Danny is a member of CANSCAIP, SCBWI, and TWUC. Virtual visits $150 + HST. In-person $250 + HST (available in Ottawa, ON only).
Danny is a children’s author, elementary school educator, and former teacher-librarian. He has worked in both public and independent schools across five continents. Danny is an advocate for fully funded and staffed school libraries, as well as a champion for 2SLGBTQ+ identities and communities. He currently lives in Ottawa with his husband and daughters.
As an author of chapter books, Danny’s presentations are best suited for elementary school audiences (Gr. 1-5). Presentations are prepared in collaboration with teachers and organizers.
Presentation Options:
Writing Workshop Style – This presentation includes a brief introduction to Danny’s journey as a writer, then dives right into the writing process for youth. He discusses tips for brainstorming ideas, various story map examples, how to write drafts, and the importance of editing and revising. By the end, participants will have a plan for creating their own 6-sentence stories. Best suited for single classes (or groups up to about 25 participants), the presentation runs for approximately 30-45 minutes, depending on the grade level and needs of the group.
Author Journey Format – This presentation includes Danny’s path to becoming an author, his writing process, a more in-depth look at his books and stories, as well as a Q&A session at the end. The presentation can be adapted for single classes or larger groups (up to 100 participants) and runs for approximately 45 minutes, depending on the grade level and needs of the group.
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.
