Contact Melinda for a Speaking engagement, workshop or event
![]() BJEC Conference - Comments from participants about Melinda Cochrane
"Excellent presenter, knowledgeable, outstanding." "I didn't expect this. Outstanding."" "Clear and outstanding." "Very knowledgeable and Outstanding." "Clear and interesting. Very enlightening." "Motivating." more testimonials about Melinda Cochrane "Melinda offered an inspiring and engaging presentation to Education teachers. She did a great job by focusing on the positive aspects of the teaching profession and showing students how to incorporate their passions into the classroom. Students were interested and asked many questions. Thank you!" Véronique Gingras Career Advisor – Conseillère de carrière McGill University, Faculty of Education I'm so glad I came; it was an absolute enlightening presentation. What really stayed with me afterward was the part in which you were speaking about how you didn't become a writer until you started teaching. I understand this completely. Even though I consider myself a bookworm and doodle story plots in my notebook whenever inspiration hits, I have yet to actually follow through on one of those ideas, and maybe having a class full of eager-to-learn students will encourage me in some way too. Thank you for all of your insights, Amanda |
![]() We have been lucky enough to have Melinda Cochrane present 3 workshops at our library, during which, she shared her experiences in writing and publishing in a clear and relatable way. Each workshop attracted new people into our library and also brought back library users who were impressed with her professional qualifications. Melinda has a wealth of knowledge and her passion for writing is contagious! I think she really inspired all of our participants. At the end of each workshop, we had requests for more.
Karen Armstrong Librarian / Bibliothécaire Bibliothèque Baie-D’Urfé Librarie " I will always know Melinda as Ms Cochrane because the impact of her teaching will forever be with me. I still consider it a blessing, if not a real stroke of fate, that I ended up in her class. I walked into Ms Cochrane's a moody 14 year old with a feeble sense of self and walked out of it, quite simply, a writer. Ms Cochrane teased out that essential part of me that had always been present but that, for a time, was shrouded by self-doubt. She introduced me to writing as both a place of refuge and a means of empathizing with the world. She empowered my voice and instilled in me a special kind of confidence. It was in her classroom--with shaky hands and a nervous sweat--that I read my writing to an audience for the first time. Six years later I study creative writing at Concordia University. While I'm not sure where exactly my path is leading, I know writing will follow me there. Thank you, Ms, for sharing that gift with me! " Julia Jenne |