Writers Union Member. Fiction & NF, 2X Silver Birch winner, 2x Red Cedar Winner, Yellow Cedar Winner. Multi awards. All ages. $400 plus HST for 1 session, $650 for 2, $900 for 3 and $1100 for 4, + travel (50 cents per kilometer, round-trip for SW ON).
Virtual Visits: $300 plus HST, for one session, 20-60 minutes, $200 for each additional session on the same day.
The Writers Union member. Picture book. All ages. $350 for 1 session (60 min) $ 600 for 2 sessions of 60 minutes (1/2 day)$ 400 for 2 x 30 minute sessions (great for JK to 1). Full day (4 sessions) $ 1000. + kilometrage. Can present in English and French.
Malaika’s Costume (2016) and Malaika’s Winter Carnival (2017).
Continue reading “Hohn, Nadia (Toronto)”
Writers’ Union Member. Author of thrilling yet thought-provoking speculative fiction for children and teens. $300 for one hour-long session, $525 for two, $750 for three, and $900 for a full day, plus mileage for visits outside local area. Willing to travel anywhere within a 150 km radius from Stratford (which includes most of the GTA); open to travelling further if accommodation and meals are provided.
Vancouver BC. Writers’ Union Member. Aussie adopted by Canada; Finalist in GG Lit Awards and BC Book Prizes, multi awards in Australia.
Fees: $300 for 1 session, $500 for 2, $700 for 3, 850 for 4 (plus HST). A day can be
shared between two cooperating schools. For the GTA (and Toronto bookings near GO stations), Darren can GO TRAIN (not buses or subway) travel both ways all day; he requires pick up and drop off at the GO stations. Where GO Trains are not feasible, car or taxi pick-up from Darren’s hotel is requested.
Virtual Visits: $100 plus HST, 30 minutes; $150 plus HST, 60 minutes FaceTime.
Writers’ Union Member. Multiple award-winner. Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award 2020. Hackmatack 2019 Winner. Silver Birch 2016 Honour Book, IODE Violet Downey Award, Ann Connor Brimer Award. Fiction, Newfoundland ghost stories. $350 for one session, $650 for two sessions, plus HST and mileage.
Virtual visits: $175 plus HST for 60 minutes. $125 plus HST for 40 minutes.
Charis’s spooky, suspenseful books and her playful approach to writing and ghosts get rave reviews from students and teachers. She has toured schools and libraries across Canada, thrilling audiences with her Newfoundland ghost stories and her unique, imagination-based writing workshops.
VIRTUAL VISITS
Specially designed for the COVID challenges of 2020 and 2021. Choose a virtual visit that suits your students and budget.
Grades 4 to 6: 60 minutes. Newfoundland ghost storytelling session plus Q&A Platform: Google Meet, Zoom, or whatever platform your school prefers.
Disembodied Ghost Tour—Halloween and Beyond 2020
A virtual school visit from Charis and a host of Newfoundland ghosts! She’ll take your students on a creepy tour of the most haunted island in the world, showing how traditional ghost stories reflect the landscape, culture and history of Newfoundland. Charis has two new Newfoundland middle grade ghost books released in 2020: Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland and Footsteps in Bay de Verde: A Mysterious Tale. Her virtual visit features stories and pictures from both books, a Q&A, a discussion guide and a ghost story challenge for students to collect their own ghost stories from families and friends. For some reason, Newfoundland has more ghosts than anywhere else. Ghosts in the ocean, ghosts on the barrens, ghosts in lighthouses, and ghosts at kitchen parties. Some stories go back hundreds of years, like the Old Hollies, said to be the victims of shipwrecks, who are heard screaming in the wind just before a bad storm. She tells a very old story about a ghostly longboat glimpsed in the fog near Baccalieu Island and describes an unsettling experience she had herself on the barrens one dark Newfoundland night. She ends with a spine-chilling account of ghostly footsteps in Bay de Verde in the 1920s.
Grades 4 to 6: 40 minutes. Reading and discussion about writing life plus Q&A. Platform: Google Meet, Zoom, or whatever platform your school prefers.
Meet the Author: Reading and Q&A
Charis will do a reading from one of her books and then talk about her writing life: her inspiration, how she became a writer, her daily writing routine and how much editing and rewriting goes into writing a book. Then she will answer questions from students about writing and her books.
The teacher and students can decide which of the following books they want Charis to read from.
If the students have access to the book in question, and are either reading it in class or reading it independently, that helps the discussion. Book sales can be arranged through Charis if necessary.
Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland
An illustrated collection of ten spine-tingling Newfoundland ghost stories, including ghost ships, haunted houses, the Old Hag, death tokens and other strange phenomena from that very haunted island. Each story is given geographical and historical context, with a tribute to the original storyteller.
The Ghost Road
Cousins Ruth and Ruby are spending the summer in Buckle, a small Newfoundland community. To solve a deadly family mystery, they must find their way along the invisible Ghost Road with its disturbing visions of the past.
The Painting
This haunting novel is about Annie, who lives in Toronto, and Claire, who lives in a lighthouse in Newfoundland. Annie falls through a painting of the lighthouse and finds herself with Claire, who thinks she’s a ghost.
The Swallow: A Ghost Story
This spooky, full-length novel tells the story of Polly and Rose, two twelve-year-old girls who live behind a cemetery. A haunted house, a curse and a family secret all come to light as the two friends unravel a troubling mystery.
IN-PERSON VISITS
Grades 4 to 6: 75 minutes. Newfoundland ghost storytelling session plus Q &A. Maximum number of students per session: 125. Preferred venue: Classroom or library where students can sit in a group on the floor. The darker the better!
Equipment: Table. Chair.
The Ghost Road and Other Newfoundland Ghost Stories
Charis tells some traditional Newfoundland ghost stories from Screech! and Footsteps in Bay de Verde, showing how traditional ghost stories reflect the landscape, culture and history of Newfoundland. For some reason, Newfoundland has more ghosts than anywhere else. Ghosts in the ocean, ghosts on the barrens, ghosts in lighthouses, and ghosts at kitchen parties. Using stories she has collected herself, Charis takes her audience on a creepy tour of that very haunted island. Some stories go back hundreds of years, like the Old Hollies, said to be the victims of shipwrecks, who are heard screaming in the wind just before a bad storm. She tells a very old story about a ghostly longboat glimpsed in the fog near Baccalieu Island and describes an unsettling experience she had herself on the barrens one dark Newfoundland night. She ends with a spine-chilling account of ghostly footsteps in Bay de Verde in the 1920s.
Grades 4 to 6: 75 minutes. Writing workshop and Q&A. Maximum number of students per session: 60. Preferred venue: Classroom or library where students can sit in a group on the floor.
Easel or whiteboard with markers, table, chair.
The Painting: A Writing Workshop
Charis presents a writing workshop based on her novel, The Painting, where 12-year-old Annie walks inside a painting of a lighthouse in Newfoundland. After a dramatized reading from The Painting, Charis leads the students through a series of visualizations, using Annie’s experience of walking inside a painting as a model to illustrate how to imagine the setting of a story. Students will create the details of an imaginary world, using all five senses to bring it to life. Along the way, Charis shares some thoughts about her inspiration and writing process for The Painting. At the end of the workshop, she talks about her books and answers questions about the writing life.
WHAT TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS SAY ABOUT CHARIS
“Charis Cotter is a wonderfully engaging storyteller. She had the students on the edge of their seats with every tale. She was also very in tune with the needs of the students throughout the presentation.”
—Tanya Panacci, Bruce Trail Public School, Milton, Ontario
“Charis Cotter is an exceptional writer of age-appropriate ghost stories. Her workshop readings and easy manner of engagement ignites in her audience a sense of wonder which fires the imagination.”
—Bronać Gallagher, Grade 5 teacher, Lakecrest Independent School, St. John’s, Newfoundland
Writers’ Union Member. Award-winning author of novels and picture books who delights audiences with stories, inspiration, and music. $350 plus HST for 1 session, $600 for 2 sessions, $850 for 3 sessions, $1,000 for 4 sessions. Plus travel. Continue reading “Fagan, Cary (Toronto)”
The key to the success of my talks is stories—let extraordinary young activists deliver their hopeful and helpful messages in their own video-taped voices, or in their art and music. My aim is to inspire students to feel deeply, empower them to act responsibly, and motivate them to learn and think critically. By example, the activists show that by working together and making positive choices, even small efforts can make the world better and kinder.
Presentation rates:
Virtual 60-minute presentation rates:
In person 60-minute presentation rates:
Add HST (13%)
*Special flat fee mileage: $25, $50 over 50k
Schools can share the day with a nearby school for additional savings.
The subject matter is best suited for grades 3 – 8.
The Writers’ Union, subsidies may be available: http://www.writersunion.ca/content/writers-schools
Presentation Descriptions:
Inspiring Young Hearts and Minds:
Topics in this general presentation include:
In the days before the virtual visit, I send three 10-minute movies narrated by me, with excerpts from speeches and interviews of the featured activists. This allows students to prepare questions in advance of the hour-long Q & A.
The Climate Emergency: Kids to the Rescue!
Eco-Anxiety over the looming climate crisis is affecting many young people. When Greta Thunberg cried, “Our house is on fire!”, the world listened. Youth activism is making a profound difference. Speaking out and taking action is proving to be an antidote to children’s fear and worry about the future. Through inspiring true stories of young environmental and indigenous activists, this presentation encourages kids to learn the science, find their voice, and imagine a more sustainable way of living on our precious Earth.
First Nations Truth and Reconciliation:
Shannen Koostachin’s grade 8 class launched a national campaign for the right to a decent school in Attawapiskat First Nation—and won! This important true story raises awareness of contemporary FN issues such as inequality in education and services, true Aboriginal history and treaty rights, and the impact of residential schools. Shannen and the Dream for a School
Our Future: How Kids are Taking Action:
Hope and optimism is the antidote to the fear and worry young people are experiencing over disturbing news: the climate crisis, gun violence, racism, cyber-bullying, and animal extinctions, and on and on. Empowered child activists have taken action against injustice, inequity, and environmental degradation, and in doing so have made changes to improve their future. Children want to be part of the solution to the world’s problems. Our Future offers indigenous perspectives and simple suggestions to inspire the activist in all of us.
The Hero Within:
True heroes don’t need capes or radio-active rodent bites. They just need big hearts and the courage to be leaders, stand up for the rights of children, and take action against unfairness and injustice. Compassionate young role models show kids how they can make a difference and create a more equitable world.
DEAL: Patricia Storms will provide a FREE COPY of IF YOU’RE THANKFUL AND YOU KNOW IT to any school who books her for a fall visit!!
Writers’ Union Member. Fun and funny cartoonist, children’s illustrator and picture book author and ukulele lady. $300 + HST for 1 session, $500 for 2, $800 for 3 and $1,000 for 4. Continue reading “Storms, Patricia (Toronto)”
Writers’ Union Member. Alberta, Fiction, Multi-award winner. Grades 1-12 $325 plus GST for 1 session, $600 for 2, $850 for 3 and $1000 for 4, + travel. Continue reading “Poulsen, David (Alberta)”
