Authors’ Booking Service is pleased to announce that novelist and children’s author Sigmund Brouwer is now booking his Rock and Roll Literacy presentation for the coming school year. 

Instead of offering 4 sessions in a day to reach all the students in a school, Sigmund’s rate is $450 (+GST) for one session, and he speaks to the entire school in a high-energy presentation that has earned great reviews. (Translation: the cost per student is much less than bringing him in for a day.) No extra fee for travel expenses; Sigmund uses a portion of the fee to cover his airfare, hotel, car rental and meals expenses. The presentation also includes a comprehensive package for each teacher to help get the most from the author visit, including story starters for after the visit.

Sigmund 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 to apply ASAP. 

Based in Red Deer, Alberta and Nashville, TN, Sigmund uses a mixture of story and music for an entertaining presentation that delivers an important message: it doesn't matter where you come from, it's where you decide to go in life that's far more important.

He especially appeals to reluctant readers, and the boy audience, drawing on a hockey background that includes ice-time with his occasional literacy tour partner, Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier. (disclaimer: this ice-time takes during NHL Oldtimer exhibition games, and Sigmund gets a couple shifts a period, when the team is well ahead and he can do no harm.)

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

Here’s what some who’ve seen Rock and Roll Literacy have to say:   
 

"Just to let everyone know we had author Sigmund Brouwer at our school this morning! HE WAS ONE OF THE BEST presenters we have ever had. The students and staff were thrilled, entertained and inspired by the presentation."

December 2009, Willow Landing Elementary School, Barrie, Ontario 
 

" I just wanted to thank you again for your awesome presentation last week! The kids have been excitedly writing ever since! You particularly struck a chord with our young guys! I appreciate your work with them!"

November 2009, Empire Public School, Waterloo, Ontario 
 
 

"Once again, many thanks for the dynamic presentation this morning. . . Several teachers remarked that it was one of the best author presentations they've ever experienced. Bravo!"

October 2009, Glanford Middle School, Victoria, British Columbia 
 

"I just wanted to thank you again for your wonderful presentation this afternoon! All of the students and staff were talking about how much they enjoyed listening to you speak, and you definitely inspired many students to pick up your books and read! The staff was also very impressed with how you reached and entertained the grade 1-12 audience, not an easy feat! Thanks again for coming to our school!"

October 2009 Gronlid, Saskatchewan 
 
 
 
 
 

Published Works: Sigmund Brouwer 

Sigmund has written 19 novels and numerous series of children’s books, including 25 titles with Orca Book Publishers. 

Awards and Nominations

Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens 2009:

Chief Honor

Hitmen Triumph

WinterHawk Star

Timberwolf Challenge

Timberwolf Trap 

Junior Library Guild Selection 2009

Absolute Pressure 

Presentation Details 

The Presentation: Rock and Roll Literacy

As an author, speaking to a small group of students definitely has an upside. You’re able to interact a lot more closely, and you always get a lot of questions. The downside is that it takes multiple sessions to reach all the students in a school, and costs a school more money/student than a single session. The other upside to a single presentation that involves everyone comes with the increased energy level. (Rock and roll!) 

This is definitely not an academic presentation; it’s geared to get the kids pumped up about reading and writing. (I play Eye of the Tiger as loud as you’ll allow me while the students are leaving the gym after the presentation.) As I join your efforts in encouraging kids to find fun in writing, and to read as widely as possible, I try to make a simple point: a story succeeds when the reader begins to feel something, whether it’s suspense, fear, laughter, anger or any of a range of emotions. To underscore this, at different times during the presentation as I present writing advice, I play music and I invite the students to note how they react to different tunes, ranging from artists like Queen to Beethoven to Beyonce to Phantom of the Opera. 

It’s easy to understand the power of emotion, for example, when I crank the music for the theme song of SpongeBob Squarepants. From the first beat, every student, even up to a high school level, immediately and gleefully starts singing about living in a pineapple under the sea. 

I think for every author, the most consistent highlights of a presentation, regardless of the size of the group, come with stories that succeed in generating similar emotional involvement. When it happens with a larger group, the collective chemistry is amazing. 

Much as I strive for my stories to succeed in this, Dobie Gray gets full credit for my favorite goosebumps moment in a presentation  -- when all students, and their teachers, are standing in the gym, raised arms and swaying together as they sang along with his song Drift Away. 

Give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll. 

And isn’t that exactly what we want kids to discover about the joy of reading? Because when we think about our favorite books, we know that to get lost in a great story truly is a way to free our souls. . . 
 
 

Minimum/Maximum Audience Size

Pack them in! For years I ran a different format with 3 or 4 classes per presentation; I discovered that a school would need 4 sessions and a daily rate higher than a single session fee. I’ll still consider this if requested, but I have great sound equipment and much prefer the higher energy level that comes with audiences of up to 400 students.

Often teachers will tell me that before the presentation, they had concerns about whether I could hold an audience ranging from k-8, and that after the presentation they understand how it was possible. (Did I mention rock and roll?)

My presentations are high-level energy for one-hour. Audience size varies according to the school’s preference; the presentation takes place in the gym to the entire school, often including kindergarten. (After the first half hour, the K-2 grades are dismissed, with the remainder of the presentation for the older students.) There are no restrictions on audience size except for the space limitations of the gym. Smaller schools are welcome to invite another school to share in the cost of the presentation.

With smaller schools, an audience of k-8 works well. With larger schools, a better breakdown is k-5 or k-6. I also loves speaking to large schools with a middle school audience. 

Special needs:

None! I try to be as low maintenance as possible. When I’m in Ontario, I have a rental car and gps on the iPhone, and I show up well before the presentation to make sure my sound system is set up properly, (When possible, I’ll have a tray of Tim Horton’s coffee in hand  to share with the first teachers I see.) With permission, I’ll help myself to a guest mug from the staff room for some tap water during the presentation. If we have books sales ($5/book), I appreciate a table for the book, and help as I sign books for the kids. 

Equipment required:

None. I bring my own sound gear. (Great sound gear.) 

Special Presentations:

The NHL Hall of Famer presentation

Because Bryan Trottier and I have done a hockey book together, along with frequent literacy tours, when it works into Bryan schedule, he and I love making a joint presentation at schools. These involve the rock and roll music, stories from both of us, and amazing hockey video highlights. The underlying message is about what it takes to reach your dreams. The kids (and often parents) go crazy, especially when he signs hockey cards for everyone after the presentation. Often too, the school gets positive media coverage for the event.

Bryan is a Hall of Fame player who retired from the NHL as the sixth all-time leading scorer. Many hockey historian rank him as one of the best all-around players in the game; he won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders, two with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a seventh Stanley Cup as assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche. Along with Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux, Bryan is one of the only three players ever to have won the ‘four majors’ in hockey: Conn Smythe for playoff MVP, Hart Memorial for league MVP, Art Ross for regular scoring championship and Calder Memorial for rookie of the year. 

The fee for this presentation is significantly higher because of Bryan’s involvement; and varies on whether it can be arranged when he is in the area for hockey engagements. If schools are interested in this very special presentation, I often work with the school principal to help secure sponsorship from local businesses. Parents (who remember Bryan at his prime!) are especially encouraged to enjoy this opportunity. 

  

Teacher Conventions

I enjoy every chance to share the principles behind Rock and Roll Literacy at teacher conventions, especially when I get to co-host a keynote address with Bryan Trottier. As with our school presentation, the joint keynote combines stories, rock and roll, and amazing highlight video footage. The core of the keynote is deliver a fun motivational message on how to learn and how to teach by melding the ‘discipline of preparation’ with the mysterious creativity of ‘being in the moment‘.