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I enjoy visiting schools and talking with students and
teachers – especially those who are as passionate about books as I am. I generally tailor my visit to each school’s individual
needs. No two visits are exactly
alike. See below for details, or download
my brochure
Here are the presentations I
do most often:
Group Presentations:
| The Life of a Children’s Book Writer |
45-60 minutes. Grades: K-12.
This is an interactive PowerPoint presentation I usually give to a large group of students.
I talk about my childhood, how I became interested in writing, the books I’ve
published, my day-to-day life as a writer. For
elementary students, this presentation can
include an interactive presentation that shows students how a
book gets published.
Suitable for large or small audiences. |
| The
Magic of Writing for Children |
45
minutes, depending on questions.
The content of this presentation is similar to “The
Life of Children’s Book Writer,” but this presentation is aimed at
adults. |
Small Group Writing Workshops:
| How to Build a Story |
30-60 minutes.
Grades:
K-12, tailored to the age of the audience.
This is a hands-on
workshop where students learn how character, plot, setting and theme
work together to make a story |
|
Create
a Character Workshop |
30-45 minutes.
Grades:
3-12, tailored to the age of the audience.
This is a hands-on workshop where
the students and I will create a character together.
As the exercise goes on, my goal is to show students that story comes
out of character. Small groups.
|
|
Plotting
Workshop |
30-45 minutes.
Grades:
3-12, tailored to the age of the audience.
This is a hands-on workshop where I give the students characters and
show them how to build a plot. Small
groups. |
|
Revision
Workshop |
30-45 minutes.
Grades:
3-12, tailored to the age of the audience.
This is a hands-on workshop where the students are given what appears
to be a perfectly good short story and then we look at ways to revise. My goal is to show students that the majority of writing
is actually RE-writing. Small
groups. |
|
How
to Get Published Workshop |
30-45 minutes. Grades
6-12.
There are places where students can see their work
published. This workshop is
aimed at students who have a real interest in this subject.
I show them how to prepare their manuscript, write a cover letter and
put a package together. I have
handouts (including a page of addresses students might send their work to
get published) to go with this workshop.
Small groups. |
| Intensive Workshop |
Full week
session, Grades 3-12.
I work with a group of students daily for a week and cover
the information in my shorter workshops in greater detail. |
Handouts:
I have handouts to go with most of the workshops – I will send them to you a
week before my visit and ask that you make copies for all your students.
Typical daily fees:
$750 (plus expenses) within 75 miles of Coralville, Iowa or $1000
(plus expenses) for distances greater than 75 miles.
I give a maximum of 4 presentations
per day.
You
can request additional information here.
Note: Unfortunately, I get a lot of junk email and sometimes real
email doesn't make it to my inbox. If I don't respond within a week,
please try again. I do respond to all requests for information about
school visits, so if you don't get a response I probably didn't get your
message. |
