Speaking

“Deb Elkink is an energetic Christian who holds God’s Word with conviction and theological integrity. She is an excellent writer with perspicuity. Her passion leads her to speak with giftedness to women.”

— Dr. Grant C. Richison
Vice-President, Advancing Indigenous Missions (Canada)
Advancing Native Missions (U.S.)
(Verse-by-Verse Commentary, circulation 150,000+)

deb elkink blue shirt smiling

My mother tells me I spoke in full sentences at eleven months of age (before I even walked!), so it’s no surprise that I just love talking to this day to anyone who’ll listen — friends on the phone, strangers in the street, audiences who want an enthusiastic presentation.

I’d love to come speak at your event (secular or sacred), whether that’s a how-to workshop for new writers, a tutoring session on basic Christian theology, or a relaxed weekend ladies’ retreat.

I’ve been speaking to women’s groups since 2001. A description of my approved talks follows, but I’m always dreaming up new themes I’d love to share with you:

  • The Legendary Rescue, Retold narrates my life as a cattle rancher’s wife and uses the idea of folk literature (“Little Red Riding Hood”) to show that redemption demands a recognition of sin, a cry for help, and a willingness for salvation.
  • The Spreading Tree describes the literary use of the image of the tree in the Bible: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (symbolizing the Fall into sin), the Tree of Life (depicting eternity in Heaven), and the Tree of the Cross (portraying Christ’s work as the bridge between the other two).
  • The Gown uses the imagery of the memorable clothing in the closet of my life (school frock, graduation gown, wedding dress) to explain how God clothes us in the robe of Christ’s righteousness.
  • Stargazing tells about my “dark night of the soul,” when as an adult believer I wandered from obedience and returned through confession. Revelation of God in nature (the night sky) points to His explicit revelation in the Bible, which in turn points to Christ.

In addition to sharing the above twenty-five-minute presentations, I’m available as a retreat/seminar speaker or workshop leader, and will develop an address on the topic and occasion your specific situation requires. For example:

  • Telling a Story is an introductory how-to writing course on creative fiction, adaptable for the classroom or a weekend workshop. We’ll explore literary excerpts of high quality, brainstorm ideas and titles, engage in small-group interaction for positive feedback on shared writing, and more. You’ll develop your story through examination and discussion of the elements of fiction writing (genre, theme, setting, dialogue, revision, and so on), and you’ll apply the techniques to your own story — with one-on-one instructor critique.
  • Writing Our Family Stories is a one-hour, interactive lecture on searching out the roots of our heritage, sorting that research into usable material, and showing what we’ve learned in a format that suits our audience (be it bedtime stories for grandchildren, published memoirs for history buffs, or short stories for readers of fiction).
  • What’s Eating You? is my seminar perfect for a one-day ladies’ retreat and consists of two or three talks based on the book of Jonah, encouraging women to consider that God’s sovereignty and grace are behind all our circumstances and experiences of discipline and salvation; He wants us to have His eternal values regarding the worth of all people.
  • The Spa of Susa works well if you’re planning a pampering event incorporating beauty treatments and feasting (especially for older teens and young women). The story of Esther — whose physical loveliness was a factor in her role as political savior of the Jewish people during the reign of King Xerxes of Persia — teaches us that God oversees all the “coincidences” of our lives.
  • A Cord of Three Stands: The Bond of Friendship is a four-session study on the motif of friendship developed throughout Scripture. We discuss friendship in eternity past (within the Trinity) and then in the Garden, the Fall resulting in alienation from God and others, God’s overtures and the Cross, the message and ministry of reconciliation, and friendship in eternity future.
  • Home Sweet Home uses architectural and design concepts to focus on that nesting urge we all have to “enter Sabbath rest,” as the book of Hebrews defines it — that inner place of security for the soul, which can be found in Christ Jesus alone.
  • Long Ago in a Land Far Away employs selected literature (from fairy tales through classics, depending on the audience) as the starting point to show that all stories revolve around the four plot points of Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Re-Creation. The purpose of this seminar is to draw attention to the foundational and true biblical narrative, that greatest of all stories by the Author of our salvation.
  • That Makes Sense! engages your audience through sensory stimulation (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) in experiencing a concrete symbol or image (perhaps mirror, spices, fabric, perfume) that appears as a motif throughout the biblical text. This hands-on, thematic, highly customized workshop — best for smaller groups — snags attention, points to the Bible, and applies the lesson by focusing on a picture God uses in His Word to communicate significant spiritual meaning. (For a condensed example of this approach and ideas for choosing symbols, see my ongoing series of mini-studies here.)

To discuss my availability and your particular seminar needs, please contact me: deb@debelkink.com.

Editing – Rolled Scroll Literary Services

“Manuscript editing, also called copyediting or line editing, requires attention to every word and mark of punctuation in a manuscript, a thorough knowledge of the style to be followed, and the ability to make quick, logical, and defensible decisions.”

— The Chicago Manual of Style, Sixteenth Edition, page 70

Since 2001, Rolled Scroll Literary Services has been offering high-quality academic editing for the research and professional communities, providing line-by-line stylistic and copy editing for writers of doctoral dissertations and journal articles at the postgraduate level. Interactive, in-text critique and correction of grammar, idiom, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics are personalized to the client’s individual needs, with tutorial commentary based on standardized guides (notably Chicago Manual of Style) and taking into consideration the target publication’s specific requirements. Rolled Scroll works closely with the client to achieve consistency and clarity within the work without altering content or structure, and crosschecks all citations to ensure two-way coherence between list and text.

ENDORSEMENTS

“Deb helped me . . . through the review process at the top refereed management journals in the field . . .”

“The first editing job that Deb helped me with was my doctoral dissertation. At that time, I was obtaining my doctoral degree at the Ivey Business School at Western University. My first language is Spanish, so having a professional editor was extremely useful to me in order to improve my craft in writing in the English language. Deb became my academic editor and, as I moved into my career as an Assistant Professor and then as an Associate Professor, Deb helped me numerous times editing my papers as they went through the review process at the top refereed management journals in the field. Deb was always timely, flexible, and thorough. However, the most exciting part of receiving Deb’s editing work was the effort she put into developing me as a writer. Deb’s edits were always full of explanations of all the mistakes I had made. She did not only correct my grammar or flow, but she told me exactly how and why I could improve my sentences or paragraphs. So many years later, when I write, Deb’s comments still often come to my mind and I am grateful for all I learned from her.”

— Dusya Vera, PhD
Associate Professor
C.T. Bauer College of Business
University of Houston.

“I . . . developed effective writing skills essential for me to publish in top academic journals.”

“Deb was my academic editor when I was working on my doctoral thesis at Richard Ivey School of Business. As a Chinese student with no prior exposure to rigorous academic writing, completing my doctoral thesis, which would be later reviewed by internal and external established scholars, was a daunting task. I was fortunate to have Deb help me along. She was meticulous and very detail oriented, and her writing style was direct and clear. She also recommended several books for me to read to improve my writing and was extremely patient in answering my questions about the mistakes I made. I was tremendously benefited from the process because I not only successfully defended my thesis but also developed effective writing skills essential for me to publish in top academic journals.”

— Linying (Lin) Dong, PhD
Associate Professor
Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management
Ryerson University

“Deb Elkink has a great eye for detail.”

— Jenny Chen, PhD
Professor, Rowe School of Business
Dalhousie University

“. . . very professional and timely”

“Deb is one of the best editors for my academic papers. She is very professional and timely in delivering work and charges reasonable fees for what she does. She not only makes changes but also informs me why she makes such changes and refers to specific sections in writing books. I have learned a lot about writing during the editing process. Thank you, Deb.”

— Jing Li, PhD
Associate Professor and Canada
Research Chair
Global Investment Strategy
Beedie School of Business
Simon Fraser University

ACADEMIC EDITORIAL CV AVAILABLE HERE

References are available upon request. For a sample edit and preliminary evaluation, or to enquire about availability, rates, and turn-around times, please contact deb@rolledscroll.com.