The Funniest Poet in School
(Invite Darren Sardelli to Your School)

Click here to see how students are responding to Darren's assemblies and writing workshops.

Click here to find out where Darren will be visiting next!

Click here for more activities by Darren Sardelli!

Home: Long Beach, NY

Travels to: Darren travels anywhere he's invited.

Poems appear in:
Rolling in the Aisles (Meadowbrook Press), Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Tot (Meadowbrook Press), Peter, Peter, Pizza Eater (Meadowbrook Press), My Teacher's in Detention (Meadowbrook Press), Dinner with Dracula (Meadowbrook Press), I Hope I Don't Strike Out! (Meadowbrook Press), Dinosaur Poems (Scholastic, UK), READ ME OUT LOUD! (Pan Macmillan, UK), BUSES TO BOOKS (ABDO Publishing), Portobello Road 4 (Diesterweg, Germany), Camden Market 4 (Diesterweg, Germany), What I Did On My Summer Vacation (Meadowbrook Press), Pound A Poem (Metro Publishing, UK), Stepping Stones (Noordhoff Uitgevers, The Netherlands), Camden Town 4 (Diesterweg, Germany), Galaxy Pizza and Meteor Pie (Laugh-A-Lot Books, New York), TAKE OFF! (Eric Cohen Books LTD, Israel).

Rates
Half-Day Visit: $800 plus travel expenses
Full-Day Visit: $1,250 plus travel expenses
Library Programs: $300 plus travel expenses (1 hour workshop)

If you’d like to have Darren perform at your next PTA, PTO, or SEPTA meeting, please contact Darren at (516) 658-1453 or send an email to dsardelli68@gmail.com.

Biography
Award winning poet and children’s book author, Darren Sardelli, makes poetry fun and exciting for everyone. His poems are featured in 12 children’s books in the United States and England, and 6 textbooks in the Netherlands, Germany, and Israel. Darren’s poetry has also been published in newspapers, literary journals, magazines, elementary school yearbooks, and can be found on various web pages. When Darren was in elementary school, junior high, and high school, he had very little interest in poetry. In fact, he thought poetry was dull and boring. After an inspirational dream during his junior year of college, Darren picked up books by Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. After reading a few books by these incredible authors, Darren was inspired to write a poem. Shortly after writing his first poem, Darren started writing poetry, song lyrics, short stories, comic strips, and scenes for television shows and movies. A few years after graduating from Loyola University in Maryland with a degree in Business Management, Darren decided that he wanted to write children’s books for a living. Although many people said this was an impossible task, Darren never lost focus. He spent countless hours in bookstores and coffee shops perfecting his craft.

After being rejected by numerous publishing companies, Darren began working on projects for Meadowbrook Press in 2004. Since then, he has worked with 8 other companies including Scholastic (UK), Pan Macmillan, and ABDO Publishing. Darren decided to start his own publishing company, Laugh-A-Lot Books in 2009. His first title, Galaxy Pizza and Meteor Pie, has been a big hit with students, educators, and parents.

Aside from writing, Darren enjoys bungee jumping, cliff diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, and building snowmen. He is a huge fan of ice hockey. In fact, Darren has played hockey in Germany, France, England, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and Canada! His favorite foods include spaghetti and meatballs, chicken noodle soup, and chocolate chip pancakes!

Event Description
Darren Sardelli has poetry programs specifically designed for Pre-K, K-2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th-8th grade students. A typical day consists of 1-2 assemblies and 3-4 poetry workshops.

Poetry Assemblies
Darren Sardelli’s poetry assemblies are the funniest assemblies around! Not only does he make poetry fun and exciting for students, he also opens their minds to new ideas and unlimited possibilities. During an assembly, Darren talks about how he felt about poetry as a kid (he wasn’t a fan), who and what inspired him to start writing, where he gets his ideas from, the wonderful things that can be done with ideas, why he enjoys writing so much, and tells the story of how he broke into the children’s book industry. Throughout his presentation, Darren shows students some of the books his poems have been published in and acts out his funny poetry as well. Mr. Sardelli tries to make everyone feel like they are part of his show. He encourages the crowd to participate in different ways – they might shout out the answer to one of his poetry riddles, explain what they would do differently if they wrote the poem, ask and answer questions related to poetry, and participate in interactive poems throughout the assembly. During the last 5 minutes of each show, students have the opportunity to ask Darren questions about poetry, writing, publishing, and anything else that intrigues them. If time permits, he may perform an educational rap for the crowd. By the end of an assembly, students realize that poetry can be entertaining, funny, cool, exciting, and fun.

Poetry Workshops
Darren Sardelli’s poetry workshop is unlike any other workshop you’ve ever seen. He breaks down the writing process in a fun and enjoyable way and gives students a new and fresh perspective on thinking and writing. During a workshop, Darren writes a humorous poem with a specific grade (up to 2 classes at a time). After choosing a topic (let’s say the students want to write a school poem), Darren might ask them to think about what life would be like if they went to school under the sea. All of the sudden, students start thinking about dolphins picking them up for school, field trips to the deepest parts of the ocean, and Mermaids doing the Mambo in music class. The more creative the students get, the more enjoyable the writing process becomes. When kids are having fun, they tend to come up with their best ideas. Darren brings their ideas to life by incorporating them into the poem. He also shows the students how to structure each line, develop a certain rhythm and meter pattern, and find the most effective words for the poem. By the end of the workshop, they’ll have a funny, creative, imaginative poem that everyone is excited about.

Book Orders
Before Darren visits your school, students will have the opportunity to order books. On the day of his performance, Darren brings the books with him. Each book has an inspirational message and an autograph from the author, Darren Sardelli. Please e-mail Darren at dsardelli68@gmail.com for more information about this exciting opportunity.

Testimonials
"I got the chance to see Darren perform at another elementary school. When I saw how the students and teachers responded to his poetry, I invited him to my school right away. He has a wonderful gift of making poetry cool for kids."
—Alzbeta Sykora, Dinkelmeyer Elementary School, North Bellmore, NY

"Darren really kept the children’s attention – which is hard! His message and delivery was very effective! The initial feedback I’ve gotten from teachers, staff, and parents is that they really enjoyed Darren’s presentation and that he was more engaging than some of the past authors who have visited."
—Jean Feinstein (Bellerose PTA President), Bellerose Ave. Elementary School, East Northport, NY

"Darren brought out the best in all of us! We all feel as though anything is possible now! But most of all we laughed so hard. It was a true pleasure meeting Darren. Everyone, including the hard-to-make-smile teachers were laughing out loud! We will remember his visit for as long as our brains will allow. Darren’s keen and very funny spin on life makes everyone smile. We all need to stop and chuckle at life, and ourselves. Darren did that for us and we thank him."
—Mary Sanders, Country Harbor Day School, St. James, NY

"I have to tell you, I have been booking author visits for Longwood for many, many years and I have to say I have never seen such positive feedback (from teachers, students, and parents) as Darren is getting at the Middle School. His assemblies and poetry workshops are amazing! Everyone is already looking forward to his return next year."
—Elaine Short, Longwood Middle School, Longwood, NY

"Thanks for making this world a better place by letting us ease up and learn to laugh."
—Dana Parrott, Elementary School Teacher, Amarillo, Texas

"My 6th grade students were very responsive to Darren, especially the boys who think writing is dumb. All they wanted to do was write humorous poetry as soon as they got back to the classroom. I’ve never seen anything like it."
—Kim Harrington, 6th Grade Teacher, Blairstown Elementary, Blairstown, NJ

"Darren Sardelli's poems had all of the teachers and students laughing and rolling in the aisles. His simplistic style and sharp wit made it easy for our students to relate to him and his work. The students who attended his writing workshops were amazed at how easily they could create funny poems in just a short period of time. When the day was done, Darren Sardelli had convinced even the reluctant poets that writing poetry could be fun and cool!"
—Wendy Seeley, Assistant Principal, Meeting House Hill School, New Fairfield, CT

"Mr. Sardelli’s assembly was extremely upbeat! He is a dynamic speaker who knows how to hold the students’ attention. The students were engaged the entire time. They seemed to really enjoy how Mr. Sardelli got his start as an author. They got a kick out of his humorous poetry too!"
—Marni Nelson, Library Media Specialist, Rushmore Elementary School, Carle Place, NY

"The children absolutely loved every minute of Darren’s assembly. They were inspired by his creativity. Darren showed the children how anyone could become a poet. He really got them excited about writing poetry. It was a special treat for the children to construct a poem with a published author. We all had a wonderful time when Darren was here."
—Colleen Walsh, 1st Grade Teacher, Lewisboro Elementary, South Salem, NY

"Darren had my students laughing the whole time he was here. They absolutely loved him! I was very impressed with his poems and I liked the fact that he got the whole class involved. Five of my students bought notebooks to write in after his visit (I did not ask them to do this!). My students can't wait until Darren comes back to our school. They were excited about reading and writing when he was here. I hope he gets a chance to visit more schools so he can share his gift with educators and students. He is a true inspiration."
—Barbara Haining, Mills Pond Elementary, St. James, NY

"During P.A.R.P. month at Bretton Woods Elementary School, Mr. Sardelli read a selection of his poems to grades 2, 3, 4, and 5. He was very well received by both students and teachers. His poems are funny, witty, educational, inspirational, and fun. We all had a wonderful time when Mr. Sardelli was here. Students and teachers are looking forward to his return."
—Joanne Lonetto, assistant principal, Bretton Woods Elementary, Hauppauge, NY

"The children in grades one through four of St. Edward the Confessor School in Syosset, New York, were privileged to hear Mr. Sardelli read a selection of his poems to them. The children absolutely loved these humorous, rhyming poems which touched on a variety of subject matter. The teachers were also very impressed and asked Mr. Sardelli to return when time permitted to read more of his poetry to the children. As an educator for over twenty-five years, it is my opinion that his poems will be well received with enthusiasm by other educators for their respective facilities."
—Anne M. Schaefer, principal, St. Edward the Confessor School, Syosset, NY

"It was a pleasure having Darren come to our school. He is a true inspiration to students and teachers. His poems were fantastic! It's amazing how he combines humor and learning. We are all looking forward to purchasing his first book."
—Lisa Butera, Washington Drive Primary School, Centerport, NY

"The students of School #8 had a blast when Darren was here. He had their attention the whole time and included each and every one of them in his presentation. The humor of his poems is incredible, the rhyming patterns are wonderful, and the creativity is exceptional. Shel Silverstein may be gone, but his legacy continues."
—Leslie Krasnoff, Sixth Grade Teacher, Fulton Avenue Elementary School #8, Oceanside, NY

"Darren's presentation was amazing! His poems will be part of the poetry section in my language arts curriculum. I most definitely will recommend Darren's poems to everyone who teaches. They are funny, interesting, and easy to relate to."
—Diane Galazka, O'Neill Elementary, Central Islip, NY

"Darren was very entertaining at our assembly. The students couldn't wait to hear what he was going to say next. Anytime you can hold a child's interest while they are learning is PRICELESS! Darren has helped me want to teach more poetry in my class. We look forward to his return."
—Barbara Kirby, Ronkonkoma, NY

"Darren's poetry assemblies and workshops were outstanding! We loved all of his poems. Students and teachers were able to identify with his subject matter and humor. His poems held the students attention and inspired them to write their own poems. It was a pleasure having Darren at our school."
—Christine Murray, Oakdale, NY

"Darren's poems are very clever. They are filled with humor and spirit. His poems reflect young people's perspectives on daily life. I would definitely recommend Darren (and have already) to teachers in other schools. The students had a blast when he was here."
—Armando Pulido, Third Grade Teacher, New Lane Memorial Elementary, Selden, NY

"I loved all of Darren's poems. I'd put Darren in the same category as Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. The staff and students loved the variety of what Darren presented today. We thought the combination of his riddles, funny poems, and nonfiction poems (like MLK) were great. I thought it was great for the students to see a cool, young guy writing poetry. I think Darren is someone the children can look up to!"
—Venera Hirsch, Oxhead Road Elementary, Centereach, NY

"Darren's poems are fun and energetic. The students enjoyed his energy and sense of humor. It was great for the students to see someone young writing, publishing, and enjoying poetry. He has already inspired a few of my students to become authors."
—Carrie O'Brien, Teacher, Suffolk County, NY

"When Mr. Sardelli was at our school, he did an assembly for the 1st and 2nd grade, the 3rd and 4th grade, and the 5th and 6th grade. His poems were a joy for students and teachers to listen to. I was impressed with the positive messages in Mr. Sardelli's poems. Mr. Sardelli is an excellent role model for people of all ages. Our teachers and students were very excited to have him at our school."
—Jeffrey Schlissel, Principal, Oaks School #3, Oceanside, NY

"Darren Sardelli is upbeat and enthusiastic about reading and writing. His creative and funny poems grabbed the children's attention and inspired them to use their imagination. Both adults and children can relate to his poems. We plan to use his poems in our curriculum."
—Teachers in Centereach, NY

For references, please e-mail Darren at dsardelli68@gmail.com.

If you are interested in booking a school or library visit, camp program, birthday party, or an event with Darren Sardelli, please e-mail Darren at dsardelli68@gmail.com. Darren can also be reached at (516) 658-1453.