David A. Poulsen

Authors’ Booking Service is pleased to announce that children’s author, David A. Poulsen is now scheduling visits to Ontario schools for the coming school year.   

David would love to plan a visit to your school or library.  His rate is $475 per half day (two one hour presentations or one two hour workshop) and $925.00 per full day—maximum four sessions (See below), plus travel from Toronto. GST is applicable on fees.

David is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and so schools wishing to invite him may be eligible for a travel and fee subsidy to off-set the cost of his visit.  Contact us for details of this program.

      David A. Poulsen has been a rodeo competitor and rodeo clown, rock singer, high school football coach, stage and film actor, television host, college English instructor, and most of all--writer.  His most recent book is the fifth title in his popular Middle Reader series, The Salt and Pepper Chronicles. The Prisoners and the Paintings hit bookstores in spring of this year. The first book in that series--The Vampire's Visit was a finalist for the 2008 Silver Birch Children’s Choice Book Award while the third Salt and Pepper book—No Time Like the Past is a finalist for the 2008 Golden Eagle Book Award in southern Alberta. David delivered the keynote address at a number of Silver Birch celebration events in spring 2008. 

Here’s what Joyce Lister, teacher librarian of Centennial Public School in Brampton, ON has to say about this author:

“The students were inspired by his message, motivated to read more, and sad to see him leave.  He leaves an indelible mark on his audiences."

Time slots are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, so please respond early if you are interested in booking .    

Published Works:

      Young Adult Novel Billy and the Bearman. (Napoleon Publishing, Toronto)

Selected by the Canadian Children's’ Book Centre for a Choice Award.

Shortlisted for Blue Heron Book Award and Writers Guild of Alberta Children’s Book of the Year.   

Young Adult novel, Last Sam's Cage. (Key Porter Books, Toronto). Nominated for Snow Willow (Saskatchewan), MYRCA (Manitoba) Young Reader's Choice Awards and R. Ross Annette (Alberta) Award. Selected by the Canadian Children's’ Book Centre for a Choice Award

The Salt and Pepper Chronicles, Key Porter books. Middle reader series

1. The Vampire’s Visit, finalist for the Silver Birch Reader’s Choice Award in Ontario.

2. The Hunk Machine

3. No Time Like the Past, nominated for The Golden Eagle Children’s Choice Book Award in southern Alberta

4. The Book of Vampire

5. The Prisoners and the Paintings 

      The Lawrence High School Yearbook Series 

Wild Thing

Blind Date

Key Porter Books will release (fall 2008) Books 3 and 4 of The Lawrence High School Yearbook Series—Jeremy’s Song and Cowboy Cool. 

Key Porter books will be publishing (Fall, 2008) the Young Adult novel Numbers—which examines the lives of students in a high school where the most popular and influential teacher is a Holocaust denier.

Awards and Nominations—David’s books have been nominated/short-listed for the Blue Heron Book Award and Writers Guild of Alberta Children’s Book of the Year, Snow Willow (Saskatchewan), MYRCA (Manitoba) Young Reader's Choice Awards, Golden Eagle Children’s Choice and R. Ross Annette awards (Alberta), the Silver Birch Award in Ontario and a number of Canadian Children's’ Book Centre for a Choice Awards.

David’s Presentation Details— 

“I always wanted to be part Roy Rogers, part Mickey Mantle and part Ernest Hemingway. That’s a difficult combination.”  

David A Poulsen has emerged as one of Canada's most sought-after guest authors and creative writing workshop leaders in schools. His speaking engagements have included sessions and keynotes at conventions, AGMs, Sports Dinners and conferences. His sometimes funny, sometimes gut-wrenching, always entertaining recounting of the life of a writer has spellbound audiences and inspired adults and kids alike from British Columbia to Central and Eastern Canada. A former teacher, he is at home with students from grades 3-12. His high-energy author visits last 50 to 60 minutes as he shares with students journey to becoming a writer of more than 20 books. And most of all, David fills every room with his passion for and love of reading and writing. In June of 2005, David was one of six Canadian writers selected to present at the first ever ALOUD Conference (a Children's Book Writers component of the famed Readings at the Harbourfront Series) in Toronto.

Making it Believable  (Workshop title)

The best books are the ones that draw us right into the story so we are right there when all the neat stuff happens, right? Award winning Alberta writer David A. Poulsen will share with you how you can make your stories so believable your readers will be laughing, crying or looking over their shoulders right along with your characters. And the best part is—it’s easy and it’s fun!! 
 
 

I prefer to present to grades 3-9 (flexible). I will meet with the little guys (for a shorter period) and with high school students but the majority of my books target grades 3-9.

For my author presentation I will speak to upwards of 100 students as long as all can see and hear me. I’m flexible with this number.

For the workshops, which are hands on and working with the kids on a one on one basis, the limit is 20 (I will go to 25 if necessary) and I need from and hour and a half to two hours.

I do offer PD workshops to teachers and teacher-librarians. I am comfortable in libraries, classrooms and smaller auditoriums. I will present in gymnasiums when necessary but it not my preference.

Equipment requirements are minimal—a table and stool (not a chair) for the author presentations and a microphone where necessary. For the workshops, I need access to a white board or chalk board or flip chart and the students need pencils and paper.