Keynote Presentations

Creativity is a birthright. Each day we are challenged to work out the situations of our lives with creative solutions. Creativity is a defining characteristic of being human. The artist has a special relationship with creativity. He has invested in it, he has exercised its muscles, he has given it room to roam, and grow. In this engaging and thoughtful presentation Award-winning Broadway writer/keynote speaker/producer, Dr. David Gonzalez, illuminates the creative process through his poetry, stories, and music.

Acclaimed performer David Gonzalez, shares the riches of Latinx culture through his poetry and stories. This presentation moves from ancient myths to personal stories growing up in the bilingual Bronx, to his own compelling poetry of a Latinx man determined to shape an authentic identity and creative life. David has a gift for communicating essences and in this keynote he offers a fresh vision of contemporary Latinx culture that is rooted in soulful mythology and poetic imagination.

Stories create connections. They join us in shared experiences and shared identities. Personal stories give insight into character and ability. In this keynote address, Dr. David Gonzalez tells fascinating true stories about his journey toward becoming a successful performer, scholar, and businessman. Effective storytelling communicates self-knowledge, generosity of spirit, mastery, creativity, and passion. Audience members will feel inspired to take inventory of their own stories, and storytelling skills and be more willing to share personal material within their professional activities.

Run It Down traverses the landscape of Gonzalez’ creative world: poems of urban grit and mountain cliffs, stories about a father in the CIA, stunningly powerful tales from his life as an arts therapist, Orpheus in the Underworld, plus other gems from his repertoire. He brings it all together with a mix of original music for piano and guitar.

Using his extensive experience as a professional storyteller, poet, and keynote speaker, Dr. David Gonzalez will explore the fundamental elements of story and how they can be gathered into compelling narratives with effective communicative power. Using his doctoral research into myth and personal meaning as a touchstone for this talk, he will give examples from his creative process in making new theatrical productions and vividly illustrate his ideas with stories and original poems. Some of the techniques he describes include amplification, association, imagination, first choice, and multi-modal communication.

As the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from International Performing Arts for Youth, David knows how to engage and thrill young people of all ages and grade levels. The central themes of his work for kids are: cooperation, creativity, courage, and kindness