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.
Member of Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP); Children’s Writers & Illustrators of BC Society (CWILL-BC); and Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC). Fiction and non-fiction, 2X Word Award winner, CBC Kids Book Club Pick, OLA Best Bets, MYRCA finalist, Arthur Ellis finalist, 2X Chocolate Lily finalist.
Karen is the author of 11 books for young readers, with her newest disability-inclusive picture book called PLAYDATE SURPRISE and in French UNE SURPRISE MERVEILLEUSE.
PLAYDATE SURPRISE (Scholastic Canada) for ages 3-7 has been shortlisted for The Word Award 2025 for Books – Children – Christian & General Market!
JK-Grade 6. $300 for 1 session, $500 for 2, $700 for 3 and $900 for 4, maximum 4 sessions per day, + travel and lodging if outside of the Okanagan Valley, BC, unless otherwise stated.
Virtual Visits: $250 for 1 session, $200 for each additional session on the same day; via Zoom or other preferred online platform; support personnel (to moderate and manage technical aspects)
Karen is an experienced presenter who welcomes the opportunity to talk about the writing process and share her passion for researching and writing. Each of her five interactive presentations is tailored to one or more of her picture books, middle-grade novels and narrative non-fiction. Karen reveals the inspiration behind the book(s), explores relevant book-related topics, uses props and Power-Point, and includes a reading followed by time for Q&A.
JK to 3: I CAN, TOO! & PLAYDATE SURPRISE: Disabilities, Inclusion and Friendship based on picture books I CAN, TOO! and PLAYDATE SURPRISE: play, accessibility, adaptive equipment, movement, sports, inclusive playground
2 to 5: Kah-Lan: Sea Otters and a Thriving Ocean based on chapter books KAH-LAN THE ADVENTUROUS SEA OTTER and KAH-LAN AND THE STINK-INK: sea otters, ocean, adventure, survival, oil spill, marine mammal rescue
3 to 6: MAKING SEAKER: Writing and STEAM topics based on middle-grade contemporary novel MAKING SEAKER: new girl, science, technology, trackable model boat, Nipigon, Great Lakes, Paddle-to-the-Sea, self-realization, acceptance, friendship
3 to 6: Growing Up in Wild Horse Canyon: Exploring Centuries of History based on narrative non-fiction picture book GROWING UP IN WILD HORSE CANYON set in the Okanagan Valley, BC, covering Indigenous content (Syilx Okanagan, Nsyilxcən language, First Nation quest, history, culture), wild horses, fur brigade, settlers, railway, secret wartime commando training, firestorm
4 to 6: Bringing Canadian History Alive based on middle-grade historical novels SECOND WATCH, SAARA’S PASSAGE, and SABOTAGE: Canadian home front during World War I, living in 1914-1915 in Northwestern Ontario, First World War, shipwreck of Empress of Ireland in St. Lawrence River, tuberculosis, sanatoriums, spies, sabotage, internment camps; Finnish immigrant family dynamics
Maximum group size: To promote interaction during in-person presentations, Karen prefers to meet with smaller groups, so a maximum of three classes.
Venue: Library or classroom preferred
Equipment Required: A table to hold presentation materials; a screen, computer and projector for displaying PowerPoint presentation from a USB drive; a microphone if the venue is not the library or classroom; lunch (egg salad sandwich on brown bread) if she is staying for the day.
Please note: Her surname is pronounced like Audio with a soft T.
Writers’ Union of Canada member. SCBWI member. Purple Dragonfly Book Award – 1st place winner. English language presentations for grades K-6; further age ranges available on request.
In-Person Visits (45-60 minutes): $200 for 1 session; $150 for each subsequent session up to four sessions in one day. A session may be split into two 30-minute sessions for Kindergarten. Plus, a travel fee of $0.50/km if outside of Halton.
Virtual Visits (30-60 minutes): $100-$150 per session. A session may be split into two 30-minute sessions for Kindergarten.
Natalia Paruzel-Gibson grew up backstage in the theaters and art galleries in Poland. Her mom’s passion for the arts inspired Natalia to write and create. After emigrating to Canada, Natalia was recognized by the Turzanski Foundation with a Young Talent Award for writing and reciting poetry. Her photography and art installations were exhibited in Toronto’s Nuit Blanche. Natalia lives in Burlington, Ontario. She is the author of the children’s book, A PICTURE DAY TO REMEMBER (Clavis, 2023), which focuses on themes of inclusivity, self-acceptance, and friendship in the classroom.
Natalia’s school presentations are engaging and interactive. For students in grades K-3, each presentation includes a discussion of her favourite books, the role of the author and illustrator, an overview of character sketches from the book, the inspiration behind the story, a book reading, and an SEL focused activity using a customized activity sheet. There’s plenty of time for Q&A too!
For students in grades 3-6, each presentation includes the above, plus an in-depth outline of the publishing process from concept through to the final product. This segment of the presentation is an excellent opportunity for aspiring writers to receive tips and suggestions to hone in on the craft of storytelling.
Natalia is a very flexible presenter and can adapt her presentation to suit the needs of a school. If there is an interest in focusing more on one aspect of writing, she’s happy to accommodate.
Natalia is glad to speak to an entire school or conduct more personal sessions where a few classrooms are amalgamated or split up by grade. Natalia requests a projector/white board for a Google Slides presentation, a table and coloured pencil crayons. For larger in-person presentations, she will require a table, microphone, and a PA system.
Award winning author Lydia Lukidis, recipient of a Silver Birch Express honor (Forest of Reading) Award, SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the North American division, and multiple Cybils Award nominations.
Rates:For in-person workshops (Montreal and surrounding areas)- $300 for one sixty-minute session, $450 for two, $600 for three, $750 for four, plus a travel fee of $0.50/km.
For virtual workshops- $200 for a session of up to sixty minutes, $100 for each additional session on the same day, up to four sessions in one day. Flexible and able to accommodate schedules in a range of time zones.
Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 60+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere (Capstone, 2025), DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was a Crystal Kite winner for the Canada and North America division, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, a Cybils Award nominee, and winner of the Dogwood Readers Award. A science enthusiast from a young age, Lydia now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. She also enjoys writing books with social emotional learning (SEL) themes such as friendship, empathy, and gratitude.
Workshops:
Lydia has 15 years experience working with children in elementary schools. She’s passionate about spreading the love for literacy and her presentations are dynamic and lively. The goal is to entertain and educate in a way that illuminates the magic of the written word.
Lydia offers writing workshops that tie in with educational curriculum for students from kindergarten to grade six. Each workshop begins with an initial presentation where she discusses her writing process giving particular attention to the art of editing. This will include some fun literacy games. Lydia will then help students brainstorm and start their own writing process. These workshops are an excellent opportunity for students to develop good writing and cognitive skills, improve literacy, and tap into creative self-expression. Study guides and follow up activities will be provided.
The workshops are tailored for each grade, here are the various options:
Story Making 101 (1-6)
Character Development (K-6)
Fairy Tale Magic (1-4)
The Power of Mythology (4-6)
Persuasive Writing (2-6)
The Art of Poetry (2-6)
Personal Narratives (2-6)
Crafting Nonfiction (2-6)
Let’s Write a Book (2-6, a special 3-part workshop where students communally write and illustrate a book that Lydia will print)
Author Reading with Puppetry Workshop (K-3)
Advanced Narrative Building (6)
(35 students maximum for in-person, 100 for virtual)
Presentations:
Sparking Interest through STEM: This presentation will show children that STEM is not only all around us, but it’s also fun and exciting! (K-3)
Dream Big and Take the Leap: This presentation will highlight the perseverance required to achieve your dreams and how seeming “failures” can help you carve your path to success. The goal is to inspire students to dream big! (3-6)
(100 students maximum)
Suggested Reading:
Grades 2-5:
DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench is a lyrical spare-text STEM picture book that takes readers on a journey to where few humans have ever been. The narrative debunks scary myths about this mysterious place with surprising and beautiful truths about life at Earth’s deepest point.
(Themes: STEM, deep sea, biodiversity, conservation, oceanography, biology, geology)
Kindergarten-3:
Grades 2-5:
UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere: Look up–into the blue and beyond. What do you see? The sky–our atmosphere–may seem empty or invisible. But is it? Using spare, lyrical language, author Lydia Lukidis takes readers on an imagined journey up, up high to discover the surprising and wondrous things flying, floating, and happening between the treetops and the stars in this STEM-based picture book.
Themes: STEM, weather, atmospheres, clouds
Grades 2-5:
DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights is the true story of Dr. Mae Jemison, whose lifelong passions of science and dance prepared her to become a trailblazing astronaut, making her the first Black woman to travel into outer space. Throughout it all, she pursued her love of dance.
Themes: STEM, space, perseverance, breaking barriers, art meets science
Requirements:
Lydia will require a smart board with functional speakers for a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation. Students will need pencils, erasers, loose-leaf paper, and sometimes pencil crayons and markers. In order to ensure a successful workshop, it is essential that at least one educator/librarian remain in class for the duration of the workshop. For larger presentations in-person, she will require a table, microphone, and a proper PA system.
Lydia also provides manuscript critiques for fiction and nonfiction.
Booking Rates: $250 for one session, $200 for any additional sessions. A travel fee of $0.50/km if outside Toronto. Virtual visit rates negotiable.
Curtis Campbell is a novelist and playwright based out of Toronto. His novels include Dragging Mason County and the upcoming Lying, Stealing, and Other Ways to Save the Planet.
Workshops and Presentations
Writing Character Voice
A workshop on writing in the first person, how to develop the voice of your character, how to begin developing your writing style, and how you can begin putting this on the page! We will write and share our work.
Dialogue
A practical workshop focussed on how dialogue works for both novels and plays, its use to convey character and plot, and how to develop dialogue consistent with the tone and style of the piece you are writing. We will write and share work for discussion.
Writing For Your Audience
A common hurdle for any writer, new or seasoned, is just getting their project started. But I’ve always found that a simple solution is to address the needs of your intended audience, and the needs of the form. Are you writing a book, a play, a presentation?
In this workshop we’ll discuss what your audience needs, and how those needs can get your writing off to the races.
Writing About Ourselves
A workshop based around writing about yourself! In memoir, journal, fiction and nonfiction. I believe that everyone is a writer. People often say that they have nothing to write about, but we all have the ability to write about ourselves. This workshop is about putting yourself on the page using memory, identity, geography, imagination and site-specific practices to discover that you’re a writer too.
Playwriting
I am a working playwright and have ten years of experience creating plays in both the independent and professional worlds. This workshop will explore the basics of playwriting and teach students about the process of scene creation by having them write one of their own.
LGBTQ+ Student Group Visit
A facilitated discussion with your school’s LGBTQ+ student group to talk activism and advocacy as a young person, contemporary issues facing queer Canadians, and how they can effect change in their own school.
Book Banning And You!
An informative presentation and facilitated discussion. Ontario student’s intellectual freedoms and human rights are becoming increasingly threatened by the rising wave of book bannings. Where does this come from, and how can they begin to combat this attack on their rights?
All Aboard The Allyship!
As anti-2SLGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation continues to spread, we can all benefit from an open discussion about the rapidly evolving nature of homophobia and transphobia in the internet age. This presentation and discussion presents common sense approaches to being an effective ally to the 2SLGBTQIA+ members of your community.
Dragging Mason County
Discussion of the White Pine nominated novel, and the issues explored within. Discussion topics include LGBTQIA+ youth issues, friendship and chosen family, allyship, homophobia and transphobia, theatre and drag, social media, and gender expression. For any class or club who have read the book.
Talk To An Author and Playwright
An engaging Q+A about the literary and theatre industries with a particular interest in discussing how students can begin developing, or continue developing their own artistic practice.
These workshops can be performed in a single classroom, or with merged classrooms.
The ideal group for writing workshops would be smaller, but I can make larger groups work just as well if there are a few staff members present.
A microphone would be great to have if we are meeting in a gym or cafeteria.
Workshops will always change by school and group, so I’m happy to customize and adjust based on your needs.
Member: Writer’s Union of Canada, Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. Winner: Second Story Press’s Aboriginal Writing Award. Finalist: Ontario White Pine Award, Ontario Silver Birch Award, CLA Book of the Year for Children, CODE Burt Award, Hackmatack Award, Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award, First Nations Communities Read Award. Several times included in Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Children and Teens. All ages from 8 and up. Up to 100 or so participants. $250 for one session, $450 for two, $675 for three, $900 for a full day (four sessions). Plus a travel fee of $0.50/km to and from Brampton, Ontario. Virtual visits $200 plus HST for 30-60 minutes, $150 plus HST for each subsequent session on the same day.
Susan Currie is a passionate and dynamic elementary teacher in Brampton, Ontario. Before she entered the public school system, she earned a living as an accompanist, music director, choir director, dinner musician, leader of various music programs for children, and piano teacher. She’s the author of two middle grade novels, and two YA novels. Her novels all explore themes of friendship, music, navigating challenges, being resilient, and finding your identity. She has also written three nonfiction books on Indigenous topics. Susan has been on multiple Indigenous writing teams through the Elementary Federation of Ontario. She wrote lesson plans and prompts for Spark, Pearson’s online reading program. Susan is an adoptee who was in the foster care system briefly as a baby, and only learned of her Haudenosaunee heritage (Cayuga Nation, Turtle Clan) as an adult. She is happily married to John and has a wonderful daughter named Rachel.
Susan is extremely flexible as a presenter and can customize a presentation to the needs of each venue. Through years in the classroom, she is very comfortable engaging in conversation with young people. In each presentation, she will include readings from her books and a Q and A. Possible topics could include the following, but please reach out to discuss your needs as Susan will happily customize a session.
Friendship, strategies for building your voice, facing down bullies
Notable Indigenous figures like Autumn Peltier; telling how she has fought to protect water around the world; sharing how you can help
The history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Cayuga Nation, including life long ago, the impact of the Indian Act, and the rise of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; what you can do to help with reconciliation
Susan’s own history as an adoptee who later learned her Cayuga heritage
Raising awareness of social inequities, such as institutionalized racism, the limited rights of foster children, and differences in opportunities based on socioeconomic status; sharing how you can advocate for others in your immediate community and around the world
What it is like to be a writer, with focus on the process of writing a novel, and the steps you go through to have a published book
Susan is also delighted to do writing workshops with small groups (no more than 15 or so). Topics might include the following, but please reach out to discuss your needs as Susan will happily customize a session.
Building exciting scenes or characters
Fun ways to edit your work that bring your story to vivid life
Finding your creative voice
Using other art forms to inspire your writing – paintings, pieces of music, dance, etc. Writing a story based on one of these.
Telling a story from your life in a dramatically compelling way
Writing effective and interesting dialogue
Creating a character driven plot
Susan’s Books:
Basket of Beethoven (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2001)
Grades 4-8
Sam, whose single mom is so strapped for cash that she can barely afford food, talks the privileged Helen into teaching him how to play the piano. He has to keep up his end of the bargain, which involves getting rid of the threatening bullies who plague her. But anything is worth having an outlet for the music inside him. Themes: friendship, family, strategies for standing up to bullies, resiliency, courage, music, creativity, imagination.
The Mask that Sang (Second Story Press, 2016)
Grades 4-8
Cass learns about her Indigenous identity via a mysterious Haudenosaunee mask that shows her visions and sings to her. Through her friendship with Degan, an Indigenous boy, she uncovers what the mask is trying to tell her. Themes: magic realism, bullies, resiliency, systemic racism, residential schools, foster care, loss of identity, found friends, Indigenous history in Canada.
Haudenosaunee: the People and Nations (Saunders/Beech Street, 2023)
Grades 4-12
This nonfiction book explores the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the impact of the Indian Act on Indigenous peoples in Canada. It also tells about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and ways that ordinary people can help to fulfil the calls to action. It highlights how the Haudenosaunee are fighting to regain their language and culture.
Amazing Women in Canada: Autumn Peltier (Saunders/Beech Street, 2024)
Grades 3-12
This nonfiction book tells about Autumn Peltier, who has become a water warrior on the global stage, fighting for the protection of water around the world, and advocating for the rights of people on reserves to have clean water. She has shown resiliency in her mission, not backing down even in the face of negative criticism.
Indigenous People and Nations: Cayuga (Saunders/Beech Street 2026)
Grades 4-12
This nonfiction book tells about the history of the Cayuga Nation, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. While highlighting ways that the Cayuga lived in the past, it also explores the impact of the Indian Act, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the fight to revitalize Cayuga language and culture.
Fierce Voice (Common Deer Press, 2025)
Grades 6-12
This YA novel is the sequel to Iz the Apocalypse (described below). Iz has everything she’s ever wanted: she’s found the foster home of her dreams and is attending the prestigious music school she moved heaven and earth to get into. But secrets from her past keep threatening to spill into the present, and Iz is sure that her newfound loved ones will abandon her if they learn of her terrible history. When she meets Skye, a young foster child with her own terrible secret, Iz must make a dreadful choice—one that could free them both from their demons or completely destroy everything Iz has fought so hard for. Is raising her voice worth the risk? Themes: advocating for foster children; music education; found family; adoption; finding your own power.
Fierce Voice is listed by CBC Books – 23 Canadian books for tweens & teens to read this fall
Iz the Apocalypse (Common Deer Press, 2023)
Grades 6-12
This YA novel is about a musically gifted foster child who does whatever is necessary to be able to attend a prestigious international high school for music and to have a voice of her own. Themes: challenges foster children face, including the way that a disrupted education eliminates many possibilities for the future; how past trauma impacts the present; creativity and the arts; finding identity; loneliness and found family.
All Venues. Equipment required: a glass of water, lunch if she’s staying for the day. A table to spread her things out on. A microphone for larger groups or in the gym. A screen and projector for presenting slides and doing shared writing.
Writers’ Union of Canada member. Presentations and writing workshops in English. Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Virtual visits (45 minutes): $150+HST. Virtual kindies (Two 20-minute sessions): $150+HST. In-person visits (45-60 minutes): $250+HST for one session, $450+HST for two, $600+HST for three, $800+HST for a full day (4 sessions). Kindies: two 25-minute sessions for $250+HST. Mileage for visits 100+ km from Peterborough.
Heather M. O’Connor’s new picture book Fast Friends is a 2021 Blue Spruce Award nominee. She writes fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens.
Heather is an enthusiastic presenter. She uses fun activities and clear, kid-friendly examples to engage with young audiences. “What it’s like to write a book? A lot like doing a school project,” she explains. Heather’s workshops and presentations can be tailored to your classroom. Most come with curriculum connections, follow-up activities and teacher resources.
Presentations: Book talks Fast Friends (Blue-Spruce-nominated picture book) Suze and Tyson become friends speedy-quick, even though Suze is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair. This story is inspired by Heather’s daughter Suze and her friends growing up. Themes and curriculum connections: body language, mime, inclusion, friendship, welcoming newcomers, working with an illustrator.
Betting Game(high-action sports novel for readers 10+, ideal for reluctant readers) Jack is a hotshot soccer player. When a new player joins the team, Jack gets drawn into gambling. Heather plays soccer herself. To research this book, she toured the Toronto FC Training Ground and met TFC head coach Greg Vanney. Themes and curriculum connections: soccer, research techniques, friendship, asking for help, teen gambling.
A writer’s life
So you want to be a writer (Spoiler alert – It’s a lot like being a student)
Digging up the facts: Research anecdotes and tips
Even authors need an editor: Revising process, tips and hacks, exercises
All roads lead to writing: Careers in writing (ideal for Grade 10 Careers)
Creative writing for young writers
“What ifs” and “I wonders” (gathering ideas)
Going on a Bear Hunt (conflict and tension)
Let’s tell a story (plot)
World-building (setting)
Story polish (revision)
Creative writing for older kid and teens and adults
Writer’s craft: Hands-on sessions that focus on a single element of story (character, setting, point of view,
conflict, plot, theme.) Book four elements, get fifth free.
Short story writing
Revision
Nonfiction presentations and hands-on writing workshops Heather’s been a freelance writer for almost 20 years. Her favourite news beat is LesPlan Educational Services. Bring her in to work with your students.
Ask the right questions: Interview techniques
Google doesn’t know everything: Research methods (archives, newspapers, oral histories)
Persuade me!: Persuasive writing
News or opinion: What’s the difference?
Writing the news (interviews, outlines, 5 Ws, inverted triangle writing)
Books titles and awards: Fast Friends, Scholastic Canada, 2020. Picture book. Blue Spruce nominee, 2021 Forest of Reading. Toronto Public Library First and Best, 2020. Betting Game, Orca Book Publishers, 2015. Young adult high-low sports novel. Recommended title, Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2015. Highly recommended, CM Magazine. Runs with the Stars, Second Story, Spring 2022. Dual language picture book, written with Darcy Whitecrow.
Audience size and equipment needed: Classroom or school library preferred. Will present in gyms or auditoriums if microphone provided. Please supply podium and table, and if possible, a digital projector and screen.
Writers’ Union 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 is an award-winning children’s author, journalist, editor and translator. Her two middle-grade novels, CLUTCH and THE OTHER SIDE, received Skipping Stones Honor Awards and nominations for Forest of Reading, among other honors. CLUTCH was also named a 2017 Best Book from Kirkus Reviews.
CCBC Book Awards: David Booth Award for Children’s and Youth Poetry nominee
Heather is also an accomplished nonfiction writer. SECRET SCHOOLS and THE PRISONER AND THE WRITER were named Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections and What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows? True Stories of Imagination and Determination received a Skipping Stones Honor Award. Her next nonfiction book, Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science is Making Us Super,
In her presentations, Heather aims to entertain and educate, leaving the audience interested in writing fiction and nonfiction as well as looking into their own history for inspiration.
PRESENTATIONS (60 minutes, grades 3+)
Heather engages students with a fun and interactive presentation, customized to audience and interest.
Generally speaking: Heather shares the inspiration and the challenges of writing works that delve into history and social justice. She also discusses the basic elements of writing fiction and/or nonfiction, how to give stories life through research and why bringing the past to the present is so important. Q&A session and reading are included.
What does it mean to be a superhero?: This STEM/STEAM-related presentation draws on BECOMING BIONIC. We’ll delve get into how science is turning us into superbeings – powering up our bodies with what we may not have been born with and what we may never have thought we’d need. We’ll discuss what those powers look like in the real world, based on the sections of Becoming Bionic. We’ll create our own superhero identities and answer the ultimate question: Cape or no cape.
Stand up and speak out: This social-justice-related presentation, based on THE PRISONER AND THE WRITER, begins with a quote from Captain Alfred Dreyfus: “My only crime is to have been born a Jew.” How would students fill in the last word of Captain Dreyfus’s quote to reflect their lives or world around them? We’ll discuss the meaning of social justice, play a game of news fact vs news fiction, and discuss ways to stand up and speak out.
Maximum presentation size: 100 for virtual presentations; 60 for in-person reading/Q&A. Teacher and/or librarian must be present.
WORKSHOPS (60 minutes, grades 3+)
Look no further: A simple moment can kickstart the writing process. Students choose a moment in their own lives or family history and turn into a work of fiction or nonfiction. Based on CLUTCH and THE OTHER SIDE.
What’s news?: Bias in the media is not difficult to spot. This session will delve into media literacy and 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, hearing is objective, biased or completely fake. Based on THE PRISONER AND THE WRITER.
A single object: A single object can inspire an entire world. Students will begin with an “item of interest” and learn how to add different layers — setting, storyline, character, big reveal — to build a short story. Based on THE OTHER SIDE.
Just the facts: How do you write a nonfiction book that makes tough subjects compelling and easy to understand all the while ensuring it stick to the truth? Based on her nonfiction books.
Get activ-ist!: “What cause would you defend…and how would you defend it?” We’ll discuss various forms of activism and what is important to students right now. We’ll come up with methods to get messages across and students will put ideas into action by creating a poster for their cause. Based on THE PRISONER AND THE WRITER and I CAN’T DO WHAT?
Customized topic: Heather is happy to tailor workshops to your needs and audience, including educators and the general public. Topics can include social injustice, advocacy, World War II, the Holocaust, antisemitism, soccer, baseball, media literacy, arts and entertainment, etc.
Maximum workshop size: 30 (flexible). Equipment required: Flip chart and markers, screen and projector, microphone and podium (for large rooms), paper and pencils (for workshops). 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.
Writers’ Union Member. Winner of the Heart of Hawick Award (UK). Shortlisted for the Red Cedar (BC), MYRCA (Manitoba) and Audie Awards (USA). OLA Best Bet. Many of her books have been optioned for TV/Film.
$300+HST for a single session; $500+HST for two sessions; $900+HST for a full day. Prices for larger groups, workshops, panels, etc., to be negotiated*. For outside the Toronto area, add kilometrage/accommodation. Virtual Visits $100 – $200
ABOUT:
Adrienne Kress is an enthusiastic and creative presenter with a background in acting that makes her engaging for audiences of all ages. She has toured with TD Children’s Book Week and presented at MASC in Ottawa. She is a Toronto-born actor and author who, so far, has twelve novels to her credit (with an upcoming graphic novel in 2025), as well as essays, plays, screenplays and short stories. She has spoken to children and adults in a large variety of circumstances, from school assemblies and classroom workshops to writers’ associations and conference panels. Her presentations have taken her across Canada, the United Kingdom and the US. Adrienne is a dynamic, skilful speaker, insightful, knowledgeable and fun to be with.
PRESENTATIONS/READINGS/WORKSHOPS
“Adrienne first visited our school for a book reading and discussion about her writing career. We were so impressed with her dynamic and engaging approach to children that we immediately looked for other opportunities to bring this very talented individual back to the school. The almost-instantaneous connection she has made with our students is a testament to her extraordinary ability to work with young people.”
– Jonathan Harris, Head of School, Fieldstone Day School
READINGS:
Readings based on middle grade books are geared towards children in grades 4, 5, 6 and 7. They are 45 minutes to 11⁄2 hours in length depending on needs. She is comfortable with any group size. She has spoken to small groups in a cozy huddle on the floor in a library and to large groups of a couple of hundred in gyms and auditoriums.
As a passionate author, professional actor and teacher, Adrienne brings a large array of skills to her readings. She starts with a short talk about “how a book gets published” and “working with your editors is like working with your teacher,” continues with a dramatic reading from one of the books and ends with a question period and a book signing opportunity. When her session arises from one of her more swashbuckling books, Adrienne is happy to add a fencing lesson (no swords required!).
PRESENTATIONS:
Presentations can be geared to any audience, for example, Writer’s Craft classes, writers’ groups, book clubs. The length of the presentation varies according to the needs of the group, but is most often 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours in length. The content can be individualized to suit the interests of the group, but usually covers topics like the trials and tribulations of getting published (including how to get a literary agent), the writing process, working with an editor, identifying your audience, trends in modern literature and the importance of studying past works and authors.
WORKSHOPS:
“It was all amazing, Adrienne Kress is a fantastic author and person, she is very engaging and super nice.”
“I really liked all the exercises, and how all the exercises really make you think. I think it really helped with my writing!”
— MASC Young Authors & Illustrators Student Participants
Workshops can be geared to any audience, for example, elementary school students, Writer’s Craft classes, writers’ groups, book clubs. The length of the presentation varies according to the needs of the group but is most often 1 1⁄2 hours to 3 hours in length, though it can be expanded. The content usually covers topics like honing your writing skills, creating your own voice, creating a “world” for your stories, the use of dialogue, humour – its types and where to use it – identifying your audience, etc.
Comfortable in all venues. Equipment required: A glass of water, a microphone for larger groups or in the gym, a screen and projector for power-point.
St. Catharines. Writers’ Union Member. World traveling picture book and non-fiction author, storyteller, and performer. $375.00 for one session (50-55 min), $600.00 2nd 50-55 min session, $850.00 3rd 50-55 min session, $1000.00 4th 50-55 min session. 30 min. sessions for kindergarten are $175.00 when booked with at least of one full 55 min session + return travel to St. Catharines. Continue reading “Winters, Kari-Lynn (St. Catharines)”
