Schools, Libraries, Book Fairs, Conferences & Other Events

                                                                                Email to schedule your event

                                                                                         PaGoose@aol.com  

                                                                                                    $2,700

                                                                               Plus airfare, hotel, meals

                                                       $.65 cents a mile for states within driving distance

"Ghigna  exudes energy from the moment he takes the stage. His performance is  complete with funny faces, humorous postures, and comedic hand gestures.  He breaks down complex writing theory and presents it in a fun and  engaging way. He isn't afraid to get silly as evidenced by the  uproarious laughter from his audiences."  --Jacob Probus, The Gadsden Messenger

A high-energy Poetry  Performance that includes inter-active choral readings with the  students, lively recitations, readings and story-telling that  demonstrate where to get ideas and how to get started, and a Q&A  session for students and teachers. 

                                          "A humorous, entertaining, and instructional poetry program

                                  designed to motivate students and teachers to read and write poetry."

Students and teachers have fun learning aboutthe various types of poetry
and where to find inspiration and ideas for their poems

Each presentation is 45 minutes, plus Q&A, and book signing
 

Space & Equipment for Presentations

Auditorium (or gymnasium, cafeteria, large room, or area of the library)

A wireless lavalier lapel mic or hand-held mic on a stand

and two long tables pushed together for display

Book Orders for Schools

We can email a sample Book Order form to send home for parents.

For events that require air travel,

please contact your local bookseller to handle book orders.

For events within driving distance in the Southeast,

we can order our books and deliver them the day of the event.

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                                                                      Conferences & Book Festivals

                                                               "Father Goose: The Power of Poetry"

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"A brilliant performance. Ghigna graces the poetry platform with dynamic wit, vision, and verve. Strong, original poems exquisitely performed with a commentary laced with humor befitting a seasoned poet/professor."
—The Miami Herald

“Will have kids clamoring for repeat performances until they can read all the poems themselves.”   
—Publisher's Weekly

“Fun to read aloud.”  —New York Times

“Father Goose not only has a good sense of description and metaphor, but also a good sense of sound and rhythm.”     —School Library Journal

"Timeless!" —Parents Magazine

“Playful poems well-suited to reading aloud.”   —Horn Book

"Lively and fun!"    —Kirkus Reviews

“Poems from the gifted pen of Charles Ghigna, aptly dubbed Father Goose.” —Washington Post

“An endearing, timeless, poetic look into the enchanted world of childhood.”   —Inkwell

“Captivating!”—BookPage

“Ghigna captures and celebrates both the mundane and the monumental moments in a child’s life.”   
—Atlantic Books

“Simple truths simply revealed.”   —Parents’ Choice

“Like Robert Louis Stevenson’s A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES so popular a generation ago, nationally acclaimed poet Charles Ghigna’s poems feature delightful, story-telling rhymes. They are told simply,
with the kind of charming detail that makes them instantly memorable.” —The Birmingham News

“Ghigna’s poetry invites children to celebrate the natural world and the joys of language. This treasury offers poems for every mood—quizzical and quiet, whimsical and silly—all with a playful sense of sound and rhythm that make them fun to read aloud.” —Kathleen Andersen, Editor, Cricket Magazines

"I have used Charles Ghigna's poetry in my classroom for more years than I can remember. His book A POEM IS A FIREFLY is a wonderful introduction to poetry. So great for teaching simile, metaphor, personification, etc. in an enjoyable, accessible way to my 3rd graders. I highly recommend bringing Charles Ghigna into your classroom or into your home for those lucky kids who have parents who read to them.
—Andrea, 3rd Grade Teacher

"Charles Ghigna is not only an adult poet, but also a playful light verse writer and one of the most popular writer's of imaginative verse for children today." —Richard Armour

"Poet Charles Ghigna (aka 'Father Goose') is now on the cusp of becoming a major force in children's literature." —Associated Press

"Charles Ghigna's work is impressive for its perceptiveness, its verbal felicities, its craftsmanship He has a feeling for language, a sense of form, and he makes the experience he writes about matter to himself and the reader." —Robert Hayden

"Charles Ghigna is quite possibly one of the three or four best poets of his generation.
He is certainly the most enjoyable to read. His themes and subjects are the product of a sensibility
that is at once intensely emotional but strictly controlled. Again and again the individual poems exhibit a rare and unusual mastery of his craft."
—Charles Henley

"Charles Ghigna, in my opinion, belongs with the best of contemporary American poets He writes about a broad range of subjects (love, nature, family, religion, time, and sport, to name only a few) and he treats each one with imagination, insight, occasional humor, and wisdom. He is particularly adept at showing the extraordinary significance and meaning that lie, like the prize bass in one of his poems, just beneath the surface of common, everyday experiences and events. A Ghigna poem is always a revelation, a poignant reminder of the pathos and beauty of the human condition."  —Robert Hamblin

"Charles Ghigna is the finest new poet that I or anybody else has read in a long time." —James Dickey

"Ghigna is versatile and ambitious, and has sharp eyes and ears. He doesn't just crystalize his own nightmares and dreams in PLASTIC SOUP he imagines himself inside other people's. To sample his freshness, power, and economy, try 'No Hunting Signs' or 'Xenophobia.' For a taste of his outrageous humor, see 'Making Love to the Statue of Liberty' or 'Pitcher Perfect,' this last a double-entendre poem far superior to E. E. Cummings' famous comparison of a woman to a new car. In such triumphant moments, Ghigna writes better than just about any other poet I know."  —X. J. Kennedy

"Charles Ghigna is a master of the short form, the pithy poem. This collection, DEAR POET, showcases his wit and ability to offer both a real poem and real advice. I can see these poems enjoyed in the classroom as well as in the secret heart of any would-be poet."  —Jane Yolen

"Ghigna's poems, succinct, crisp, concise word-gems, offer readers thoughts to ponder over and over again.
His is a poetic journey one will want to travel aboard often."   —Lee Bennett Hopkins

"Charles Ghigna creates a masterful collection of poetic strength and clarity of vision." —Paul Ruffin

"It is fun to read work by a poet who you can imagine had as much fun writing as you have reading. Charles Ghigna's light verse reads so smoothly that it often tricks me into believing writing light verse is easy."
—Writer's Digest

"Charles Ghigna is a writer whose imagination, perception, verbal adroitness and wit enable him to fly rings around those of us who even have the gall to pick up a pen, much less call ourselves writers."
—Saturday Evening Post

"Ghigna's worth seeing (even planning for) because he makes quite an impression on the little ones.
When he reads to them, he has a definite air of fun about him."  —The Birmingham News

"A brilliant performance. Ghigna graces the poetry platform with dynamic wit, vision, and verve.

Strong, original poems exquisitely performed with a commentary laced with humor befitting

a seasoned poet/professor."  —The Miami Herald

"Ghigna captures perfectly the wonder — the sheer joy — of being a child." —Humpty Dumpty

                                                                                            Testimonials

Charles Ghigna, affectionately known as  Father Goose, is a wonderful poet and author of children’s books that  will leave footprints on your heart!   —Heidi Sprouse, Teacher

I have seen Charles Ghigna (Father  Goose) at several school author programs and library conferences. I am  always enchanted by his open and friendly style of engaging the children  and adult listeners in whatever poetry he is presenting. I have seen  children who thought they hated poetry come away from his visits with a  new appreciation for the possibilities of the 'fun' in poetry. His  presentation is both entertaining and well-paced and even the toughest  little critic is invariably won over by his clever humor.  —April Moon, Children's Librarian, Emmet O'Neal Library

Charles Ghigna is an engaging presenter.  He has the children's undivided attention, and he is fascinating to  hear. What a positive influence Father Goose is to young readers and  writers!   —Mary Dorough, Teacher, Crestline Elementary

Father Goose had us all spellbound from the moment he picked up the microphone until the moment he put it down.   —Sally Westbury, Principal, Pinebrook Elementary

Charles Ghigna (Father Goose) is a  delight! He charms children and adults, alike, always entertaining while  teaching. He inspires and excites a crowd.   —Wanda Jewel, Director, Southeast Booksellers Conference

Charles Ghigna (aka Father Goose) packed  our meeting room to over capacity when we hosted students, teachers and  parents from a local elementary school this past spring. All had a  great time, took lots of pictures...and bought lots and lots and lots of  books! —Jake Reiss, Owner,  Alabama Booksmith 

Charles Ghigna is a favorite at our  WRITING TODAY Conference. He always receives enthusiastic evaluations on  his presentations. He is consistently listed as an "exceptional  presenter" and as what the attendees liked best about the conference. Father Goose was exceptional! wrote one attendee. I absolutely LOVED Charles Ghigna, wrote another.  He was so enthusiastic and really gave of himself!  We  will obviously invite him again and be honored to have him. Those  involved in presenting the conference love and respect him too.
—Annie Green, Conference Coordinator, WRITING TODAY, Birmingham-Southern College


Father Goose (Charles Ghigna) is a crowd  favorite! His energetic and entertaining presentation is extremely  popular among the thousands of children, parents and educators who  attend our annual festival. 
—Jayne Pelaski, Director, Southern Kentucky Book Fest

Charles Ghigna holds his audience in  rapt delight with every performance of his poetry program. Whether  performing for children or adults, he makes new fans with every  presentation. — Linda Wilson, Director
Alabama Bound Book Fair

Poet Charles Ghigna brought a  "real-world" writing connection to our students. They were so excited to  share their writing with a famous author. During his visit, he listened  to my students read their original works and offered them positive  feedback on ways in which they could improve their writing skills. His  inspiring discussions, powerful question-and-answer sessions, and  dramatic readings of his own works kept my students' pens moving through  May! —Lisa Gaines, English Teacher, Homewood Middle School

I have worked with Charles Ghigna for  fifteen years as a school librarian and book sales chair for an annual  Young Authors Conference attended by more than one thousand elementary  students, teachers and parents each year. Charles does an amazing job of  getting everyone involved in the writing process. Not all children's  authors are especially good with children, but Father Goose is GREAT! He  genuinely likes children and he entertains the adults as well!  —Kate Vogel, Librarian Inverness Elementary

I liked the way Father Goose makes everything make so much sense. His poems are really good, and I like his funny rhymes.  —Elementary School Student

Father Goose was very funny telling stories. He makes you feel like you know how and why he wrote his poems.  —Elementary School Student

Father Goose is a fantastic poet, and he is very, very funny. I hope he keeps on writing more poems.
—Elementary School Student

Mr. Ghigna is a truly gifted poet. His  poems transport the reader to a different world and inspire the reader  to see even the simplest things in new ways.  —Elementary School Parent

Charles Ghigna is so engaging and funny.  His poetry definitely reflects his personality. I was actually sad when  he finished his program. I loved hearing how he shares his passion for  writing. 
—Elementary School Parent

The presentation was very "kid-centered"  inviting the audience members to join in and share. It was entertaining  and amusing. The length of the presentation was perfect for our  students. 
—Elementary School Teacher

Mr. Ghigna did a wonderful job keeping  the attention of each student, teacher, and parent. The way he relays  the origin of each poem makes his poems more meaningful and special to  each reader. 
—Elementary School Teacher

What a delight, honor, and privilege to  have Father Goose (Charles Ghigna) at the library. He is such a gifted  writer! With his books, many have had the opportunity to share special  time with those they love, time, and time, and time again.  —Gail Barton, Samford University Library