruben-gonzalez.com/demo-video/

Birth City

Denver

Birth State

CO

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author, Speaker, Psychotherapist

Biography

Pamela Brinker, LCSW, is a Colorado native, living in Colorado Springs. An integrative psychotherapist for 31 years, Pamela has treated thousands of clients while developing tools and practices to teach conscious bravery. She is a committed mental health advocate, helping others transform difficulties into foundations for strength and compassion as they find gratitude, hope, and freedom in everyday living.

Author of the new book released May 20, 2022, Conscious Bravery: Caring for Someone with Addiction, she teaches and speaks about radical self-care, knowing who we truly are, and “whole-being awareness,” along with other tools and practices she designed or refined to cultivate and embed conscious bravery. Her diligent personal yoga, meditation, and dreamtending practices have informed her life and her work for three decades. A mother of two sons and a step-son, Pamela is married and is a lifelong competitive athlete. She divides her time between the mountains and the ocean, and has lived in Colorado Springs for over 30 years.

Education/Training

Pamela attended the University of Colorado Boulder, and received her masters degree in social work from the University of Denver.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Interviews

Organizations

Member of: The National Association of Social Work, Somatic Experiencing International, and The International Association for the Study of Dreams.

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

- Conscious Bravery
- Whole-being Awareness: Beyond Mindfulness
- Braveologist: Growing Your Bravery
- Freedom From Codependency
- Radical Self-Care

Birth City

Memphis

Birth State

TN

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Occupation(s)

Professor - Global Leadership Specialist

Biography

Dr. MelindaJoy Mingo has lived in the Pikes Peak Region for over 20 years. She is a professor at Pikes Peak State College. She is a global leadership trainer and cross cultural communications specialist. She is a visiting business lecturer at Hanoi University in Vietnam and a sought out speaker around the world. She is the founder of Significant Life Change which is a coaching initiative with a unique emphasis on leadership presence along with skills. She is featured in many podcasts, printed magazine interviews and in person speaking engagements around the topic of cross cultural and international business relationships. She is a Tedx speaker and her talk "Shame Off You" has been featured nationally and internationally.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

PhD - Global Education & Leadership
M.A. - Human Resource Development
B.A. - Human Resource Management

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Organizations

Director of Belonging - Society of Human Resource Management Colorado Springs Chapter (SHRM)
El Pomar - Engaging Leadership Development

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

- 21st Century Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication for High Impact Success
- Cultivating Workplaces of Joy
- Leadership Presence - Beyond the Skills ©
- Creating and Sustaining Diverse Friendships
- Breaking off Shame and unhealthy Life Patterns
- The Significance of Community Transformation

Birth Year (-Died Year)

1973

Birth City

Fort Worth

Birth State

TX

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author, Writing Coach & CEO of I Write Writing Academy, LLC.

Biography

My name is LaNette and I’m a Christian author, Writing Coach, Certified Grief Specialist, Marine wife, and grandma who loves hot pink, polka dots, and glitter. My favorite hobbies are writing, meeting new people, and cooking. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree from Texas Wesleyan University and Associate of Arts Degree from Tarrant County College. During my years of college, I was selected to be a part of the Sigma Kappa Delta English Honor Society and Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Society. Over the years, I’ve self-published six books, one noted as a top-seller on Amazon in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. My love for writing and self-publishing led me to my genuine passion for helping others to write and develop their stories. I’m a Texas native currently enjoying the mountains and hiking trails in Colorado.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

Bachelors Degree (Texas Wesleyan University) - Associate's Degree, Tarrant County College

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Interviews

Organizations

Sigma Kappa Delta English Honor Society and Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Society

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Grief - Social Media (Meta & Instagram) - How To Self-Publish Your Story - How To Sell More Self-Published Books Online

Birth City

Worms, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Writer

Biography

After growing up in Germany, Tanja Britton came to Colorado Springs thanks to her husband Mike, whose family, like many, was transplanted to the Pikes Peak region because of their affiliation with the military. Her interest in medicine led her to explore the fascinating history of tuberculosis in the area, which catalyzed wider historical studies. Increasingly fond of nature, photography, and writing, she was inspired to combine her interests by starting a blog in 2016 and by writing her first book.

Education/Training

Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Colorado Springs parks - Colorado Springs history - Colorado's avifauna

Birth City

San Diego

Birth State

CA

Current Location

Pueblo, CO

Email (Public)

Occupation(s)

Scholar and Writer

Biography

Long time resident of Colorado Springs until 2018. Graduate William J. Palmer High School. Numerous instructor positions teaching English Rhetoric and Composition at CU-Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College, and CSU-Pueblo. Have taught British Literature 18th- to 20th-century, American literatures including Latino/Latina, Chicano/Chicana, Native American, and African American, and Introduction to Humanities.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

Ph.D., “Comparative Literature,” Department of Comparative Studies, State University of New York at Stony Brook; full residency. Dissertation: “The Liberty-Genocide Paradox: American Indians in European and American Travel Writing, 1795-1991.” Degree awarded: 1996. -- M.A., “The Sociology of Literature,” Department of Literature, University of Essex, Colchester, England; full residency. Thesis: “The Concrete Human Subject,” on Georg Lukács’s concept of world history and heroism in American novels. Degree awarded: 1991. -- B.A., “English,” The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs; full residency. Includes Junior Year Abroad at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. Degree awarded: 1988.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Organizations

The Rocky Mountain chapter of the Modern Language Association (meets in various locations from Albuquerque, NM, to Boulder, Colorado).

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

The Reverend Charles Kingsley (1819-1875), Canon of Westminster Abbey, visited Colorado Springs in the summer of 1874 with his daughter, Rose Georgina Kingsley. He was a Broad Church Anglican who promoted medical science, trade's unions, and individual improvement. He knew Palmer's English business partner, William A. Bell, when Bell was a student, and Kingsley gave history lectures at Cambridge University (1860 to 1869).

Rose Kingsley was the first to write about the infant town, Colorado Springs, in her book "South by West" (1874).

William A. Bell and William Henry Blackmore were General Palmer's English financial advisors. Bell was a graduate of Trinity Hall, Cambridge University; in contrast, Blackmore was the talented son of a highly successful tradesman from Salisbury, England.

Pseudonym

B. J. Bowen

Birth City

Galveston

Birth State

TX

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Retired - Author

Biography

For 19 years, I played in the Colorado Springs Symphony. My current cozy mystery series is based on those experiences.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

Bachelor's Degree in Music, Boston University, 1976

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

Sisters in Crime

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Music - Rookie Publishing

Pseudonym

JoRayma C

Birth City

Nuernberg, Germany

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Occupation(s)

Writer - Journalist - English professor - Seminar leader

Biography

A writer, seminar leader, and former English professor, Durthy A. Washington has taught graduate, undergraduate, and adult education courses at several colleges and universities including The Colorado College, UCCS, and the US Air Force Academy. Durthy is the founder of LitUnlocked, which offers workshops and seminars dedicated to the art of mindful, culturally responsive reading. Each workshop centers on the LIST Paradigm, an innovative approach to critical reading that helps readers unlock the power of literature with four keys to culture: Language, Identity, Space, and Time.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

MA English, San Jose State University - MS Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles - BA English, San Diego State University

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Interviews

Organizations

The Toni Morrison Society - PILLAR Institute for Lifelong Learning - Pikes Peak Library District Adult Reading Program (Facilitator) - Friends of the Pikes Peak Library - Educating Children of Color Conference - African American Youth Leadership Conference

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Culturally Responsive Reading - Culturally Responsive Teaching - African American Literature - Approaches to Teaching Literature - Writing Memoir and Autobiography

Current Location

Fountain, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Writer

Biography

Stéphanie McGuirt is a writer and artist living in beautiful Colorado with her husband and two children. She owns Bright Spot Copywriting, where she enjoys helping clients increase their reach organically through SEO copywriting and content writing.

When she’s not working with clients or adventuring with her family, she's hanging out with her growing collection of plants, loving on her chickens, and, of course, playing. For resources and to learn more about Stéphanie’s copywriting services, visit www.brightspotcopywriting.com.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

The value of play for all ages and simple, affordable ways to play without needing a big budget or fully-stocked craft cabinet.