Don Aker is a bestselling author whose publications have earned him numerous honours, among them the White Pine Award (The First Stone, 2004) and the Ann Connor Brimer Award (The First Stone, 2004, and Of Things Not Seen, 1996). Don’s fans will be thrilled to learn that among his new publications in 2011 is The Fifth Rule, the long-awaited sequel to The First Stone.

A former classroom teacher, he is very comfortable presenting to students in grades 6-12, and his enthusiastic presentation style and sense of humour make him a hit with both teenagers and adults. Here is what Liz O'Brien, Head of Library at Unionville High School, had to say about Don’s visit: 
 
“We have had many authors visit Unionville High School over the years and I have to say, the reaction to Don Aker was the most positive I have seen. Students and staff loved every minute of his presentation. The kinds of information Don chose to share—personal anecdotes, tips on writing, background information to his work—all this was delivered in a most natural and relaxed way and reinforced by a visually appealing power point presentation. Thanks again for contacting me about Don—his visit really was a hit!!”

Maureen Collie, Teacher Librarian at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School in Scarborough, was equally positive:

“Our students were fully engaged by Don and many stayed behind after the presentations to speak with him. Don is a talented novelist, an engaging speaker, and for teenagers, surely the toughest of audiences, a pure delight. I have recommended Don to many of my colleagues and it would be my honour to have him back to Mary Ward in the future.”

Susie Plumpton, Head of Library at Oshawa Central Collegiate Institute, echoed their comments:

“Don’s natural teaching expertise carries over when he addresses students, and he engages and captivates them for his entire presentation. He is humorous, topical, and inspiring…. Having Don at our school was one of the highlights of the year, and I can’t wait to have him back to talk about his two new novels. We have hosted a number of authors over the years and, although all were enjoyable, Don was by far the best speaker and the most entertaining and relevant to our students.”

 And here’s what some students had to say after a recent presentation: 
 
"Don Aker was the most inspirational author that has ever spoken to us. He taught us that writing is not a chore and inspired me to pursue my dream." 
 
"The Don Aker presentation was excellent. Don Aker was hilarious when he was explaining his life and writing process. He kept us interested in what he was saying at all times. Also, you could tell he was always honest with us when talking about himself as a person. Overall, it was very informative and it was a good experience for me and my peers. I plan to read some of his books in the future."

Time slots are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, so please respond early if you are interested in booking Don Aker. His per session rate is $300.00, plus HST, plus transportation from his hotel and a flat fee of $60 towards accommodation. Don's half day rate is $575 plus HST (two sessions) and a full day (4 sessions) is $1100 plus HST. Schools booking for a full day will be charged a flat fee of $200 for accommodation instead of the $60 per session. Don 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. For details of this program, please contact us.  

YA Novels 

Running on Empty, HarperCollins, Toronto, 2012.

The Fifth Rule, HarperCollins, Toronto, 2011.

The Space Between, HarperCollins, Toronto, 2007.

The First Stone, HarperCollins, Toronto, 2003.

Stranger at Bay, originally published by Stoddart Publishing, Toronto, 1997. Now published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Of Things Not Seen, originally published by Stoddart Publishing, Toronto, 1995. Now published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Novels for Younger Readers

In the Lighthouse (for transitional readers), Scholastic, Toronto, 2008. 

The Right Whale (for beginning readers), Scholastic, Toronto, 2007.  
  
One on One (junior novel), HarperCollins, Toronto, 2005.

Educational Texts

Nelson Literacy 10 (literacy text, co-authored with Phil Davison), Nelson Education, Toronto, 2011. 

Winging It (nonfiction), Pearson Education, New York, 2003.  
  
New Language, New Friends (nonfiction), Pearson Education, New York, 2003.  
  
Language & Writing 11 (language arts text, co-authored with Dave Hodgkinson), ITP Nelson, Toronto, 2001.  
  
Language & Writing 10 (language arts text, co-authored with Dave Hodgkinson), ITP Nelson, Toronto, 2000.  
  
Language & Writing 9 (language arts text, co-authored with Dave Hodgkinson), ITP Nelson, Toronto, 1999.  
  
Language & Writing 8 (language arts text), ITP Nelson, Toronto, 1998.  
  
Hitting the Mark: Assessment Tools for Teachers (nonfiction), Pembroke Publishers, Toronto, 1995.

Canadian Library Association’s 2008 Honour Book Award for The Space Between

Canadian Authors Association’s 2007 Lilla Stirling Award for One on One

Ontario Library Association’s 2004 White Pine Award for The First Stone

Atlantic Canada’s 2004 Ann Connor Brimer Award for The First Stone

Atlantic Film Festival’s 1998 Script Development Competition for The Invitation (feature-length screenplay)

The Toronto Star's 2002 Short Story Contest Runner-Up Prize for “Everything Gets Dead”

Atlantic Canada’s 1996 Ann Connor Brimer Award for Of Things Not Seen

Canadian Authors Association’s 1996 Lilla Stirling Award for Of Things Not Seen

Dandelion Magazine's 1991 National Fiction Competition Third Prize for “Scars”

Canadian Living Magazine's 1990 National Literary Competition First Prize for “The Test” (short fiction category)

Atlantic Writing Competition’s 1990 Non-Fiction First Prize for "V-Day: Anatomy of a Surgery"

Atlantic Writing Competition’s 1989 Short Fiction First Prize for “The Invitation”

Nominations

Ontario Library Association’s 2012 White Pine Award for The Fifth Rule

Canadian Library Association’s 2008 Young Adult Book of the Year Award for The Space Between

Ontario Library Association’s 2008 White Pine Award for The Space Between

British Columbia's 2008 Stellar Book Award for One on One

Atlantic Canada's 2007 Hackmatack Award for One on One

Manitoba's 2007 Young Readers' Choice Award for One on One

Alberta's 2007 Rocky Mountain Book Award for One on One

The 1999 CNIB Torgi Award for Stranger at Bay

The Ontario Library Association's 1998 Red Maple Award for Stranger at Bay

Atlantic Canada’s 1998 Ann Connor Brimer Award for Stranger at Bay

The 1998 Blue Heron Award for Stranger at Bay

Manitoba’s 1998 Young Readers' Choice Award for Of Things Not Seen

McClelland and Stewart's 1990 Journey Prize Award for “The Invitation”

 

 Other Honours

The Space Between was selected one of Ontario Library Association’s Top Ten YA Novels of 2008.

One on One received a starred selection in the Canadian Children's Book Centre’s Our Choice Magazine.

The First Stone was included in the Canadian Children's Book Centre’s "Read Canada's Best" recommended booklist.

The First Stone was one of five YA novels chosen for discussion on CBC Radio's 2006 Young Canada Reads series.

Of Things Not Seen received a starred selection in the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Our Choice Magazine and was included in the CCBC’s "Read Canada's Best" recommended booklist.

Presentation Details

Accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation, I begin by telling students how, as a high school student, I wanted to be a writer but never felt I could actually become one, and then I describe the series of serendipitous events that led me down that writing path toward publication 20 years later. Then I give a brief overview of the books I’ve written. I follow this with a discussion of my writing process—where I get my ideas, and the three questions I need to answer before I can begin writing any story—and then describe the genesis of each of my novels. I talk briefly about my most important writing tool—my writer’s notebook—and provide time for students to ask questions. If time and interest permit, I may give a brief reading from one of my novels. I am completely comfortable tailoring my presentation to the needs of a specific audience (e.g., focusing on a particular novel that the students have read or are reading), but I require three weeks’ notice in order to prepare. 

Because I have taught grades 7-12, I am comfortable presenting to any of these groups. My ideal audience is grades 9-12, since this is the specific group I write for, but I enjoy speaking to grades 6-8, too.

Although I prefer presenting to groups of 40 or fewer, I have successfully presented to groups as large as 300 in auditoriums and theatres. However, the larger group sizes lessen the opportunity for meaningful dialogue with students.

A Sampling of Don Aker’s Presentations 

TITLE:  Backstory and Beyond: One Writer’s Journey

AUDIENCE:   English language arts students at all levels

LENGTH:  1 hour

DESCRIPTION: Having written 17 books and numerous short stories, essays, and articles, Don is often asked to share with teachers and students the story behind his writing—in particular, the experiences that generated his award-winning young adult novels that are taught in classrooms across North America. In this informative and entertaining presentation, he describes the circuitous route that took him from a classroom in a small Nova Scotia school to one of the largest publishing companies in North America, and provides behind-the-scenes accounts of the experiences that have shaped both his fiction and his professional writing. In addition, he offers valuable advice for beginning writers who are interested in writing for publication. (Please note that this session can be expanded and tailored to meet the specific needs of teachers whose students are exploring Don’s novels and short fiction.)  

TITLE:  Keynote Address: “Fresh at Fifty” and Other Oxymorons

AUDIENCE:   Teachers at all grade levels and subject areas

LENGTH:  1 hour

DESCRIPTION: In an address that is both moving and humorous, Don discusses his career as an educator and highlights the importance of collaboration in all areas of education. Listeners often recognize in the stories of his classroom their own experiences as educators, and they welcome his focus on mentorship and coaching as a proven means of improving instructional practice and increasing student achievement.  

Writing Workshops:

I offer writing workshops for grades 7-12, but I require three weeks’ notice in order to prepare. 

Maximum participants for student workshop: 25   (15, however, is an ideal number)

Professional Development Workshops:

I offer a number of professional development workshops for adults that include the following:

• writing fiction

• writing memoir

• responding to student writing (offering descriptive feedback)

• helping adolescents read poetry for understanding

• point of view as a writing tool

• cooperative learning strategies in the classroom

• etc.

However, I require three weeks’ notice in order to prepare PD workshops. 

Maximum participants for PD workshop: Ideally 40, but groups as large as 100 are possible, depending on the workshop, and unlimited for keynote addresses  

I am comfortable presenting in a variety of venues, including classrooms, libraries, auditoriums, and gymnasiums. However, when speaking to groups greater than 30, or when speaking in large venues, I require a microphone.  

Equipment and other requirements:

• an LCD projector (I will bring my laptop computer to run my PowerPoint)

• a viewing screen

• a table for my presentation materials

• a bottle of water

• a microphone (if I'm speaking in large venues or to groups greater than 30)

 

A Sampling of Don Aker’s PD Workshops 

Please note that the length of each of the following workshops indicates the timeframe given when Don originally presented them. However, depending on the needs of a particular audience, many of the half-day workshops can easily be expanded to become full-day sessions, and longer workshops can be compressed into shorter timeframes. 

TITLE:    Inside Story: Writing Fictional Narratives

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:    Full day

DESCRIPTION: In this workshop, Don explains how teaching students to write fictional narratives addresses keystage curriculum outcomes, then guides participants through the process of writing their own short stories, which can then serve as models of the process for their students. After answering the “big three” questions that generate story, participants explore multiple ways of entering a narrative, choose a narrative structure that complements their purpose, identify details that make writing “show” rather than “tell,” begin a first draft, recognize how writers must be responsible to their readers, and identify questions that assist in the revision process. In addition, Don offers participants rubrics for responding to and assessing students’ stories, as well as a variety of resources that will enable teachers to transfer their learning to effective classroom practice.  

TITLE:    Strategic Reading: Making Meaning of Text

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-10 English language arts and content teachers

LENGTH:    Full day

DESCRIPTION: An educator with nearly three decades of classroom experience, Don understands that today’s teachers face increasingly diverse learners, many of whom lack the reading skills necessary for success in their disciplines. In this workshop, Don explores what it means to be an effective reader, highlights the strategies that effective readers use to comprehend text, and shows teachers how to incorporate strategy-based instruction in their content areas.  
 

TITLE:    The Poetry Roundtable: Talking Toward Meaning

AUDIENCE:   Grades 6-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:    Half day

DESCRIPTION: For students who struggle daily with reading prose, poetry presents even greater challenges. In this workshop, Don explores the power of focused conversation in making meaning of poetry and involves participants in a roundtabling process that provides a structure for meaningful talk. Don begins the workshop by presenting various understandings of the reading process and highlighting the differences between the New Critical and transactional theories of reading, then shares the various stances that assist students in reading poetry for understanding. Following this, he has participants “unpack a poem” through conversation, questioning, and continual reference to the text, after which they use writing as a vehicle for framing and conveying their understanding to others.  
  
  
 

TITLE:  Team-ing With Success: Cooperative Learning in the Classroom

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-9 teachers in all subject areas

LENGTH:  Half day

DESCRIPTION: In this entertaining and informative workshop, Don outlines the research-based benefits of cooperative learning, then addresses the problems inherent in using groupwork in inclusive classrooms. Don identifies the keys to effective group process and provides a framework that enables educators to elicit from their students the group behaviours that best support learning. In addition, he shares suggestions for designing groups and group activities, examines the factors that impact negatively on group process, recommends strategies for assessing and evaluating group interaction using a triangulated model, and offers suggestions for ensuring sound classroom management.  
 

TITLE:  We Are Our Stories: Writing Personal Memoir

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:  Full day

DESCRIPTION: The single most important difference between strong writing and weak writing is the amount of information the writer knows about his/her topic, so the writing of personal memoir is an important means of ensuring student success from an informational standpoint. In this workshop, Don discusses the power of personal memoir in teaching the six traits of writing and guides participants through the writing of their own memoirs. Following this, he offers suggestions for teaching the revision process as well as direction for responding to student writing in ways that support learning.  
 

TITLE:  So What’s the Big Deal About Conventions?

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:  Half day

DESCRIPTION: In this enjoyable and fast-paced workshop, Don answers the question “So what’s the big deal about conventions?” He begins by exploring the power of conventions in influencing meaning, then focuses on strategies for teaching the conventions of writing that effectively transfer to a wide variety of writing tasks and purposes. Drawing on research that identifies the most common errors in student writing, Don illustrates the daily use of mentor text as an effective and meaningful way of addressing conventions of writing. Besides teaching students to recognize and correct their own writing errors, powerful mentor text also encourages imitation, which results in the overall improvement in the quality of student writing.  
 

TITLE:  Making Metaphor: The Craft of Writing Poetry

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:  Half day

DESCRIPTION: One of the most effective ways to heighten student achievement in a variety of areas is to involve students in the making of metaphor, and in this entertaining workshop, Don offers participants the opportunity to play with associations that generate powerful metaphor. Using proven teaching strategies that encourage experimentation such as “moment framing,” “poetry finding,” “structure seeking,” and “poetry outlining,” Don involves participants in the same kinds of decision-making processes that professional poets experience, resulting in their acquiring not only a better understanding of the craft of writing poetry but also a stronger appreciation of the processes involved in reading poetry for understanding.  
 

TITLE:  Screenwriting: From Story to Script

AUDIENCE:  Grades 9-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:  Half day

DESCRIPTION: Because the medium of film exerts such power in the lives of students, it is only logical that they should learn how stories are adapted to film. In this enlightening workshop, Don discusses the differences between narrative text and narrative film and explores various conventions of scriptwriting. Following this, he uses screenplays adapted from his own novels and short stories to illustrate the process of translating stories into scripts, then involves participants in the same process. By the end of this workshop, participants not only have a strong sense of the unique way that scripts convey story but also how to support students in exploring this medium.  
 

TITLE:  The Writer’s Notebook

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:  Half day

DESCRIPTION: The single most important tool of any professional writer is the writer’s notebook. While no two writers use notebooks in exactly the same way, their purpose is universal—to collect ideas and information that eventually support the writing that will follow. In this workshop, Don illustrates how he uses his own writer’s notebook and offers suggestions for incorporating this writing tool in classroom practice. Besides describing the many purposes a notebook might serve, Don offers suggestions for notebook assessment and evaluation that support learning and address specific curriculum outcomes.  
 

TITLE:  Managing the Bundle: Responding to Student Writing

AUDIENCE:   Grades 6-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:  Half day

DESCRIPTION: In this very practical workshop, Don offers participants strategies for coping with the often overwhelming task of responding to student writing, as well as generating assessments that not only support learning and guide effective practice but also convey meaningful information regarding task proficiency. For many teachers, the assessment of writing often seems far too subjective, so this workshop provides concrete ways to help students move further along the continuum toward strong writing and, equally important, shows participants how to save valuable time when responding to student work.  
 

TITLE:  Polishing the Lens: The Power of Point of View

AUDIENCE:   Grades 5-12 English language arts teachers

LENGTH:  Half day

DESCRIPTION: The single most important choice a narrative writer makes is who will tell his/her story because this shapes and colours everything the reader will experience in the text. In this hands-on workshop, Don shares with participants the differences between the various literary points of view and the impact each has on the reader, and then involves participants in the process of polishing a particular lens through which readers will view a narrative. In producing different versions of the same experience, participants come to recognize not only the power of point of view in the crafting of writing but also the tremendous implications this has for readers.