Writers Union Member. Sci-Fi/Fantasy, White Pine (3) and Red Maple (1) nominee, Amy Mather’s Award winner, Monica Hughes Award nominee (2), LA Times Book Prize nominee, William C Morris Debut Award nominee. Grade 7-12.
$500 for one session, $650 for 2, $900 for 3, + travel ($0.68/km, SW Ontario). Virtual visits $200.
EK Johnston has been telling herself stories for as long as she can remember, and she’s pretty thrilled that her for real grown up job involves telling stories to other people. She especially loves talking to students, because those are the people she is writing for. With 17 YA novels (and counting!), EK can speak on the writing process and publishing as a business, and she loves answering the kinds of questions teenagers come up with.
EK’s presentations are mostly student-led, following a Q&A format so that she engages with her audience on topics they find interesting (though she can “improv” while they’re warming up). She can answer a few questions about Star Wars, with the understanding that there are some topics she can’t speak on lest the chip in the back of her head activate. She prefers to talk to no more than 60 students for an hour (with teachers present), but also enjoys smaller groups, like book club lunches. She needs a microphone in any room bigger than a classroom, and appreciates some water and a bit of room to pace. (Sometimes she might need a desk to sit on, because she has a chronic spine condition.).
Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society member. WordBridge board member. 2025 Snow Willow Award finalist. Middle Grade (grades 4 – 8). Writing workshops for all ages.
In-Person Visits (45-60 minutes): $300 for 1 session; $550 for 2 sessions; $750 for 3 sessions; $900 for 4 sessions. Travel charge of $0.55/km (round trip) for locations over 50 km from Red Deer.
Virtual Visits (45-60 minutes): $200 per session.
Jessica Renwick dove into the world of writing fiction as a preteen and never looked back. Naturally, this led to a career as a public library assistant. She is the author of middle grade books that explore Canadian history, family dynamics, and friendship through exciting paranormal ghost stories. Her most recent book for young readers, Ghosts of Gastown, is a finalist for the 2025 Willow Awards and was selected for the CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens for spring of 2025.
Jessica is an experienced speaker who can tailor her presentations to suit the needs of the school or library. Her fun and interactive presentation is perfect for kids grades four to eight, and she loves doing writing workshops for that age and older (including adults!).
Her general presentation covers her writing journey. This includes themes of resilience, growth, and why rejection letters are not a bad thing. She discusses her writing process, from brainstorming to final edits. She relates the writing and publishing process to what students do in school with their writing assignments, and she includes tips and tricks for generating story ideas, getting over writer’s block, dealing with critique, and how to critique your peers’ work.
Free virtual visits: Jessica offers free fifteen-minute Q&A virtual visits for classes or library groups who have read Ghosts of Gastown.
Writing workshops: Available upon request. Jessica is a certified creative writing instructor through the Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society. She offers creative presentations about writing for kids, writing short stories, and can tailor workshops for a class or writing group’s needs. Maximum group size is one class or twenty adults.
Preferred venues and equipment: Libraries, classrooms, or gymnasiums. If she is presenting in anything larger than a classroom, a microphone will be required. A digital projector and screen will be required, and a table for supplies would be appreciated. Jessica will bring her own laptop for the slideshow.
CANSCAIP and Canadian Children’s Book Center member, multi-starred reviewed author, with published titles from board books to middle grade.
Maria’s rate in and around Calgary is:
IN-PERSON: $300 for one session, $500 for two, $750 for a full day (three one-hour sessions). Option to add a lunch-time signing or small-group session with keen readers for $100. Classroom writing workshops are available for $500. GST and mileage are also applicable. A travel fee of $0.50/km for areas outside Calgary.
VIRTUAL: $200 + GST, one hour, Zoom. **For the 2025/2026 school year, Maria is booking virtual visits exclusively.
Maria Marianayagam is a Tamil Sri Lankan-Canadian engineer turned children’s book author. She fell in love with children’s books (again!) after becoming an Amma (mom). She was born in India and grew up across four provinces in Canada (Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta). Her debut picture book, The Amazing Power of Girls (Sourcebooks eXplore, 2024), was named a Children’s Book Council Teacher’s Favourite, a CCBC Best Science Book, and endorsed by the presidents of Girls Inc. and Actua Inc.
She is the author of the quadruple-starred, critically-acclaimed middle grade novel, No Purchase Necessary (HarperCanada/HarperCollins, 2025), the family favourite 4-title board book series, The Baby Virtues (Hachette, 2024/2025), and her most recent STEM picture book release, Wait ‘Til You’re Older (Sourcebooks eXplore, 2025).
Maria is an experienced speaker, comfortable in front of an audience of kids and adults alike. Maria’s sessions revolve around a slide presentation, book reading, and Q&A (activity can be included as well). Working with each educator or teacher/librarian, Maria selects the perfect book or books that will be appreciated by each age group.
Here are examples (but all can be tailored):
Grade 1-4: STEM focus: The Amazing Power of Girls or Wait Til You’re Older. Audience members will learn about Maria’s journey from engineer to author, how to find careers that marry both STEM and art, plus an introduction to the science elements of the book. Enjoy a reading of the book to conclude the presentation. Optional Q&A. (30-45 mins.)
Grades 1-4: Cultural focus: Curry Means More [available after Oct 28, 2025]. With a warm, inclusive tone, Maria Marianayagam encourages students of all backgrounds to share and celebrate their own family traditions—whether it’s a stew, sandwich, or snack. This visit blends read-aloud moments, behind-the-scenes insights into writing a book, and fun, reflective questions that help students see the beauty of their own heritage and imagination. Optional Q&A. (30-45 mins.)
Grade 5-6: Writing Workshop: Using the STEM-focused presentation for The Amazing Power of Girls, Maria will dissect literary devices like diction, personification, puns, and more, using examples from the book, and have students write their own poetry to present. (1 hr., 1 classroom maximum)
Grade 7-9: No Purchase Necessary: In this thought-provoking talk, Maria explores how she built the central ethical dilemma in No Purchase Necessary, and how characters become real when they face tough choices with no easy answers. Including a reading from the novel, a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process, and an exercise where students reflect on their own values and write about a dilemma of their own. Optional Q&A. (30-45 mins.)
Grades 7-9: Writing Workshop: In this hands-on writing workshop, author Maria uses scenes from No Purchase Necessary to show students how to convey powerful emotions—like fear, guilt, or excitement—not through dialogue alone, but through body language, movement, and action. Maria guides students in understanding how actions can reveal character, deepen stakes, and drive plot. Maria will read a short scene from the novel, identify Ajay’s feelings and how it’s shown through action, and then have students write a short scene where characters show an emotion without saying it outright. (1 hr., 1 classroom maximum)
Maria’s presentations are visual, interactive, and fast-paced. She prefers to speak to a maximum of 100 students at a time (but can be flexible, if needed). Her presentations work best with 1-3 classrooms at a time, with workshops being most effective with one classroom. She requires a screen, a laptop with 2 USB ports, and a microphone (if it’s an assembly presentation).
SCBWI Member, CWILL BC Member, ALA Member, BCLA Member
Toronto Public Library First and Best Selection (x3), Texas Library Association 2×2 List Selection, CLEL Bell Awards Finalist, OLA Best Bets Selection. Multiple “best of the year” lists.
$200 for 1 session (50 minutes), $350 for 2 sessions. Virtual visits: $100 for each session (length varies).
Jane Whittingham is an award-winning picture book author, poet, children’s librarian and former teacher. She is passionate about helping children become confident, enthusiastic readers, and crafts engaging presentations that encourage kids of all ages and abilities to see themselves as storytellers.
Jane tailors each workshop and presentation to the specific needs of each group, and uses her extensive experience as a teacher and librarian to engage her young audiences. No boring lectures or snooze-inducing talking heads here!
JK-K: Songs and Stories – Jane leads kids through an energetic reading of one or more of her picture books, accompanied by an energetic assortment of songs and movement activities that get children moving and grooving!
1-2: Stories and Storytelling – Jane shares one or more of her stories, then leads kids through collaborative storytelling activities that encourage young children to see themselves as writers.
2-3: Writing Workshops – Jane shares one of her stories or published poems, then leads kids through individual, accessible writing activities that encourage them to explore and express their own stories.
Jane also develops and facilitates early literacy and writing workshops for early childhood educators, teachers, librarians, and older elementary and high school students.
While smaller groups allow for more individualized attention, Jane is comfortable presenting to large groups, and regularly speaks to entire schools in her role as a children’s librarian.
Member of the Writers Union of Canada; the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP); the Federation of BC Writers.
In-person visits: $300 for one session, $500. All venues, library preferred. Equipment required: large table, microphone for larger groups, projector and screen for PowerPoint, and connectivity for laptop.
Virtual visits (via Zoom): $200 per session (1 hour).
Travel: Travel fees are waived within 100 km of Prince George. Beyond that, mileage is charged at $0.50 per km (round trip).
2022 winner of the Peterson Literary Emerging Writers Grant for a book that promotes a better understanding of the Ukrainian experience. Finalist for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes’ Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize.
Cynthia LeBrun is a writer, educator, and former teacher who brings history to life through fact-based, carefully researched historical fiction. She is the author of Black Sunflowers and its forthcoming sequel, Stolen Sunflowers. Cynthia has presented at libraries, museums, and community events across British Columbia, offering engaging and interactive talks that connect past events to lived experience. Cynthia tailors her programs to appeal to both secondary students and adult audiences.
Program: (Grades 10–12 and Adults)
Surviving Darkness: A Ukrainian Family’s Resilience Through the Holodomor and Holocaust Drawing from her book Black Sunflowers, which was inspired by a true story, Cynthia LeBrun brings to life one of the darkest and least understood chapters of Ukrainian history. Through vivid storytelling, audiences learn about the devastating impact of Stalin’s collectivization policies, the gulag system of exile, and the Holodomor (“death by hunger”), a famine weaponized to destroy Ukrainian identity. Cynthia also explores the Nazi invasion of Ukraine, highlighting both the Holocaust’s toll on Jewish communities and the forced labor of Ukrainian youth on German farms and in factories.
This presentation supports curriculum topics on the Holocaust, the Holodomor, genocide, and World War II, while also helping students connect Ukraine’s past to the present-day conflict. Above all, it is a powerful story of resilience and survival against both Stalin and Hitler—revealing how one family endured and how a people held on to their culture and humanity in the face of destruction.
Format: Here is what will be covered in the 60-minute session:
For in-person visits within the Greater Toronto Area, the rate is $300 + HST for the first session and $150 + HST for each additional session on the same day and at the same location. Each session runs 45 minutes to one hour, with a maximum of four sessions per day. Travel fees may apply.
For virtual visits, the rate is $150 + HST per session, with the same session length and daily maximum of four.
About Nadine Presley’s School Visits Poetry | Picture Books | Memory | Identity | Belonging | Home | Ramadan
Nadine Presley is a Syrian Canadian picture book author passionate about storytelling and the healing power of poetry to preserve memory and identity. She brings a warm, empathetic, and flexible approach to her presentations, adapting to each group’s energy and interests. Drawing from her own experiences, growing up bilingual (English/ Arabic), rediscovering poetry after displacement, and her writing journey, Nadine creates engaging, sensory-rich sessions that invite students to explore their voices, connect deeply with stories, and develop empathy through creative self-expression.
Sample Sessions by Grade:
JK to Grade 1 Using The City of Jasmine and A Ramadan Night, Nadine brings picture books to life with expressive reading, sensory language, and a gentle conversational style. These sessions are joyful, warm, and often filled with laughter, the laughter of family and cousins, the smell of jasmine in the air, and maybe even a surprise sound effect or two. Nadine also brings custom coloring pages to help students reflect through art. Rooted in rhythm, repetition, and inclusive conversation, these sessions are designed to spark curiosity, empathy, and joy.
Grades 2 to 4 Nadine encourages students to step into someone else’s shoes through her stories, while also reflecting on their own identity and emotions. With joy, energy, and a touch of the unexpected, she keeps students engaged while introducing them to rich sensory language and poetic imagery. Sessions often include simple, open-ended writing or drawing prompts that invite students to explore who they are and where they come from in creative, playful ways. Sessions can focus on a particular book or theme (e.g., Ramadan, memory, family, displacement), and are easily adapted for different classroom needs.
Grades 5 to 8 Nadine shares her journey from growing up bilingual to finding her voice as a poet. Students are invited to explore how stories carry memory, shape identity, and build empathy. Using guided sensory exercises and powerful writing prompts—such as “I come from…”—she helps students peel back the layers of their own experience and express themselves with authenticity and emotion. These sessions focus on creating immersive, layered writing that connects with readers. Includes Q&A and discussion around writing, publishing, and the creative process.
Note: Nadine also has a deep passion for working with classes with students with special needs. Her inclusive, flexible sessions use tools like visual supports, sensory-friendly activities, and differentiated approaches to ensure every child can engage meaningfully and feel seen through storytelling.
Writer’s Union member. Member of CANSCAIP, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Science Writers and Communicators of Canada, Society of Children’s Book and Writers and Illustrators, National Marine Educators Association, North American Association for Environmental Education, Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication, and Canadian Network for Ocean Education. A selection of awards and honour include UNESCO Ocean Literacy, United Nationals Sustainable Development Book Club, Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, Santa Monica Public Libraries Winner, Sigurd F Olsen Nature Writing Award for Children’s Literature Winner, International Book Award, Society of School Librarians Winner, and several other awards and honours.
Fees for on-site visits: $350 + HST per presentation, $600 + HST for two presentations on the same day. Each additional presentation on the same day $250 + HST, up to a maximum of 4 presentations. Mileage for school visits outside of Toronto $0.61/km. Accommodation fees may apply if outside GTHA. Fees for virtual visits: $300 + HST per presentation, $200 + HST for each additional presentation on the same day, to a maximum of 4 presentations per day.
Rochelle Strauss is on a mission to change the world – one book at a time! As an environmental educator and award-winning children’s author, Rochelle is dedicated to building environmental literacy and inspiring people to become active stewards of our planet. Through her work, she uses compelling storytelling to bring complex ecological processes and environmental issues to life, helping young people better understand the natural world and empowering them to make a positive impact. Most importantly, Rochelle also brings HOPE by sharing ripples of change – good new stories from around the world. Rochelle’s children’s books have won several awards, been translated globally and incorporated into curriculum in the US. The Global Ocean is a UNESCO endorsed Ocean Decade Activity, and One Well: The Story of Water on Earth was selected as part of the UN’s SDG Book Club in support of SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. One Well has also sold over half a million copies internationally. An active speaker and presenter, Rochelle can often be found building environmental literacy in classrooms around the world and raising the profile of non-fiction books as tools for STEM education at conferences and teacher training workshops.
School Programs:
The Global Ocean
What if Earth had a beating heart that powered everything on the planet? In a way, the Global Ocean is like Earth’s Heart.
Using this powerful premise, this presentation focusses on building Ocean Literacy – the understanding of the ocean’s influence on us, and our influence on the ocean.
Diving into the global ocean students learn about the ocean and how it sustains all life on Earth. They explore the important roles the ocean plays in supporting life, such as regulating Earth’s climate, controlling weather, providing habitat, and as a source of food for many animals on the planet (including people). Students also hear about the many issues affecting the health of the global ocean such as pollution, global warming, overfishing, habitat destruction, etc.
But Rochelle’s emphasis is on HOPE. Using stories called ripples of change, Rochelle shares good news stories of ocean conservation and action from around the world, to demonstrate how people, organizations and governments are taking action and making a difference. An interactive activity engages the entire audience to demonstrate how even the smallest action have a big impact, leaving students feeling empowered, inspired and hopeful!
Curriculum connections: water cycle, ecosystems, habitats and communities, environment, diversity of living things, earth systems, climate change, food chains and webs, earth and human activity, weather and climate.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth
Imagine for a moment that all the water on Earth came from just one well.
During this presentation, Rochelle leads students on a journey to become Well Aware, by building their water literacy. Students discover how all water on Earth is connected, as well as explore the water cycle, water as habitat, and the issues impacting Earth’s one well, such as the limited amount of freshwater on Earth, access to the well, demands on the well and pollution in the well. Shared stories also demonstrate how plants and animals (including people) use and depend on water.
The presentation wraps with good news stories and an opportunity for students to brainstorm actions they can take to protect water on Earth. A final dramatic moment comes with an activity that demonstrates how every student has the power to create their own ripples of change. The activity leaves the students feeling empowered and inspired.
Curriculum connections: water cycle, ecosystems, habitats and communities, environment, diversity of living things, earth systems, climate change, food chains and webs, earth and human activity, weather and climate.
Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth
Please contact Rochelle directly to discuss presentations in support of Tree of Life.
Teacher’s guides available upon request 🙂
Important Info:
Grades: 3-7 (accommodations can be made for younger/older)
Group size: Max 150 students per presentation (happy discuss larger groups)
Requirements: LCD projector and screen, as well as mic and speaker for groups of 30 or more.
Virtual visits can be conducted via Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.
Times: Rochelle can (and has!) accommodated presentations around the globe, in a range of time zones.
(Writer’s Union), Hackmatack Award Nominee (2023) Named Brampton’s Official Writer-in-Residence (2025) Knowledge Bookstore nomination for best spoken word CD recording (2011) Telly Award: Video production of heronJones Presents The Season (2006) Golden Sheaf Award nomination for the Yorkton Short Film Festival multicultural category for heronJones Presents The Season (2006) Roots Lounge Slam Poetry Champion (Multi Awards) Wordlympics Team Poetry Slam Runner-up (2004) Urban Music Association of Canada nomination for best poetry recording (2001)
In Person and Virtual Visits. Grade four to University in age:
Workshops/Author Readings $400 per session (1 hr)
Workshops include Performance/reading along with lecture and coaching (up to 40 students per session)
Author Readings include Live reading and discussion (no restrictions on number of students)
Performances $400 per session (1hr)
Performances include Live show/concert with Q&A (no restrictions on number of students)
Travel rates .50 cents per kilometer, round-trip outside of the GTA
Multiple sessions up to 4 per day are negotiable
Kevin heronJones is a novelist, poet, journalist, editor, narrator and lecturer. This electrifying artist is best known for his profound and powerful delivery. He is currently serving as the city of Brampton’s first Writer-in-Residence. He grew up in Jane/Finch Toronto and Brampton. He studied journalism at Sheridan College and creative writing with the University of Toronto. He is the founder of PoeticSoul, an organization dedicated to promoting the poetic arts scene and providing lovers of poetry with quality entertainment. He’s held numerous workshops for students throughout the Greater Toronto Area, providing an interactive introduction to storytelling and spoken word where students are challenged to create their own prose and oratory creations and believe in their creative abilities. He has authored three published novels, three books of poetry, he has recorded three spoken word poetry CDs and narrates literature through his Listen Fiction platform.
Writing Fiction Workshop: Finding Inspiration
60 minutes, grades – 4-8
Students are encouraged to create their own stories with coaching from Kevin Jones
How do we know what to write? Inspiration comes from the places we least expect (the places we don’t pay attention to)
What is your favourite show, movie, song, poem?
What is your favourite saying, quote, lyric?
What excites you, makes you mad, happy, upset?
What are the top news stories? What did you read on a billboard today? What did you see in a commercial?
These are possible starting points when you are trying to figure out what to write
* Additional Writing Workshops can be constructed to suit your school’s writing goals and student interests.
Member: The Writers Union of Canada, CANSCAIP, SCWBI. Fiction writer. Skipping Stones Book Award 2025. In person sessions: $250 for one, $450 for two, $600 for three, $800 for four . Mileage within Toronto waived, otherwise $.50 cents/km for SW ON.
Nadja is a veterinarian turned writer, and an experienced workshop facilitator for both adults and children. She is the author of a children’s chapter book series, as well as a short story collection and a novel for adults. As a life-long animal lover and longtime advocate for them, Nadja always shares her passion for nature and animals with her audiences.
“A truly engaging and inspiring visit. The children were completely captivated by her storytelling.” Judith Goldberg, Principal, Bayview Glen PS (YRDSB)
Presentations:
Nadja is an extremely flexible presenter, and very familiar with the Ontario curriculum through her work with Scientists in School. She is willing and able to adapt her workshops to cover topics such as animal needs and characteristics, life cycles, habitats, biodiversity, and more. She also loves to facilitate creative writing with engaging prompts and activities. Regardless of the workshop theme, Nadja shares her childhood love of both books and animals, her career as a veterinarian, and her passion for storytelling.
Let’s Talk Dogs!
Target Audience: Grades 1-3
Nadja will guide students through ways to understand doggie feelings in this dynamic and interactive presentation. Her second children’s chapter book, Tizzy and Me: The Incredible Adventure of Moondog’s Eye, explores the joys and challenges of adopting a dog. Using her book as a guide, students will learn Doggie SOS, a quick and simple way to stay safe around dogs, as well as how to read a dog’s body language. (For some extra fun, they’ll also learn to speak a little guinea-pig!) Students will have a chance to “adopt” their own dog. As a wrap-up, students will use story stones to generate their own animal stories.
Let’s Be Animal Kind
Target Audience: Grades 2-5
Description:
Nadja will introduce students to the mink, a semi-aquatic animal native to Canada. Using her children’s chapter book, Tizzy and Me: Fifteen Ways to Love a Mink as a guide,students will learn about mink characteristics, as well their needs. They will be introduced to the issue of mink fur farming in Canada, in a sensitive and age-appropriate way. Finally, they’ll get to be “Animal Kind” kids and explore ways to take action to help animals. Each student will design, make and keep their own poster and/or button. As a wrap-up, students will use story stones to generate their own animal stories.
Tizzy and Me: Fifteen Ways to Love a Mink: friendship, family, kindness, conflict, mink, dogs, animals, animal activism, protests, Toronto, LGBTQ+.
Tizzy and Me: The Incredible Adventures of Moondog’s Eye: friendship, family, adoption, dogs, guinea pigs, animals, dog safety, doggie language, doggie SOS, veterinarian, Toronto, LGBTQ+.
Bilingual picture book author (Spanish-English). Member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers (CANSCAIP). Rates are $120 plus GST for a 30-minute Storytime and Q&A, $200 for a single 60-minute session, $325 for two, and $450 for three. Please note that a travel fee also applies.
Virtual visits rates: $100 plus GST for a 30-minute Storytime and Q&A, $150 plus GST for a single 60-minute session, $300 for two, and $400 for three.
Paola Santos is a Venezuelan-born children’s book author. After moving to Canada, she found the courage to share the words and stories that had long been enclosed in her imagination. Her stories are now woven with her culture, experience in a new country, hope, happiness, and diversity. Paola holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Literature and Children’s Literature and Reading Promotion. With her playful energy, she would engage young students (K-6) through storytimes, workshops, and activities.
Paola’s sessions:
Storytime & Movement Break. Topics: Latine culture, nature, family, intergenerational relationships, and the five senses.Suitable for grades K–2. What if a story could take you somewhere warm and full of flavor? Paola will begin this engaging session by sharing a bit of her childhood in Venezuela and will invite children to experience a taste of her culture. Then, she will bring How to Eat a Mango or Cómo se come un mango to life in a lively, interactive read-aloud. A playful movement activity will follow, helping students connect the story with their bodies and imaginations. Paola’s naturally playful approach will turn storytime into a mini celebration of language, joy, and curiosity. (30-minute session)
Storytime & Writing with the Senses.Topics: Latine culture, nature, family, intergenerational relationships, the five senses, and creative writing. Suitable for grades 3–4. Paola will open this session by sharing her own story, growing up in Venezuela, and becoming an author in a second language. This personal introduction will connect naturally to the read-aloud of How to Eat a Mango or Cómo se come un mango, inviting students to experience the story with open minds and curiosity. Before concluding with a brief Q&A, students will dive into a writing activity using their five senses to spark original ideas. Paola will help children see writing as an adventure, where even a sound, scent, or texture can inspire a whole new story. (Up to 60-minute session)
A Book Blooms / Un libro Florece. Topics: Latine culture, creative process, creative writing, and book journey. Suitable for grades 5–6. Paola will take students on a lively, behind-the-scenes journey through the creation of How to Eat a Mango. From initial sparks to discarded drafts and surprising turns, students will discover the creative process in all its playful, unpredictable stages. Paola will share how her cultural background, love of language, and childhood in Venezuela shaped the story. Through an interactive “HOW TO” brainstorming activity, students will experiment with turning their ideas into books that could bloom next. (Up to 60-minute session)
Explore, Sense, Write! / ¡Explora, siente, escribe! Topics: Latine culture, nature, the five senses, creative process, and creative writing. Suitable for grades 5–6. In this hands-on workshop, Paola will help students unlock the magic of their senses through guided activities that turn everyday moments into stories. She will share how her memories of smells, tastes, and sounds from Venezuela have shaped her writing, and will invite students to explore their sensory memories in playful ways. With an interactive approach that blends observation, imagination, and fun, Paola will show students how even the smallest details can spark big ideas. (Up to 60-minute session)
Required equipment for virtual visits: Screen, good internet connection
Required equipment for in-person visits: Digital projector, whiteboard, or screen; table for laying out books and/or props at the front of the room
