Tag: Canadian History

Renwick, Jessica. (Red Deer, Alberta)

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.

FOREST OF READING 2026 NOMINEE

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.

Contact Jessica to book a visit:

    Dobson, Jillian (Richmond Hill, ON)

    Photo credit: Dorothy Puddester

    Jillian is a member of The Writers Union of Canada (TWUC), the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP), the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the CCBC.

    Jillian is the author of GIRL TAKES DRASTIC STEP!: How Molly Lamb Bobak Became Canada’s First Official Woman War Artist with artwork by Genevieve Simms. This is an inspirational story of perseverance through art with the title drawn directly from the first page of Molly Lamb Bobak’s World War II war diary.

    In Person Rates: $200 for one session (45 mins) Plus a travel fee of $0.50/km if outside of Greater Toronto Area. Virtual visits (30 mins) $150 (All visits subject to HST).

    This book and presentation would support the following subjects and themes:

    Canadian History/World War II History/Art History/Art/English/Remembrance Day/International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month

    Jillian is an experienced presenter and will engage young readers in the story of hard work and determination of how Molly Lamb Bobak followed her dream and became Canada’s first official woman war artist. Jillian will highlight how author and illustrator work together and the research process for this book including a glimpse of pages of Molly’s war diary.

    A live reading of the book followed by an introductory discussion and visual presentation about how women enlisted in the Canadian Women’s Army Corp during WWII and what that experience was like for them based on Molly Lamb Bobak’s headline style journal.

    An engaging hands-on activity will encourage students to document, through writing and various mediums of art including sketching, doodling and drawing what goes on in their lives and classrooms in a unique way. Students will work on activity sheets to write their own headlines and then work as reporters to create a shared classroom headline journal.

    For older grades there will be a discussion about perseverance and following your dreams based on the story with art prompts for creating a dream journal.

    English language presentations for grades K-6 with a maximum per group of 30 with teacher or librarian present. Jillian will gladly collaborate with teachers or librarians to tailor the presentation to the interests and needs of the participants. Personalized and signed books may be ordered in advance and information will be provided to the organizer.

    Virtual Presentations:

    Reading and interactive online activity of building a classroom headline journal page or guided instruction through activity sheet shared with teacher/librarian in advance. Grades 1-6 – 45 minutes.

    Library Visits: (Pre-school to grade 6)

    Interactive reading followed by guided multi-media worksheet activity to create a headline journal page.

    Technology required: Screen or area to project, table and chair or stool

    Contact Jillian to book a visit:

      Miskonoodinkwe Smith, Christine (Toronto, ON)

      Miskonoodinkwe Smith, Christine

      Indigenous Editor’s Association, longlisted for the First Nations Community Reads Program, ANDPVA National Signature Online Event 2022.

      Presentation Rates: 250.00 for one session, $450.00 for two, $675.00 for three, $1,000 for full day. Travel fee $.50/km if outside of Toronto. I don’t drive and would require funding for train or bus, plus Uber if available.

      Virtual Visit Fees range from $200-$250

      Christine Miskonoodinkwe-Smith- is a Saulteaux woman from Peguis First Nation and the author of “These Are the Stories: Memories of a 60s Scoop Survivor”. She is an author, editor, writer, and journalist who graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Aboriginal Studies in June 2011 and went on to receive her Master’s in Education in Social Justice in June 2017. Her first non-fiction story “Choosing the Path to Healing” appeared in the 2006 anthology Growing Up Girl: An Anthology of Voices from Marginalized Spaces. She has written for the Native Canadian, Anishinabek News, Windspeaker, FNH Magazine, New Tribe Magazine, Muskrat Magazine and the Piker Press. She has also co-edited the anthology Bawaajigan with fellow Indigenous writer Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler.

      these-are-the-stories-Miskonoodinkwe-Smith-Christine.jpg

      Readings, Talks on Healing, Writing

      Preferred Venues- small spaces, libraries, café’s etc

      Preferred Audience Size-10-25 people, more if comfortable

      Tech requirements- microphone, sound system

      Contact Chrissy Miskonoodinkwe Smith:

        Camlot, Heather (Toronto, ON)

        The Writers’ Union of Canada member. Fiction and nonfiction writer.

        Heather’s rates are $300 for one session, $550 for two, $800 for three. For virtual presentations: $300 for one session, $500 for two. HST applies to all sessions. No travel costs within Toronto or if I am in your city (I travel to Montreal several times a year). Able to present in English and French.

        HEATHER CAMLOT is an award-winning author of a dozen books for young readers.

        Her middle-grade nonfiction include What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows? True Stories of Imagination and Determination, The Prisoner and the Writer, and One Goal: How Soccer Can Help Save the Planet. Heather is also an accomplished fiction writer. Her two middle-grade novels are Clutch and The Other Side. 

        Fall 2026 will see two new nonfiction books, Have a Bite! How Food Connects Us and Beyond Words: The Meaning and Impact of Signs and Symbols. Two more books are slated for 2027  Champions for Change: How Athletes are Making a Difference and Poster Child: The Story of Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, her first picture book. 

        Heather’s books have been honoured as a Best Book pick from Kirkus Reviews, a Canadian Jewish Literary Awards winner (juvenile category), Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections, an Outstanding Science Trade Book (NSTA/CBC) and Skipping Stones Honor Awards. They have also been shortlisted for provincial, national, and international awards, including Forest of Reading, CCBC Book Awards, and Prix littéraire FETKANN – Maryse Condé. 

        PRESENTATIONS (60 minutes, grades 3+)

        Heather aims to entertain and educate, engaging students with a fun and interactive presentation, lively discussion and themed activities. We’ll talk about a specific book (choose from the list below), inspiration, challenges, themes and of course writing.

        Heather is happy to collaborate to create a customized presentation.

        Books and themes:

        • Clutch: Baseball, family, tradition, 1940s, Montreal, Jackie Robinson, Judaism, World War II, Holocaust, Canada, government of Canada, historical fiction, sports, courage, injustice
        • The Other Side: Mystery,family secrets, illness, soccer, 2014 World Cup,World War II, Germany, Canada, inter-generational, injustice, courage, history, present
        • What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows?: Social justice, human rights, imagination, real-world crises, asking big questions, courage, change, peace, reconciliation, bravery, injustice, leadership, history, present
        • Secret Schools: School, underground, hiding, current, history, present, education, learning, courage, perseverance, resilience, determination, change, injustice
        • I Can’t Do What?: Laws, rules, human rights, sports, art, entertainment, injustice, technology, family, crime and punishment, weird, governance, social justice
        • Becoming Bionic: STEM, science, biology, technology, superheroes, comics, cartoons, science fiction, technological innovations, medicine, pop culture, history, present
        • The Prisoner and the Writer: Dreyfus Affair, antisemitism, Judaism, advocacy, racism 19th century, France, media literacy, bias, fake news, treason, betrayal, courage, true story, justice, equality, prejudice, scandal, misinformation
        • One Goal: Soccer, climate change, World Cup, Olympics, sports, social justice, human rights, sustainability, environment, reduce, reuse, recycle
        • Beyond Words: Symbols, hate, peace, support, protest, social justice, human rights, history, racism, 2SLGBTQI+, sexism, physical and mental health, marginalized
        • Have a Bite: Food, food history, social justice, family, tradition, climate change, history, culture, trade, geography, connection, politics, food safety, food waste

        WORKSHOPS (60 minutes, grades 3+)

        • Where do ideas come from?: In this idea-generating workshop, we’ll discuss where to look for fiction and/or nonfiction book ideas – starting in our own lives. Students will get writing with two exercises to jumpstart the creative process. Based on ONE GOAL: HOW SOCCER CAN HELP SAVE THE PLANET.
        • What’s news?: Bias in the media is difficult to spot. In this media-literacy workshop, we’ll look into how to determine if what you’re reading is fact…or fiction. I’ll test students’ knowledge of news fact vs news fiction through a fun game and we’ll create a reference guide to better judge whether what they are reading, seeing, and hearing is objective, biased or completely fake. Based on THE PRISONER AND THE WRITER.

        You can find more presentation and workshop descriptions available on Heathercamlot.com.

        Maximum presentation size: 100 (flexible) / maximum workshop size: 30 (flexible)
        Teacher and/or librarian must be present.

        Heather offers the services of professional editing, copyediting, proofreading, and translating. She also provides manuscript evaluations – fiction and nonfiction.

        Contact Heather to book a visit:

          McKay, Sharon (Burlington ON)

          Writers’ Union Member. Sharon travels across Canada several times a year. Sharon E. McKay (Mick-EYE) writes fact-based fiction for young adults. Multi-awards, all ages.

          Flat fee of $900 for a full day, four sessions and includes a free (optional) brown-bag lunch for anyone interested in writing. Flat fee of $600 for an afternoon. Parents and media are welcome in all sessions.

          Virtual Visits: $150, 60 minutes, Skype. Continue reading “McKay, Sharon (Burlington ON)”