“Amy was phenomenal. A master speaker with power, passion, and perseverance. The room was enthralled with her presence and her message.” —
Longwood University, Summer Literacy Institute, 2024“…She did a wonderful job sharing! I heard only positive feedback on what she had to say and how she chose to say it.” —
South Bend Education Foundation, 2024“If you are looking for a Keynote Speaker who will bring compassion & energy while engaging your attendees, look no further than Amy King! She spoke candidly to both our preservice and inservice teachers about the current state of education.” —
Dr. Pauline Schmidt, West Chester University 2023“King understands what it is like to be a teen and listens to her readers. A.S. King has continually crafted stories about the daily struggles and obstacles faced by teens on a regular basis through discussion of tough topics.” —
Margaret A. Edwards Award Committee“A.S. King has and continues to write for every teen no matter their background. Her work reflects the struggles and realities teens face today” —
Edwards Committee Chair Craig Marasco“Amy connects with all audiences, especially with teens, on profound levels. Her empathy and understanding encourages them to think about and process difficult emotions and provides them a safe space to do so. She seems to know instinctively what each individual teen reaching out to her needs. In my discussions with teens, I have been moved by how deeply they connect with her writing and respond to meeting her in person.” —
Olivia Durant, Librarian, Co-Director, Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival“…Amy is a master of lectures, workshops, and interviews for a variety of audiences. Each event is uniquely tailored for the moment and the audience, something you don’t often see in speakers in my experience. No matter the format or the audience, Amy fosters a safe and creative space with her vulnerability, humility, and humor. She connects with students by being genuinely interested in their opinions, questions, and wellbeing. In large events and assemblies, Amy has a way of making everyone feel seen, as evidenced by the long line of teens who stay late while chairs are being stacked and lights turned out to share a private word with her.” —
Kate McNair, Youth Services Librarian, Johnson County Library“Amy Sarig King
truly gets it. She has an uncanny ability to connect deeply with others, no matter the age. Teens feel seen and validated by Amy and she handles each individual with care. Amy has been a vital part of the Greater Rochester Teen Books Festival for many years now and her sessions are always packed with teens hungry to address and discuss topics of great importance to them – environmental concerns, equity issues, and perhaps most notably, mental health and suicide awareness. Countless teens through the Teen Book Fest years have shared the impact Amy’s visits have had on them and I have personally spoken with students who have reported that her presentations changed, or even saved, their lives. Through the years, I have met countless wonderful authors and attended their presentations. Amy is one of the rare few I wholeheartedly endorse and would invite back again and again and again.” —
Beth Puckett, Librarian &Founding Member, Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival“A.S. King is an award winning author and compelling speaker. Both her life and novels stand as great examples of strong women excelling in life.” — James Blasingame, ASU, AZ, Past-President, Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE
“Amy’s natural and honest bearing, fascinating biography, and her sheer love and respect for teenagers was evident and helped prompt the lively and intelligent questions.” — Leslie B. Patient, English Department Chair, Purnell School, NJ
“I work at a university, where I train preservice English teachers. As part of a course focused on the teaching of literature, and the field of young adult literature, I asked Amy to Skype with my class. The students had already read Please Ignore Vera Dietz, and were very excited to meet with the actual author of one of their texts. Amy’s Skype session with my class was fantastic, and more than I ever could have hoped for. She shared insights into her writing process, the characters and events in her novel, and her thoughts on the state of reading instruction in schools today. Everything, and I mean everything she talked about fed directly into discussions and activities our class had been doing over the course of the semester. Amy is incredibly open, engaging and funny. She put my students at ease very quickly, and our hour together flew by. I had several students come up to me, after the session was over, and tell me that it had been the ‘best last class ever.’” — Mark Letcher, Purdue University Calumet
“A.S. King’s fun and lively presentation at Hamilton High School–the largest high school in the state of Arizona– brought the house down! The kind, intelligent and very approachable A. S. King had teens asking her thoughtful and intriguing questions. She’s a disarming delight that will appeal to all readers and I urge you to find this out for yourself by getting her into your library or classroom.” — Tim Loge, Instructional Specialist, formerly of Chandler Public Library & Hamilton HS Library, Chandler, AZ
