| |
To
book
this author, or to be added to our
announce only listserv, please email your request to Marsha Skrypuch or
Valerie Sherrard at: abs@authorsbooking.com
Please
support Canadian authors and educators by sharing this
information with colleagues.
|
Gail Sidonie Sobat
Authors’ Booking
Service is pleased to announce that Gail
Sidonie Sobat,
is now scheduling visits to Ontario schools in the Toronto
area for the coming school year. Contact us to inquire about
specific dates.
GRAVITY JOURNAL
has been nominated for the 2009 White Pine Award.
Gail's
rate is $300 plus GST for one session, $575 for two sessions, $825 for
three and $1000
for four, plus $60 per session for travel and accommodation.
Gail is also available for readings and presentations beyond the GTA,
but travel (train, taxi, or car pick-up) will need to be arranged on an
individual basis.
Gail is a member of
The Writers' Union of Canada and so organizations wishing to host her
may qualify for funding to assist with her fee and other costs. For
details, please contact us.
Here is what a
Toronto public librarian had to say about Gail's
presentations:
"Gail
...[is] very energetic and friendly, a warm and engaging speaker with a
great sense of humour. She gave excellent, in-depth answers to
all
questions through her talk and demonstrated her passion for writing for
youth."
And
here's what CM Magazine has to say about her newest novel, Gravity Journal:
“Sobat has
created a tight and simple masterpiece. It is obvious that she has done
her research about eating disorders yet she doesn’t preach or
pander…This isn’t a self-help book; it’s a damned good novel.”
Gail is the author of
the Ingamald fantasy series for young adults: Ingamald,
A Winter’s Tale (White Pine Nomination 2005), and A
Glass Darkly. The Canadian Children’s Book Centre said of
A Winter’s Tale: “Stunning fantasy by a rising YA novelist.”
________________________________________________________________________________
PUBLISHED WORKS:
GAIL SIDONIE SOBAT
For Young Adults:
Gravity Journal, 2008
Ingamald,
2001
A
Winter’s Tale, 2004
A
Glass Darkly, 2006
For Adults:
Aortic
Caprice, 2003/2004 (poetry collection)
The
Book of Mary, 2006 (fiction)
Picture book:
In
the Graveyard, forthcoming
AWARDS AND
NOMINATIONS
Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Honour Book for Gravity Journal,
2009.
R. Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature, nomination for A Glass Darkly,
2008.
Canadian Children's Book Centre Choice Award for A Glass Darkly,
2007.
Gold IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Award) for The Book of Mary,
2007.
Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award, nomination for A Winter’s Tale,
2005.
Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice Award for A Winter’s Tale,
2005.
Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice Award for Ingamald,
2004.
Jon Whyte Essay Competition, Honourable Mention, Writers Guild of
Alberta, 2003.
Arts Award for Career Development, Alberta Heritage Scholarship,
2002.
English Language Arts Council Award, 2000.
Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (Finalist,
Co-recipient), 1996.
The Writer’s Block Short Story Competition, First Prize, 1994.
Kalamalka New Writers Competition, finalist, 1994.
Hope Writers' Guild Poetry Contest, First Prize, 1993.
Canadian Authors Association Short Story Competition, Honorable
Mention, 1993.
Gail’s Presentation
Details
*
Gail is comfortable in educational settings and is very familiar with
the rigours and requirements of the secondary school teacher (Grades
7-12).
* Any workshop, reading or presentation can be tailored to meet your
needs or requests.
* A presentation may consist of
- a 20-30-minute reading, followed by discussion and questions
- a combination of reading, discussion and questions, culminating in
creative writing exercises involving students
*
Discussions may include the writing process from brainstorming to
writing drafts to finished product, or may focus on young adult markets
and requirements for student submissions.
Overview from Gail:
I will present to grades 7 - 12 and can also modify to include grades 4
- 6.
Maximum number of students per session: 100.
I can present to more if a sound system is available for larger rooms.
I offer workshops for grades 7 - 12, and can modify for grades 4
- 6.
Maximum number for workshop: 30, although 15 - 20 is ideal.
I also offer...
Professional Development Workshops.
Grade 12 Writers Craft Workshops.
I am comfortable in a classroom, library, auditorium or gymnasium.
I may require a cd/tape player and power point equipment.
What to expect in a workshop or
presentation by Gail Sidonie Sobat…
When I present for a reading, I generally choose and read those
excerpts that are dramatic in nature. Because of my performing
arts training, I am also able to read in dialect, which many audiences
find humorous and engaging. My readings are often peppered with
personal anecdotes. I’ve been known to sing and to invite the
students to join in dancing, on occasion.
Some descriptions of workshop presentations I’ve designed include:
Writing in Role
A combination of drama and creative writing! For participants
interested in or working on character building and voice. Create
a life for your character and find out more on the hot seat! Take
risks and learn not to block as you create the life of a character.
Find a Voice
Discover the way your character talks and thinks in print and in drama
exercises. Focus on point of view and try your luck at speaking
and writing in dialect. In finding your character’s voice, you
may just find your own!
Found Object, Found Art, Found Poetry
This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship: poetry and
art! Even if you think you can’t, you can create both! Take
discarded pieces, add a little poetry of your own making, a few
splashes of paint, and give new life to something old.
N.B. Please bring your own piece of garage-sale junk; flat
surface somewhere on it is preferred!
WordPlay
Writing begins from a place of playfulness. And there are so many
ways to play with words. Rhyming or not. Dancing or
staccato. Colourful or chiarascuro. Come and revel and
discover your inner wordsmith.
From Instruction to Delight
What do you really want to write about? What matters to
you? What are the big questions that trouble or puzzle or vex
you? Consider and explore the questions that become a writer’s
literary themes. You never know – your rant could change the
world!
Poetic Licence
Writing poetry and writing poetically are very closely aligned.
Explore the poetic in prose and discover that writing poetry need not
be fraught with difficulty or anxiety. Gail will share some
writing tips and poetic exercises, as well as excerpts from her
forthcoming poetic picturebook (illustrated by Spyder Yardley-Jones).
What to expect in a workshop or presentation by Gail Sidonie Sobat…2
Fantastic Voyages
Explore the genre of fantasy with its mirror worlds and supernatural
characters/creatures. Discover some ways to build other worlds
that are long ago or far away. Gail will share tips and ideas from her
own fantasy journey as the writer of the Ingamald trilogy.
Brave New Wor(l)ds
New words! New worlds! New wonders! Delve into
wordplay. Dive into another time and place. Dip into the
unknown or the underworld or the otherworld. All with
words: the magic keys to the entrance. From fairy tales to
fantasy - create your own brave new world!
Get Cracking! Get Creative!
Need a way to get that pen flowing? Those fingers tapping?
That mind zinging? Those words snapping? We'll explore how
to get your creative juices flowing as you dabble in setting, plot,
character and voice!
Gimme Goosebumps (aka piloerection)!
Writing effective hair-raising scenes is key to almost all kinds of
stories: mysteries, fantasy, horror, adventure, science fiction, even
romance! Learn how to aim for the climax and raise the stakes
along the way. Dabble in wordplay that gives you
goosebumps! Raise your heart rate with fast-paced action words!
Activate that action and get stuff done! Discover just when gore
is creepilicious and when it's too much!
Economy of Words
Do you suffer from verbal diarrhea? Or its ugly cousin, verbal
constipation? Are you guilty of verbosity? Is your writing
a tangled maze of verbiage? Or are you simply too pithy?
Are your characters embarrassingly loquacious? Are they full of
sound and fury signifying nothing? Or are they taciturn and
reticent? Have you contracted thesaurus-itis? Or do you
search in vain for the bon mot? If any or nothing of this sounds
familiar, fear not! Come, intrepid writer, explore just how to
write economic and effective words that dazzle!
For older audiences…
Permission to Transgress
There should be no forbidden territories in the realm of fiction
writing, and yet writers often struggle with granting themselves
permission to dare to write the difficult, the dangerous, the daunting.
This introduction will grant permission to transgress.
Writing the Forbidden
What do you want to say? What would you die for? What matters? What
experiences are truly life-altering? What is forbidden? The intent of
this workshop is not to reach for the sensational, but to perhaps
arrive at something more profound in risking the unconventional.
|
|
