Public Speaking

Since the publication of Holding Silvan, I’ve become a frequent speaker at literary and medical venues alike.

In the literary context, I’ve spoken to MFA students, college freshman (a Core Friday Lecture at UC Merced where Holding Silvan was a freshman read!) as well as at literary festivals such as the Bay Area Book Festival, AWP and Litquake.

In the medical context, I’ve given Grand Rounds, CMEs, and other talks at UCSF, SF General, Sutter CPMC, Highland Hospital of Oakland, Kaiser Oakland and Richmond, and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. I’ve also been a repeated guest at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis where Holding Silvan is part of the curriculum. Check back here for a video of my most recent presentation there.

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in having me give a talk, either in person or remotely.

Testimonials

"Creative, resilient, brilliant....Monica's presentations offer deeply supportive resources for families healing and recovering after neonatal loss. Her profound journey brings us to the farthest reaches of mother love; a love enduring and never ending."

--Dr. Meghan Lewis, Perinatal Psychotherapist, BirthWays Board Member

"I convinced my book group to read it with me- because I was afraid to read it on my own. I loved and savored Holding Silvan. This book should be required reading in medical, nursing and social work schools. It should live in your library and be shared with people you care about. It's that kind of good."

--Kim Cardoso, CNM, MS Nurse Midwife, LifeLong Medical Care

"Holding Silvan is a beautiful example of how much a loss can teach us about the art of living.  Loving and losing a baby touches on our deepest pain and vulnerability.  Monica gives voice to this experience while showing why deep human connections are worth the risk.  As a presenter, Monica demonstrates the same compassion and insight that is the hallmark of her writing."  

--Donna Rothert, PhD  Perinatal Psychologist

“I'm in awe at how Monica relives her own experiences, teaching us to be more aware, sensitive and responsive as clinicians to the needs of our patients and their families. This kind of dialogue between parents and medical staff provides an educational richness that cannot be equaled.”

 --Robin Kramer, RN, MS, PNP/ Compass Care Pediatric Palliative Care Program/ UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital

"...the panel — including writers Katy Butler and Monica Wesolowska, physician/writers Louise Aronson and Jessica Zitter — was stunning. The give and take of the women was inspiring, as was their admission of being sometimes stymied by dilemmas, ambivalent.  There were more questions than there were answers." 

--Leah Garchick, SF Chronicle

"Monica made the evening. She is so intelligent & self-possessed that everyone grasps and yet moves beyond the almost unimaginable ordeal to consider the issues involved."

--Frances Starn (book discussion participant) and author of Soup of the Day