Richard has written for
grown ups, young adults, middle-schoolers and primaries. He received a
Mr Christie Award for his first children’s novel, The Nose From Jupiter. This book
and its sequels have won honours across Canada and the United States,
and are sold around the world. His first picture book, Bun Bun’s Birthday, was one of Quill
& Quire’s books of the year. His most recent children’s
novel, From Charlie’s Point Of View,
was a CLA Honour book, and selected by the Chicago Public Libraries as
one of the “Best Of The Best.”
Richard 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.
Published Works: Richard
Scrimger
Picture books:
Bun Bun’s Birthday
Princess Bun Bun
Eugene’s Story.
Middle Grade Novels:
The Nose From Jupiter
A Nose For Adventure
Noses Are Red,
The Boy From Earth (the “Norbert Narratives”)
The
Way To Schenectady, Of Mice And Nutcrackers (the “Peeler Chronicles”).
YA:
From Charlie’s Point Of View
Into The Ravine.
For Adults:
Crosstown
Still Life With Children
Mystical
Rose.
Awards and Nominations
In addition to winning the
1999 Mr. Christie Award for The Nose
From Jupiter, Richard Scrimger’s work has been nominated for the
Red Cedar, Silver Birch, Blue Spruce, Red Maple, Manitoba Young
Readers, Rocky Mountain, Hackmatack, YALSA, Kids’ Pick Of The Lists,
Pacific North West, CLA. In short, both kids and grown-ups
appreciate his writing!
Richard’s Presentation
Details
My presentation for grades
K-2 lasts about forty minutes. I explain where I get my ideas,
and show how their experience is like mine. Then there’s a little
play-acting, and audience participation in a read-along.
For middle grades (3-6) I
like to take about an hour. I’ll tell them a story, explaining
techniques I use to pull the audience into the action. We’ll
build a story together, using some of those techniques. And I’ll
end with a reading or two designed to illustrate a point I’ve
made.
For seniors (7-8) I’ll start
with the emotional truth behind every story – the dark places inside us
where stories lurk. I’ll talk about twisting the truth.
Then we’ll put together a story from bits and pieces and discover what
works, what doesn’t, and why.
For high-school students I
take a slightly more formal approach. There are exercises I like
to use to facilitate plot-building. We’ll discuss the four kinds
of writing necessary to tell a story, and what the writer needs to
bring to each kind. We’ll talk about the basic story ideas in
Western literature, the different types of protagonist and antagonist,
the role of the narrator, the importance of voice.
I will present to any and
all grades. I am completely flexible – think Elastic-Man. I
prefer not to make one presentation to a wide age-range, but I
will. Not a problem that money won’t solve.
There is no maximum
number of students per session: Typical would be
60-100. Fewer students means more interaction. Over a certain
number (say, 150) I charge more per session.
Workshops are definitely
available. I am on the faculty of the Humber College School For
Writers. I offer an in-depth interactive workshop with exercises
and tips on plot structure and character building for all grades.
I also offer a writer-in-residence program, working with class-sized
groups over the course of several sessions to produce a finished
product.
I offer Professional
Development Workshops. I am interested in literacy – particularly
boys’ literacy. I have given key-note addresses across Canada,
and led many workshops on the power of The Story.
I also offer Grade 12
Writers' Craft Workshops.
I am comfortable in all
venues - classroom, library, auditorium or gymnasium.
I require: Coffee.
