Writers’ Union Member. YA and MG fiction. Picture books (nonfiction and fiction). K to 12. Karen’s rate is $250 plus HST for one session, $450 for two, $675 for three, $900 for a full day (4 sessions). Mileage within Toronto may be waived. A virtual visit is $150 plus HST.
Karen Krossing is the author of many books for kids and teens, including picture books My Street Remembers, One Tiny Bubble, and Sour Cakes, and novels Monster vs. Boy, Punch Like a Girl, and Bog. She won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada in 2015 and 2023 and has been a finalist for the Ontario Library Association White Pine Award and the Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award, among other honours. Karen has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she teaches writing at Whale Rock Workshops and the Humber School for Writers. She loves meeting readers and writers of all ages.
Book Talks
Karen’s book talks inspire a passion for reading and promote a deeper understanding of ourselves and our world. They may include how she evolved as a writer, the writing life, an introduction to the work, a short reading, a discussion of issues raised by the reading, an oral storywriting exercise with the audience, and questions and answers.
For grades K to 3, Karen will showcase any of her picture books My Street Remembers, One Tiny Bubble, and Sour Cakes with a focus on the history of the land where we live, prehistory evolution (STEM), and social-emotional learning.
For grades 4 to 6, Karen will showcase any of her middle-grade novels: Monster vs. Boy, Bog, and possibly Cut the Lights. Issues such as mental health, tolerance, and believing in oneself may be discussed.
For grades 7 to 12, Karen’s novels and short stories for teens will be highlighted, such as Punch Like a Girl, Cut the Lights, The Yo-Yo Prophet, Pure, and Take the Stairs. Issues such as bullying, depression, social justice, and prejudice may be explored.
Book talks may be in person or virtual. Recent and new book talks are below.
Middle-Grade: Monsters and More! An Exploration of Story
Karen will introduce herself as a writer through her childhood photos and writing, relating to the idea that we are all full of stories. She will then introduce her middle-grade novels such as Monster vs. Boy as a framework for where we can get our creative ideas. We will explore writing to understand the world, writing from personal experience and interests, and writing from what-if questions. Karen will facilitate an oral story-writing exercise with the group and conclude with a Q&A. Handouts include tips for writing one’s own stories and places young authors can submit their writing. Karen’s novels include explorations of mental health, combatting prejudice, and relationship-building. Themes: Building resiliency and mental health; Combatting racism and prejudice; Relationships, inclusion, and anti-bullying; Writing activities; Developing community and working creatively with others.
New for Fall 2025: What Does Your Street Remember?
Karen will take students on a journey of the collective history of one North American street using her picture book My Street Remembers as a framework. We will notice the place where the students live – who walks there now and what they know about who walked there before – and what it means to belong to a place. We will discuss treaties through the lens of collective friendship and what it means to be a good friend. And we will observe what we can do to connect and reconcile with the place where we live. Karen will speak from her identity as a person of settler heritage and use her collaboration with Anishinaabe illustrator Cathie Jamieson as a model for community-building. She will conclude with a gratitude activity for the place where we live and a Q&A. Themes: Relationships with place and inclusion; Indigenous experiences and reconciliation; Developing community and working with others; Environment and nature; Combatting racism and prejudice.
New for Winter 2026: Dinosaurs and More! An Exploration of Your Earth Family
Karen will take students on a journey of the evolutionary history of life on Earth using her picture books One Tiny Bubble and/or One Cosmic Rock as a framework. We will celebrate our common ancestry through our Last Universal Common Ancestor, or LUCA, the one-celled organism that sparked all life on Earth over 3.5 billion years ago. We will celebrate the resilience of life on Earth through the story of the asteroid responsible for the dinosaurs’ extinction 66 million years ago. And we will honour the diverse life-forms that thrive on our planet today – including humans. Karen will facilitate an oral story-writing exercise with the group and conclude with a Q&A. Themes: STEM; Environment and nature; Building resiliency and mental health; Writing activities.
New for Spring 2026: Bring Your Umbrella: Bad Weather, Bad Moods, and Good Ideas
Karen will introduce herself as a writer through her childhood photos and writing, relating to the idea that we are all full of stories. She will then take students on a social emotional journey using her picture books The Cloud That Stuck and/or Sour Cakes as a framework. We will develop strategies for managing a difficult mood. We will explore ways to handle situations that are beyond our control. And we will acknowledge empathy, emotional acceptance, and difficult feelings in a warm, accessible way. Karen will facilitate an oral story-writing exercise with the group and conclude with a Q&A. Themes: Building resiliency and mental health; Developing community and working creatively with others; Environment and nature; Writing activities.
Writing Workshops
Karen delivers customized writing workshops for all ages – children, teens, and adults. Workshops typically include a discussion of specific story-writing techniques as well as inspirational writing exercises designed to generate story ideas and practice particular techniques. Her technique promotes intuitive writing using a variety of stimulating activities, including word games, masks, story dice, photos, and character games. Writing is then shared through positive peer discussion using anti-racist feedback techniques.
Possible workshops include:
- Oral StoryPlay Workshop: Explore how to build stories by making up imaginary creatures, playing with story dice, inventing stories together, and writing your own stories. Fun word games and shared oral story writing, with take-home ideas for more story play. Suitable for K to grade 3.
- WordPlay Writing Workshop: Who says writing isn’t fun? With fresh and inspiring story-starters, you’ll explore new characters and create captivating scenes. Spark your imagination and enjoyment of words while learning creative writing techniques in this hands-on workshop.
- How to Create a Believable OtherWorld: Whether you write about unicorns or alien planets, an imaginary world needs rules and structure in order to be believable. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create a fully imagined fantasy or science-fiction world and the characters who live there.
- Stories Inspired by Real Life: Explore how moments such as an early memory as a child, a conversation overheard on the bus, or your family history can spark fictional or memoir writing.
- Villains and Heroes: Learn how to develop characters and scenes by creating your own villains and heroes in this hands-on workshop.
- How to Build Characters: How can you get a thorough look into your main character’s mind before writing? And after you do, what writing tools can you use to reveal that character? Tips to develop and reveal character as well as writing exercises to practise these tips.
- How to Revise Your Writing: A piece of writing that you want to submit for publication needs to be the very best you could possibly write – then you need to find a way to make it better. Discuss how to re-envision a work-in-progress, explore the craft of revision, and learn tips for focusing and polishing your stories.
- Finding Your Stories Through a Practice of Side-Writing: Explore how to tap into yourself and your stories through the practice of side-writing, which refers to stepping away from the story on the page to explore the raw heart of it through creative exercises. You’ll explore how side-writing can help us to write true to ourselves, plumb the emotional depths of our characters to better connect to readers, and spark joy and play in our writing.
Karen’s ideal number of students is up to 100 for book talks and 30 for writing workshops.
Equipment and Other Requirements
Book talks and workshops can be virtual or in person. Karen is comfortable presenting in a classroom, library, or auditorium. She requires a microphone for large spaces or audiences, a bottle of water, and a table to display books. She may require a screen for presentations. She requests that a librarian, teacher, or other school representative be present throughout the presentation.