Crawley, Oksanna (Kincardine, ON)

OKSANNA CRAWLEY writes in several genres for kids with humour and heart. Her debut chapter book is Katie Crumble and the Case of the Missing Underwear published by Plumleaf Press. Coming soon from Fitzhenry and Whiteside/Sutherland House is Tom Thomson’s Paintbrush, an informational text about one of Canada’s greatest painters. She co-wrote and co-illustrated the picture book, Pirate Glitterbeard, with her daughter, Larissa. Oksanna has also written and illustrated over 30 early readers—the Super Hammy series—from Blueberry Hill Books of Manitoba. She is a retired teacher and former radio journalist. Born in Val d’Or, Québec, Oksanna lives in Kincardine, Ontario with her family.  SCBWI, TWUC, CANSCAIP

Virtual presentation (30 minutes or 1 hour) $100.00

In-person presentation (1- 2 hours)  $250.00 

Katie Crumble and the Case of the Missing Underwear is featured on the CBC Spring Reading List 2025, and on the Telling Tales 2025 Reading List.

Oksanna is a retired teacher and would be happy to tailor her presentation to the needs of your students. She loves to talk about how a book comes to life from idea to final product, how to approach illustrating a picture book from thumbnail sketch to final illustration, how to construct or plot a story, how to write a non-fiction book, etc.

School Visits:

School Presentations include a PowerPoint presentation

Contact Oksanna to book a visit:

    McLellan, Stephanie Simpson (Newmarket, ON)

    Writers Union Member. English. Fiction (Picture Book and Mid Grade), Mr. Christie Award winner, Ruth Schwartz Award Winner, 2022 Blue Spruce Award Honour Book. Grades K-4 and Grades 5-8.

    In-Person Visits: $300 plus HST for 1 session, $500 for 2, $750 for 3 and $1000 for 4, + travel (50 cents per kilometre, round-trip for SW ON).

    Stephanie is the award-winning author of six picture books books, a mid-grade novel and a unique picture book-first reader hybrid. She reviewed children’s books for twelve years for Today’s Parent magazine (for which she got to interview the legendary Maurice Sendak!), operated an online bookstore for a few years called Neverending Stories, and wrote several scripts for the gemini-nominated children’s television series Roll Play (on Treehouse).

    Her books have won and been shortlisted for several awards (Mr. Christie Award, Ruth Schwartz Award, Chocolate Lily Award, CNIB Tiny Torgi Award, Crystal Kite Award and Blue Spruce Award) and have received starred and recommended reviews from Kirkus, CCBC, CBC Books, Quill & Quire, School Library Journal, Resource Links, TVO Kids, Chickadee Magazine, The Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, City Parent, CanLit for Little Canadians and CM Magazine.

    A passionate promoter of literacy, Stephanie has toured twice for TD Canadian Children’s Book Week: to Labrador in 2014 and Northwest Territories in 2018. Surrounding the release of her 2017 picture book, The Christmas Wind, Stephanie worked with almost 1,700 primary students in every province and territory of Canada (plus one school in Australia) on a unique literacy initiative that resulted in over 13,000 student drawings of her characters Jo, Murdock and the wind. Widely profiled by CBC, The Christmas Wind Story Project involved the Canadian Children’s Book Centre in the spring of 2016 and was a top 10 finalist in the 2016 CST Inspired Minds Learning Project Contest.

    Presentation Description

    During Stephanie’s school presentations for grades K-4, she encourages children to look for and understand their own creativity by sharing the stories behind her stories, how these stories/ideas turn into books, and what it’s like to write for a living. Specifically, she has four goals with each school presentation:

    • To entertain students with a dramatic reading of her books so they will come to know and care about her characters and about the value of story
    • To stir the writer/creator inside each student by sharing the stories behind her stories, thus empowering them to see the connection between their own lives and their own potential works of art
    • To create a natural bridge to relevant, valuable and interesting learning (e.g.Hoogie in the Middle – a simile exercise; Leon’s Song – a mini science quiz on how frogs survive the winter)
    • To give students a sense of what goes into the creation of a book (the illustrator, the publisher, the ideas) and what it’s like to write for a living 

    For grades 5-8, Stephanie will focus on her mid grade novel Sully, Messed Up to explore themes of self-esteem, identity, life choices, social-emotional learning and bullying.

    Ahead of each school visit Stephanie creates a school specific page on her website to help teachers and students prepare for her visit.

    Maximum group size: 50-60 for optimum interaction 

    Equipment required: a table, an easel (for presentation boards), water, microphone for larger groups or in the gym.

    Contact Stephanie to book a visit:

      Cohen, Tziporah (Toronto, ON)

      Tziporah Cohen

      Tziporah Cohen. Toronto, Ontario. Writers’ Union Member. English. Grades SK-3 (picture book presentations), Grade 4-8 (novel presentations).

      Virtual rates: $200 per session (45-60 min). In-person rates: $275 for one session (45-60 minutes), $200 each for additional visits up to four. Full day visits can include eating lunch with small group of interested older students. Kindergarten visits can be split into two 25 min visits with different classes. No travel costs within City of Toronto; GTA (excluding City of Toronto) $25 per 30 min car travel, rounded up. 

      Tziporah is the author of three picture books:  ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE: HOW MILTON HERSHEY BROUGHT MILK CHOCOLATE TO AMERICA (December 2022), the award-winning wordless picture book AFIKOMEN (March 2023) and CITY BEET (March 2023). She is also the author of the award-winning middle grade novel, NO VACANCY, published in September 2020.

      Middle Grade Novel Presentations

      • Author’s Journey: How do you go from writer to author? Learn the origin story of NO VACANCY and all the steps from beginning to publication: from idea to first draft and revisions, to acquisition, editing and copy editing, cover design and book-on-the-shelf! Includes photos from the entire process and reading of a chapter from the book. (60 minutes, Grades 4-7, in-person or virtual)
      • Revision, Revision, Revision! What are the steps in going from first draft to finished story? Get an inside view on the author’s revisions of NO VACANCY, both before and after acquisition by the publisher. Includes specific examples of revision strategies (using strong verbs; show, don’t tell; adding detail; use of outlines and calendars; eliminating writing quirks, etc) with photos of manuscript. Includes reading of a chapter of the book. This presentation works best if students have read the book, but not required. (60 minutes, Grades 4-7, in person or virtual)

      Picture Book Presentations

      • Let’s Talk About Chocolate! Where does chocolate come from? Learn about where and how cacao beans grow and how they are turned into the chocolate we all love, followed by a reading ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE: HOW MILTON HERSHEY BROUGHT MILK CHOCOLATE TO AMERICA. (45 minutes, Grades JK-2, in person or virtual)
      • How Do Picture Books Get Made? Using ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE or CITY BEET, we’ll talk about how a picture book gets made, from idea to research, first draft to revision, illustration to printing, plus the various people involved in the process, including the writer and illustrator, editor, book designer, publicist and more.  Includes a reading of either book and Q&A time. (45 minutes, Grades 1-3, can be combined with Let’s Talk About Chocolate for total of 60 minutes, in-person or virtual)
      • Let’s Make a Picture Book Workshop! Why are picture books always 32 or 40 pages in length? What is the author’s job and what is the illustrator’s? Who decides if the characters will be people or animals? We’ll answer these questions and more and then, using one of the author’s manuscripts, the students will illustrate the words and put them together to make their own picture book for the classroom library. Includes a reading of any of author’s picture books. (45-60 minutes, Grades 3-4, in-person only)

      Size limits: 100 for virtual presentations, 30 for in-person visits (60 for Reading/Q&A)

      Equipment: For virtual visits, Skype or school Zoom account. For in-person visits, laptop with Powerpoint, (can bring own laptop if it can be connected to school projector, otherwise will bring USB stick), projector and screen for Power Point presentation, table, microphone if space larger than classroom, glass of water. Teacher or librarian must be present for all presentations, virtual or in-person.

      Contact Tziporah to book a visit:

        Cooke, Stephanie (Toronto, ON)

        Stephanie Cooke. Toronto, ON. Writers’ Union of Canada Member. English. Fantasy, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Middle-Grade, and Young Adult. Stephanie’s rates for school visits is $300 for one session (local schools only), $500 for two sessions or for a half-day, and $900 for a full school day (maximum four sessions), plus travel if applicable. Virtual visits are $250.

        Stephanie Cooke is an author and editor based out of Toronto, Canada. She is the writer of ParaNorthern and the co-writer of Oh My Gods!

        She loves to speak to people about comics, graphic novels, and writing and devotes a lot of time to helping educate people about creating, understanding, and appreciating the graphic novel medium.

        CREATING A GRAPHIC NOVEL
        Ever wonder how a comic book or graphic novel gets made? How many different people work on one book? What’s the process for creating a story and turning it into a graphic novel? Stephanie delves into all of this and more as she helps people explore the world of the comic book industry and sheds light on the process of writing a story from inception to completion.

        Ages: Any

        Group size: Any, but especially love working with smaller groups of 15-30 kids.
        A/V needs: Projector or anything to present some images to go along with the presentation.

        Collaboration is hands-down the best parts of creating a graphic novel. Working with someone to bring an idea to life is an incredible feeling. Having someone to bounce ideas around with is amazing and inspiring. And getting to see an artist bring what was in your head to life on the page is nothing short of magical! With her experience as a co-writer on Oh My Gods! and a co-creator on an unannounced series, Stephanie has created this presentation to help teach you about the process, what to expect, and provide exercises for you to learn from.

        Ages: Any, but works especially well ages 6 and up (and for students and adults)
        Group size: 15-30

        Other topics are available upon request.

        Contact Stephanie to book a visit…

          Church, Dr. Dana L (Waterloo, ON)

          Dana lives in Waterloo, Ontario, and is a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada. She presents in English to grades 1 though 6, and she also enjoys presenting to adult groups. In-person rates: $300 for one one-hour session, $550 for two on the same day, plus a travel fee of $0.70/km. Travel costs waived in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and the townships. Virtual visit rates: $250 for one one-hour session, $400 for two on the same day.

          Dana writes middle grade nonfiction about animals. She has a PhD in animal cognition, which means she is very curious about how animals think, remember, learn, make decisions, and solve problems. Her books also explore habitats, conservation, and the impact of climate change. Dana is passionate about making science fun and accessible for everyone. Although she loves all animals, she gets particularly excited about bees.

          2025 Paradigm Prize – Science Writers and Communicators of Canada

          Dana used to teach outrageously large undergraduate classes so she really doesn’t have a size limit for her audience. She finds that her PowerPoint slides are handy for showing photos, so for in-person visits, if she could hook up her Mac laptop to a projector, that would be great. When presenting about Animal Minds, a large table will allow for demonstrations involving her gorilla and raccoon puppet sidekicks. For virtual visits, she can adapt to any platform, and if she can share her screen, even better.

          Contact Dana to book a visit:

            Zaman, Farida (Ontario)

            Farida is a Canadian-South Asian Writer and illustrator of picture books and other works. She is  a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Canadian Society of Authors, Illustrators and Performers.

            Rates are as follows: Virtual Visits: $150 School visits: $250 plus travel expenses outside GTA.

            For school visits Farida can provide an introductory slideshow showing what Farida does and how Farida works as an author and illustrator,  adapting it to the age of the audience.  

            Farida likes to get children involved, asking them questions and getting them doing hands-on activities as much as possible. Farida is an Ontario based presenter and a member of Writers Union. Farida does virtual  and school visits. Teachers guide PDFs available by email request

            Samina Goes to a Wedding

            Written and illustrated by Farida Zaman

            A young girl travels to Bangladesh and experiences vibrant Bangladeshi marriage customs

            Samina travels from North America all the way to Bangladesh to attend her first traditional Bangladeshi wedding. Anticipation for the big day builds as she meets family she’s only ever seen on video calls and participates in various wedding traditions—like the family gift exchanges, the holud ceremony, and henna painting. A sidebar on each spread provides additional context for the depicted custom.

            Sensory writing and colorful, detailed illustrations invite readers to be a guest alongside Samina in this informational picture book about the tastes and traditions of a Bangladeshi marriage.

            Description of the book reading and workshop for Samina Foes to a Wedding

            This interactive workshop combines a picture book reading of Samina Goes to a Wedding with a hands-on collage art activity inspired by the book’s illustrations, patterns, and cultural details. Designed for children and families, the session introduces young readers to visual storytelling, textile patterns, and collage as a creative art form.

            The program is especially well suited for South Asian Heritage Month in May, offering an engaging way to celebrate South Asian culture through story, art, clothing, and design. Through reading, discussion, and art-making, participants will explore how stories are told not only through words, but through clothing, color, texture, and repeated visual details.

            Aliya’s Secret- A Ramadan Secret

            Written and illustrated by Farida Zaman

            Ramadan is coming, and as Abba and Ammi prepare for their month-long fast, Aliya hugs a secret to her chest: she’s going to fast too! Ammi says she’s still too young to fast, but Aliya is determined. At school, she refuses her snack, her lunch—even the cupcakes Sanjay’s mom drops off for his birthday. But when she gets home, she can’t resist Ammi’s sweet, syrupy baklava. Before Aliya can stop herself, she reaches out and takes a big bite. Aliya is disappointed in herself, but Ammi explains that there are many other ways to celebrate Ramadan besides fasting, like performing acts of kindness! Together, Aliya and her parents spend the month preparing and delivering meals to people in need. This joyful look at Ramadan is based on the author’s own childhood experiences and is rich with facts and details about the holiday. Readers familiar and unfamiliar with the holiest month in the Islamic calendar will get swept up in the festivities, and perhaps be inspired to share a meal with their community.

            Recently Farida wrote and illustrated her first picture book called “I Want to Be” A Gutsy Girls  ABC. She has worked with a variety of mediums on the project – watercolour, gouache, acrylics, and Procreate.

            Farida’s  workshops will consist of the following:

            • Intro
            • Reading my book (Picture Book)
            • Art/ creative workshop
            • Sharing the art

            Contact Farida to book a visit:

              O’Connor, Heather (Peterborough, ON).

              Writers’ Union of Canada member. Presentations and writing workshops in English. Kindergarten to Grade 12.

              Virtual visits (45 minutes): $150+HST. Virtual kindies (Two 20-minute sessions): $150+HST. In-person visits (45-60 minutes): $250+HST for one session, $450+HST for two, $600+HST for three, $800+HST for a full day (4 sessions). Kindies: two 25-minute sessions for $250+HST. Mileage for visits 100+ km from Peterborough.

              Heather M. O’Connor’s new picture book Fast Friends is a 2021 Blue Spruce Award nominee. She writes fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens.

              Heather is an enthusiastic presenter. She uses fun activities and clear, kid-friendly examples to engage with young audiences. “What it’s like to write a book? A lot like doing a school project,” she explains. Heather’s workshops and presentations can be tailored to your classroom. Most come with curriculum connections, follow-up activities and teacher resources.

              Presentations:
              Book talks

              Fast Friends (Blue-Spruce-nominated picture book)
              Suze and Tyson become friends speedy-quick, even though Suze is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair. This story is inspired by Heather’s daughter Suze and her friends growing up. Themes and curriculum connections: body language, mime, inclusion, friendship, welcoming newcomers, working with
              an illustrator.

              Betting Game (high-action sports novel for readers 10+, ideal for reluctant readers)
              Jack is a hotshot soccer player. When a new player joins the team, Jack gets drawn into gambling. Heather plays soccer herself. To research this book, she toured the Toronto FC Training Ground and met TFC head coach Greg Vanney. Themes and curriculum connections: soccer, research techniques, friendship, asking for help, teen gambling.

              A writer’s life

              • So you want to be a writer (Spoiler alert – It’s a lot like being a student)
              • Digging up the facts: Research anecdotes and tips
              • Even authors need an editor: Revising process, tips and hacks, exercises
              • All roads lead to writing: Careers in writing (ideal for Grade 10 Careers)

              Creative writing for young writers

              • “What ifs” and “I wonders” (gathering ideas)
              • Going on a Bear Hunt (conflict and tension)
              • Let’s tell a story (plot)
              • World-building (setting)
              • Story polish (revision)

              Creative writing for older kid and teens and adults

              • Writer’s craft: Hands-on sessions that focus on a single element of story (character, setting, point of view,
              • conflict, plot, theme.) Book four elements, get fifth free.
              • Short story writing
              • Revision

              Nonfiction presentations and hands-on writing workshops
              Heather’s been a freelance writer for almost 20 years. Her favourite news beat is LesPlan Educational Services. Bring her in to work with your students.

              • Ask the right questions: Interview techniques
              • Google doesn’t know everything: Research methods (archives, newspapers, oral histories)
              • Persuade me!: Persuasive writing
              • News or opinion: What’s the difference?
              • Writing the news (interviews, outlines, 5 Ws, inverted triangle writing)

              Books titles and awards:
              Fast Friends, Scholastic Canada, 2020. Picture book. Blue Spruce nominee, 2021 Forest of Reading. Toronto Public Library First and Best, 2020.
              Betting Game, Orca Book Publishers, 2015. Young adult high-low sports novel. Recommended title, Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2015. Highly recommended, CM Magazine.
              Runs with the Stars, Second Story, Spring 2022. Dual language picture book, written with Darcy Whitecrow.

              Audience size and equipment needed:
              Classroom or school library preferred. Will present in gyms or auditoriums if microphone provided. Please supply podium and table, and if possible, a digital projector and screen.

              Contact Heather to book a visit…

                Payne, Mary Jennifer (Toronto, ON)

                Mary Jennifer’s rate is $300 plus HST per session, plus travel from Toronto. For multiple visits within the same day (maximum of 4), each session is $250 plus HST. Virtual visits via Zoom are $200 plus HST. Each session is 60 minutes long. Author readings with a Q&A and/or writing workshops are available for booking.

                Jennifer Payne is an internationally published writer who’s widely known for her YA fiction, including her contributions to the award-winning Boldprint and Timelines series and her Daughters of Light trilogy. Her novels often centre around the themes of gentrification, poverty, climate change, prejudice, marginalization, resilience, etc. and feature strong, female protagonists. Mary Jennifer’s YA hi-lo novel, Enough, was praised by CM magazine as a book that, “In trying to address issues of poverty, race, and gender, the author creates a thought-provoking tale that would be useful for opening up reflection and/or discussion around inclusivity and social struggle.”

                Mary Jennifer Payne is an internationally published writer who’s widely known for her YA fiction, including her contributions to the award-winning Boldprint and Timelines series and her Daughters of Light trilogy. Her novels often centre around the themes of gentrification, poverty, climate change, prejudice, marginalization, resilience, etc. and feature strong, female protagonists. Mary Jennifer’s YA hi-lo novel, Enough, was praised by CM magazine as a book that, “In trying to address issues of poverty, race, and gender, the author creates a thought-provoking tale that would be useful for opening up reflection and/or discussion around inclusivity and social struggle.”

                Sample Writing Workshops (These can be tailored to relate more directly to my
                novel and the characters/themes therein):

                There Are Two Sides to Every Story…. You’ve heard the phrase, “There’s always two sides to a story,” right? In this workshop, I’ll unlock your imagination and allow you to give voice to those characters that didn’t get their fair shake at the spotlight in their original narrative. From Voldemort to Cinderella’s stepsisters to Anansi the Spider, the sky’s the limit in terms of who you can bring to life. Step into your character’s shoes and tell the story from his/her point of view. The workshop leads into discussions around marginalization and the inclusiveness (or lack thereof) within different narratives. This workshop will incorporate fun improvisation to get us warmed­ up. Suitable for ages 10 and up.

                Believe in Me! How to Create Realistic Characters in Your Stories. Your protagonist and antagonist, as well as your entire cast of characters, need to come alive on the page in an authentic way. Like everyone, each of your characters is a mix of complex emotions and characteristics. And they have a backstory that motivates them to behave in particular ways in different situations. This workshop will help participants really develop their characters. From deciding your protagonist’s favourite food to his/her greatest fear, you’ll end this session with a character that is “fleshed ­out” and real enough to step off the page. This workshop will incorporate drama exercises such as hot-­seating as the character being developed to help get the creative juices flowing. Suitable for ages 10 and up.

                Create, Collaborate, Celebrate! Many modern workplaces are collaborative. In this fun and fast-­paced workshop, participants will collaborate in groups of two to ­three to develop a story from a current news headline. Each story will be shared and celebrated at the end of the session. After briefly plotting some of the elements of your story, you and your partner will take turns writing sentences (or paragraphs, if you’re really daring!) to bring your narrative to life. During our sharing of work at the end of the workshop, there will be an opportunity to discuss what worked, what frustrated us, and what sparks of discovery were made along the way. Suitable for children aged 10 and up.

                Book editing and coaching for writers is available as well.

                Contact Mary Jennifer to book a visit…

                  Bow, Erin (Kitchener, ON)

                  erinbow1

                  Writers’ Union Member. $250 virtual visit or $400 in-person, plus travel. $700 for a day with two visits (two schools can share).   Travel costs waived in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and the townships.

                  Erin writes YA science fiction and fantasy middle grade books. With multiple awards, she’s considered one of Canada’s rising stars: Quill and Quire calls her “a new master,” and the CBC says she’s “so close to YA superstardom she can probably taste it.”  As a presenter she’s down-to-earth and funny, working to give students real answers and emotional honesty.

                  CCBC Book Awards: TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award nominee

                  “I’ve had many novelists visit my classes over the years, but I can honestly say I’ve never seen one connect so well with a teenaged audience. —A.J. Blauer, Acting Head of Literary Arts, Canterbury High School (Ottawa, Ontario)

                  Free Virtual Visits!
                  I do free 10-15 minute virtual visits with classes or clubs who are reading one of my books. There’s no presentation, so I’m counting on the teacher or moderator to run a short, informal conversation or a Q&A

                  Audience: Any small group

                  Timing: 10 to 15 minutes

                  Presentation-style School Visits

                  For upper elementary and middle schools: How to Fail

                  A funny presentation on how I became an author by failing every step of the way. (Step one: don’t have a dream.)

                  I’ll give your students a peek behind the scenes of my creative process — research, writing, editing, and more — but the heart of the presentation is grit, growth, and being a little easier on yourself.

                  Audience: Targeted at grades 5 – 9. Single classes or whole-school gatherings.

                  Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 30-40 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 45-60 minutes.

                  For middle schools, high schools: How to Fall off a Roof

                  Neuroscientists have a question: when you’re falling to your death, does time really slow down? Being scientists, they’ve tested this by dropping volunteers from a great height. Any guesses on what they learned?

                  This presentation uses that answer — and other insights from modern neuroscience — to introduce new ways to think about how details and pacing change the emotional intensity of a scene.

                  Audience: Targetted at grades 7 – 12, writers’ craft classes, university classes, writers’ master classes. Works as a workshop for single classes, but can also be run as a presentation for a gym-ful.

                  Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 45-60 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 60-90 minutes.

                  For upper elementary and middle schools: Sort of Simon

                  Simon Sort of Says is my newest middle grade book.

                  This presentation takes your readers behind the scenes of writing this book — and creativity generally — starting from “where do your get your ideas” and covering everything from an ordinary writing day to the big phone call day where something amazing happens.

                  This presentation works for both classes who have read or are reading Simon, and for classes who are just curious about books, writing, and creativity.

                  Content note: there is a school shooting in the backstory — not on the page — of Simon Sort of Says. That comes up in the backstory — not at the heart — of this presentation.

                  Audience: Targetted at grades 5 – 9. Single classes or whole-school gatherings.

                  Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 30-40 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 45-60 minutes.

                  Workshops

                  Writing Workshop: How to Walk Across a Room

                  This highly interactive, on-your-feet workshop draws on improv exercises and group brainstorming to help students make characters come to life on the page.

                  This workshop is at its absolute best as a series of short workshops and writing exercises that build on each other over the course of several writing days. Some of these can be teacher-run — I have sharable lesson plans. Contact me if you’re interested.

                  Audience: Targeted at grades 7 – 12, writers’ craft classes, university classes, writers’ master classes. Best for single classes.

                  Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 45-60 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 60-90 minutes.

                  Writing Workshop: How to Fall off a Roof

                  Neuroscientists have a question: when you’re falling to your death, does time really slow down? Being scientists, they’ve tested this by dropping volunteers from a great height. Any guesses on what they learned?

                  This workshop uses that answer — and other insights from modern neuroscience — to introduce new ways to think about how details and pacing change the emotional intensity of a scene.

                  Jam-packed with weird science and fun examples, this workshop is the least interactive one I do, and can also be a presentation to a gym-ful.

                  Audience: Targetted at grades 7 – 12, writers’ craft classes, university classes, writers’ master classes. Works as a workshop for single classes, but can also be run as a presentation for a gym-ful.

                  Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 45-60 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 60-90 minutes.

                  Writer in Residence options

                  Want to take it up a notch? These workshops add together to create a great program for a writer in residence. Think every day for a week, or twice a month for a semester, or even more.

                  This is my absolute favourite thing to do — it’s a game changer for me, for the kids, and for the teachers I work with.

                  Contact Erin to book a visit.

                    McLeod, Cinders (Toronto)

                    Writers’ Union Member. Now doing virtual visits only: $200 for one 60 minute session, $350 for 2, $525 for 3, $675 for 4. Maximum 4
                    sessions per day. JK to SK: two 30-minute sessions for the price of 1.

                    Cinders presents to JK to Grade 3. Single class size is best for discussion, but Cinders is flexible.

                    Author-illustrator of the Moneybunnies financial literacy for young children series, published by Penguin N.Y. She is also a well known human rights cartoonist and musician. Cinders has 20 years’ experience in Canadian and British books and newspapers, is the creator of the 8-year-old Broomie Law cartoon and one of the few published, women political cartoonists in the world. She is also an experienced performer (singer, songwriter, double bassist with a record on Billy Bragg’s label) and cartoon workshop presenter. She wrote and illustrated EARN IT! SPEND IT! SAVE IT! and GIVE IT! for ages 3- 8 because it’s never too early to teach children about money. The Moneybunnies series is popular with STEM educators.

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