Home Region: Annapolis Valley Will travel: within a two-hour radius of his home (B0S 1P0). Available: Nov - Dec, Mar - Jun. Full & half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: writing fiction, non-fiction, Young Adult, poetry, memoir & screenwriting
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Having taught middle level and high school students, Don is comfortable presenting to students in grades 6 to 12 and offers specific writing workshops as well as more general author talks, all of them accompanied by entertaining PowerPoint presentations.
Don has given author talks to groups as small as 10 and as large as 400. He begins by telling students how, as a high school student, he wanted to be a writer but never felt he could actually become one, and then he describes the series of serendipitous events that led him down that writing path toward publication 20 years later. He provides a brief overview of the books he’s written, followed by a discussion of his writing process—where he gets his ideas and the three questions he needs to answer before he can begin writing any story. If opportunity permits, he may offer a brief reading, but he always ensures there is time for students to ask questions. Don is completely comfortable tailoring his presentations to the needs of a specific audience, particularly classes who are reading one or more of his novels. To do so, he requires three weeks’ notice in order for him to prepare.
Although he has conducted writing workshops with groups as large as 30, Don prefers limiting numbers to 15 to promote interactivity. Below is a partial list of workshops he has offered in the past, all of which can be tailored to particular age groups.
Inside Story: Writing Fictional Narratives
We Are Our Stories: Writing Personal Memoir
Polishing the Lens: The Power of Point of View
Making Metaphor: Crafting Compelling Poetry
From Story to Script: The Art of Screenwriting
Special Equipment: LCD projector, projection screen, a small table for presentation materials, and a glass of water. (If presenting to groups larger than 60 or in echoing spaces, Don requires a microphone and amplifier.)
About the Author:Author and educational consultant Don Aker has written 17 books and has conducted workshops for students and teachers across Canada and in the United States. He is widely known for his bestselling young adult novels, among them Of Things Not Seen, winner of Atlantic Canada’s Ann Connor Brimer Award and the Canadian Authors Association’s Lilla Stirling Award; The First Stone, winner of the Ann Connor Brimer Award and Ontario’s White Pine Award; and The Space Between, which earned the Canadian Library Association’s Honour Book Award. A former language arts teacher and literacy mentor, Don enjoys speaking to students in grades 6 to 12, many of whom are familiar with his books in their classrooms. Don’s most recent novel is The Fifth Rule (HarperCollins, 2011), the sequel to The First Stone, and he is currently working on a thriller set in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. For more info visit: www.donaker.com
Home Region: Annapolis Valley Will travel: anywhere in NS, accomodation may be required for trips over 300km Is available for visits: Nov - June. Full & half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (grades 2-6), picture books (grades P-6), poetry (grades 3-6), memoir (grades 2-6), making blank books & journals (grades P-6).
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Interactive readings with A/V presentation; hands-on making of journals and blank books for writing and drawing; environmental and peace education poetry writing workshops; keeping a writer’s notebook and journal; an inside view of the writing process.
About the Author: I was born in Queens, New York, but since becoming a Canadian citizen, I have lived in the Annapolis Valley where I appreciate daily the gifts the earth has to share. I can watch a fox steal a pear from beneath the tree in my back yard, listen to red-tailed hawks argue over a recently caught meal, smell the arrival of a family of skunks, and taste the wild blackberries that grow in our back field. I have always been concerned about planet Earth and as a teacher and a principal I helped my students learn about what they could do to help care for the planet and how they could work for a more peaceful world. As a writer, I share my message through three of my picture books: Somewhere,
Touch the Earth and If Peace Is… I also help classes and schools share their own messages in poetry and books. I worked with Holland Road School on a school-wide writing project that resulted in the book: A Kid’s Guide to Making and Being A Friend. I have written plays for children and adults and have written many books for teachers. I am now on the Faculty of Education at Mount Saint Vincent University.
Will travel: anywhere in NS, accomodation may be required, depending on distance Available: Jan - April. Full & half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, Theatre, Historical Fiction, Joe Howe and 19th century Nova Scotia
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Michael uses his book Joe Howe to The Rescue (Nimbus) to introduce Joe and 19th Century Nova Scotia to young readers. Touching on Joe Howe's great achievements, as theFather of freedom of speech in Canada, and as Father of Responsible Government, Michael reads a chapter from his book, and then talks about the writing of it. Michael uses props like a tall hat, long coat and cane to help bring the story to life. If there is time, one or two lucky students may get to try on the costume as well. Michael will answer questions about writing, and encourage the students to read and to write in a fun and engaging session.
About the Author: Michael has had a colourful career as an entertainer, a theatre director, an author and an impresario, starting and running theatres and theatre training programs all over Canada, including Vancouver, Banff and Stratford and Wolfville. He has hosted Children's TV shows for CBC. He once had to choose between two job offers: starting a university theatre program or being a clown in a circus! He has worked in the theatre in New York, and also in Finland. He has traveled widely and has many stories to tell. He speaks 4 languages and plays one mean piano.
Michael founded the Joe Howe Initiative to celebrate Joe Howe's 200th birthday in 2004, and acted Joe Howe many times - in Province House, at Dalhousie and even in Boston USA. To introduce the great man to the younger generation Michael wrote his novel for young adults, Joe Howe to the Rescue, published by Nimbus in 2004, which has been read by thousands of Nova Scotian school kids and is now in its second printing.
Will travel: within HRM, Strait Regional, Chignecto-Central, Annapolis Valley, South Shore Available: Sept - June. Full & half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: fiction (grade 10+), non-fiction (all ages, occasional profanity), journalism, travel and the environment.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I do an interactive workshop on writing for, and reading, print and online media, complete with travel stories and photos. I have students interview each other and tell stories about their partners, and other interactive activities. I can also do a reading from my novel and nonfiction book. A lot of the workshop focuses on how to find and tell good stories, including how to ask good questions. Ideally, the students will have read some of my work (available on my website) and be prepared with questions for me.I prefer to work with groups of 25 students or less.
About the Author: Chris Benjamin is a novelist, journalist, and environmentalist. He has been a market analyst in Waterloo, a forestry officer in St. Lucia, a farm worker in British Columbia, a researcher in Indonesia, a hitchhiker across North America, an advocate for new immigrants in Toronto, a reclusive writer in Finland, a train traveler in Russia, Mongolia, China and Japan, a journalist in Ghana, and an environmental lobbyist in Nova Scotia. He has also written magazine articles about his travels in America and Mongolia. A few things that Chris loves but doesn’t write about are his little boy Dylan, his wife Miia, his two cats, music and basketball. He loves visiting schools because he always learns about the latest pop stars from eager students. For more info you can follow Chris on twitter and facebook, and visit: chrisbenjaminwriting.com
Will travel: throughout mainland NS. Accomodation may be required for trips over 200km from Halifax, but this is negotiable. Sorry, no trips to Cape Breton. Available: Sept - June, preferably Sept - Dec. Full & half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: "By Gone School Days" history, folklore, non-fiction
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Paul's presentations focus on school life in the 1950s, Paul's "By Gone School Days" presentations are interactive, full of role-playing and other activities. Students are introduced to school life in the various time periods between 1865, 1905 and 1955-60. Paul will lead students in an engaging simulation of a school day from the past, bringing history back to life and making a real imprression on the students. Paul's latest book, Vanishing Schools, Threatened Communities (Fernwood Publishing) urges us to return to principles that formed the basis of the public education system in order to better serve the needs of our children and our communities. Paul's preference is to work with groups of 35 students or less, but is willing to discuss accomodating larger groups.
About the Author: Paul W. Bennett, Ed.D. (OISE/Toronto) is a Halifax author and the founding Director of Schoolhouse Consulting, an independent educational consulting firm. His most recent book, Vanishing Schools, Threatened Communities addresses the issues surrounding the alarming rate at which traditional schoolhouses are closing in the Maritimes. As a full-time writer and consultant, Paul is now a regular contributor of Opinion Columns to The Halifax Chronicle Herald. For more info please visit Paul's website: www.schoolhouseconsulting.ca
Dr. Bennett is a widely recognized leader in Canadian education. From 1997 until 2009, Paul served as Headmaster of two of Canada’s leading independent coeducational day schools, Halifax Grammar School and Lower Canada College.
Home Region: Annapolis Valley Will travel: Anywhere in NS, howver visits to Straight Regional, Cape Breton, Chignecto-Central and Tri-County Regional all require 2 full day bookings back-to-back & accomodation.
Is available for visits: Sept - Nov, May & June. Full & half day visits in the Valley, full days only for schools more than 50km from Wolfville. Accomodation may be required for visits more than 150 km from Wolfville.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, Young Adult, Poetry, French Language, Acadian Culture,
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Equally comfortable working in French or English, Sophie's presentations are flexible and lively. With the younger grades, she reads either La truelle magique or Le chef-d’oeuvre de Lombrie. With the older groups, she reads either her poetry or from her youth novel, Le projet Persée, published in June 2010. She discusses the process of writing and publishing and gives students a chance to ask questions about her work and the business. She also offers writing workshops on various topics - poetry, overcoming writing blocks and historical fiction/Atelier de poésie, Atelier intitulé comment surmonter les pannes d’idées, Atelier de fiction historique. She prefers to offer these sessions as a complement to her readings whenever time permits (two periods with the same group). Writing workshops will be conducted in the students' first language even if they are in French immersion.
About the Author: Originaire de la ville de Québec, Sophie Bérubé vit en Nouvelle-Écosse avec son conjoint et ses enfants depuis de nombreuses années. La nature la fascine et elle passe une bonne partie de son temps au soleil, dans l'eau, dans la neige et dans le vent. Elle s'intéresse aussi aux gens, à leur culture et à leurs particularités. C'est au cœur de ces expériences que nait son écriture. Sophie a publié deux contes pour enfants, Le chef-d'œuvre de Lombrie ( Prix Lilla Stirling 2002) et La truelle magique, de même qu'un recueil de poésie, La trombe sacrée (Prix France-Acadie 2003). Le projet Persée, son plus récent roman jeunesse vient de paraître en juin 2010 et a été pré-selectionné pour le prix Hackmatack 2012. Sophie est également instructrice de yoga et elle œuvre dans le domaine de l'alphabétisation.
Originally from Quebec city, Sophie Bérubé has been living in Nova Scotia with her spouse and children for many years. Nature fascinates her and she spends much her time in the sun, in water, in snow and in the wind. She is also interested in people, in their cultural uniqueness and in their antics. It is at the heart of these interests that her writing is born. Sophie has published two children's stories, Le chef- d'œuvre de Lombrie ( Prix Lilla Stirling 2002) and La truelle magique, as well as a poetry collection, La trombe sacrée (Prix France-Acadie 2003). Le projet Persée, a youth novel has just been published in June 2010 and has been pre-selected for the 2012 Hackmatack Children`s award. Sophie is also a yoga instructor and she works in family literacy.
Areas of Expertise: fiction writing, non-fiction writing, children’s fiction, poetry, playwriting, words (haiku, phrases, statements) incorporated with arts projects and articles relating to permaculture and sustainable living themes.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I touch on most forms of writing but tend to focus primarily on poetry, short fiction and articles on earth friendly living. I am very flexible and can easily adjust my presentation to emphasize a specific aspect or to support on-going school assignment. I like to engage the students in discussion and strive to convince them that everyone is a writer at heart because everyone has something to say.
On a typical classroom visit, I talk briefly about the magic and mystery of imagination and the importance of trusting our own ideas while also expanding on the power and potential of the written word. I describe the act of writing as two distinctly different processes; stressing the importance of rough draft as an exciting first encounter with the amazing ideas that are hidden within us all and then leading on to the importance of editing and rewrites to ensure that our wonderful creations go out into the world looking just as good as they can be. Along the way we discuss the significance of dialogue, description, character development and so on.
If we are concentrating on poetry we explore the sound of words as they string together like beads and we consider the freedom of replacing everyday language with free-form phrases to create powerful images. (all of this of course adjusted to be grade specific)
As an artist and illustrator I also touch on the possibilities of combining written and visual imagery. I prefer to work with one class at a time, but two classes combined if also fine. I do not need any specific equipment for my presentation.
About the Author: Originally from Manchester, England, Jenni Blackmore now considers Halifax her home and is greatly influenced by the coastal environment. As an illustrator and writer, she combines both talents in her books for children. Jenni has been mentioned in "Our Choice Book List" and "Outstanding Canadian Children's Books" by the Children's Book Centre, Toronto. Jenni presently serves on the Nova Scotia Arts and Culture Partnership Council.
Works with grades: 4-9 Will travel: Anywhere in NS, but prefers full days for schools over one hour away
Available:SORRY, GARY IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 2011/12 WITS PROGRAM.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 9-14), non-fiction (ages 9-14; history related, codes and ciphers), theatre
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I can talk specifically about Mysterious Messages: A History of Codes and Ciphers or the Shakespeare Stealer series; I also have a more general talk about the fascinating things I’ve learned in the course of doing research. All three talks include demonstrations and some audience participation (swordfighting moves, mind reading, dowsing rods, etc). The Mysterious Messages talk lets the audience solve several simple ciphers. I can present a one-hour writing workshop geared to a limited number (no more than 10) of motivated students
About the Author:I grew up in Pennsylvania and began telling stories as soon as I could talk. At 13, I started sending my work to magazines; I got my first encouraging letter from an editor three years later, and at 19 I sold my first story. Since then I’ve published dozens of stories and articles and roughly 30 novels and nonfiction books. Several have made the American Library Association’s list of Notable Books. Wild Timothy and The Shakespeare Stealer have been translated into many other languages, from Chinese to Faeroese. The play version of The Shakespeare Stealer has been staged by most of the big children’s theatres in the U.S. Five years ago I moved to Nova Scotia, and now live near the village of Tatamagouche.
Available: Jill will travel to NS from Ontario for one week in April 2012. Inter-school travel costs (ie: taxi or driver) must also be covered by the schools. Due to the fact that Jill must travel from Ontario to do these visits we like to plan for 4 full days; multiple bookings from the same school, or neighboring schools are welcome!
Areas of Expertise: Non-fiction writing, biography
Presentation style/workshop ideas:
Dazzling Women Designers: Book Talk
The work of women designers touches every aspect of our lives. In the 1920s British furniture designer and architect Eileen Gray developed ideas for homes that still seem modern today. Canadian Cornelia Hahn Oberlander has had an amazing career as a landscape architect with a great interest in sustainable design. American robot designer Cynthia Breazeal designs cute creatures that interact with people in a humanlike way.
Jill Bryant will introduce the topic and read a selection of excerpts from her book Dazzling Women Designers. She will display inspiring examples of designers’ work through a short PowerPoint presentation. Jill likes to encourage lots of student participation and will provide writing tips to help students hone their craft. Teachers will be presented with a reproducible template (organizational tool) that students can use for their own biographical writing project.
Jill prefers to work with groups of up to 35 students.
Special Equipment and Requirements: Jill requires a data projector and a small table.
About the Author: Jill Bryant is a writer and editor who specializes in children’s nonfiction. Born in Toronto, Jill grew up in Elora and Eden Mills, Ontario. Her book Dazzling Women Designers, part of The Women’s Hall of Fame series, was published in October 2010. Amazing Women Athletes—in the same series—was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Book Award in 2004.
Home Region: Annapolis Valley Will travel: Halifax, Annapolis Valley, South Shore Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits. Half days are fine in Wanda's local area, but any amount of travel and she would prefer a full day visit. Overnight accommodation for a drive of more than 2 hours from Wolfville. Scent-free please.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing & poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Wanda generally does a reading mixed with discussion (Q&A) and creative writing exercises for students to try themselves. Poetry works best for shorter sessions. If a data projector is available she can give a PowerPoint presentation when reading from Looking for Lucy, her poetry collection about trains, the building of the Canadian railway, and the role of women in history. Talk with a practicing poet about the places we find poems and the tools we use to make them. Why is a metaphor like a magnet, a simile like a suitcase? What souvenirs will you pack? Interested in art? Why not pick a famous painting and write a poem about it. This poet can guide you through the process, and read and explain some of her own poems about great works that inspired her.
Is fiction more your thing? Having just finished a YA novel entitled Hat Girl, she can help you with character development. Bring a unique hat that belongs to someone you know to get you started. Worried about pollution and climate change? For younger students, she can read from her environmental fable in progress Stelle and the Starnivores and talk about how words can make a difference.
Have questions of your own about writing? Campbell has been teaching creative writing for twenty years and has talked with students about all aspects of the writing life. Let her know what interests you!
A single class per session is preferred, though Wanda has worked with larger groups.
About the Author: Wanda Campbell was born and grew up in Andhra Pradesh, South India. She came to Canada at the age of 10, and lived in New Brunswick for many years before completing a Master's Degree in Creative Writing at the University of Windsor under the supervision of Alistair MacLeod, and a PhD in Canadian Literature at the University of Western Ontario. She now teaches Creative Writing and Literature at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband and three daughters.
Her poetry collections include Grace, Looking for Lucy, Haw [Thorn], and Sky Fishing and she has edited several academic books. She has given readings from Halifax to Victoria, and her poems and stories have appeared in journals across Canada
Home Region: Halifax Will travel:Halifax, Chignecto- Central, Annapolis Valley, South Shore Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, non-fiction writing, children's literature, poetry, playwriting & screenwriting
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Richard prefers to present with the children in a semi-circle around him. He does introductions, then dives right into interacting with them. His favourite topics are observing and the importance of specific topics, why writing was invented and communicating through cards and letters and email, writing stories. He asks the children what they write about, encourages them to use imagination to write fiction, gets the students to write stories, and shows them how books are made. He sometimes uses audio recordings (music) to aid him in his presentation and often reads the introductory chapters to one of his books.
Richard prefers to work with groups of 20 students per session. A CD player is useful and it is helpful if students wear name tags. Richard's presentations are lively and full of props and entertainment!
About the Author: Richard is a retired Electrical Engineer and a Granddad lives in Dartmouth with wife June (a retired primary school teacher), and they have three married children who have between them produced ten grandchildren, all of whom love to read.
He created the Kippernickker Adventure Stories for his first five grandchildren who lived in California at the time, and had asked their Granddad to write down the stories he used to tell under the trees when visiting. Ten Kippernickker Stories were written, five of which are now published and recorded on audio CD.
Richard (Dick) has other books and is also a playwright with several plays published and performed; on stage, studio and TV. In 2007 a full length movie was released from one of his plays. The fifth Kippernickker book The Great Lion Hunt was published in 2010. www.kippernickker.com
Available for visits: Half day visits only, preferably afternoons.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, history, children's fiction, poetry.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Lesley will read from such kids' books as Skunks for Breakfast and Far Enough Island, as well as such young adult novels as The Book of Michael, The End of the World as We Know It, Wave Warrior, Smoke and Mirrors or Shoulder the Sky (winner of the 2003 Ann Connor Brimer Children's Literature Prize). He can talk about the history of Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia Shaped by the Sea) as well. The main focus of the presentation is to get students enthusiastic about writing, imagination and creativity. Lesley also has stories to tell about skunks and ravens and brings along his poetry music videos to inspire non-book kids. He's guaranteed to entertain, intrigue and provoke. When not writing, Lesley teaches at Dalhousie University, performs spoken word poetry/music and surfs in the Atlantic Ocean year round.
Special equipment: Please contact the author.
About the Author: Lesley teaches part-time at Dalhousie University, runs Pottersfield Press and has published over 70 books for adults and kids. His Young Adult novels concern things like skateboarding, surfing, racism, environmental issues, organ transplants, and rock bands. Lesley surfs year round in the North Atlantic and is considered the father of transcendental wood-splitting. To read excerpts from Lesley's books and download free samples of his music, visit www.lesleychoyce.com
Will travel: anywhere in NS, but needs a lot of notice as he lives in Toronto. Multiple bookings from neighboring schools are welcome as it makes it easier for George to make the trip down if he has a number of bookings back-to-back. Available for visits: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 15+), non-fiction (15+, black history), poetry, theatre
Presentation style/workshop ideas: George usually performs dramatic readings from various works. George's writing is very powerful: it's wise that both teachers and students acquaint themselves with sevral of his poems before his visit.
About the Author: Born in Windsor, NS, in 1960 and raised in Halifax, George Elliott Clarke is widely recognized as one of the essential poets of our time. Drawing upon African-Nova Scotian history and culture, plus his vast erudition in English literature and history, political science and sociology, Clarke's works are jam-packed with music and meaning. Awarded prizes for his poetry and fiction, as well as honours for his scholarship, Clarke is the G. J. Pratt professor of Canadian literature at the University of Toronto, but still owns land in Nova Scotia - in the black community of Three Mile Plains.
Will travel: HRM, Chignecto-Central, Annapolis Valley, Tri-County & South Shore Available: Sept - Nov, April & May. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Reading my picture book, Rainbows in the Dark, suitable for audiences grades 1-4, or from A Hare in the Elephant’s Trunk, suitable for audiences grades 5-9, followed by a discussion of the writing life, and a hands-on creative writing exercise using the “other” four senses (not sight); this takes about 45 minutes. I also have a PowerPoint presentation, which takes about 15 minutes. I can bring my own laptop, if necessary, but I will need a projector, the cord to attach it to my laptop, and a screen.
A picture book creation workshop which works well with all ages; this takes a minimum of 2 hours as the students write and illustrate a simple picture book, and requires follow-up time by the classroom teacher.
About the Author: Because I didn’t have a TV in my house when I was small, two of my favorite things in the world became making up stories and reading stories made up by other people. My beagle, Bailey, and I have a lot in common. We both like to sleep, we love chocolate ice cream, and we’re nosey, very nosey. Although I don’t sniff like Bailey, I’m curious about everybody, and I like to watch strangers and imagine their lives; Why is he doing that? How did that raccoon get in there? What would she do if…? I love being a visiting author because I get to share my love of reading and writing with lots of other people with big imaginations and amazing ideas.
In my free time, I play badminton, shop at Frenchy’s and go to the gym. I work as a substitute teacher, and I’ve written dozens of manuscripts and have published two books; a picture book, Rainbows in the Dark, and a middle-grade novel, A Hare in the Elephant’s Trunk. I’ve also written eleven English as a Second Language chapter books for use in Korean language schools. Besides Bailey, I live with my husband, Don, and my two university-student kids, Liam and Shannon, in Wolfville.
Check out Jan's trailier for her YA novel, A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk:
Will travel: throughout NS but prefers HRM in winter months. Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writin & non-fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: From helping younger students to create their own vibrant characters and adventure stories to advanced fiction workshops for high school students, Valerie’s presentations are fun, interactive and collaborative. Students at all grade levels will learn to see the hidden structure of a story and develop their own writing style. Valerie helps students in grades 4 - 9 to write a story where their character gets into trouble, then guides students in using their imaginations to plot out what happens next. Grades 10 - 12 will also greatly benefit from and enjoy Valerie’s advanced self-editing workshops for fiction—perfect for budding young authors. For schools within one hour of HRM, Valerie can offer a progressive series of workshops designed to develop an advanced writing practice.
Valerie prefers to work with groups of 30 students or less. Please make sure there is a large white board and markers for instructor, pens/pencils and paper for students.
About the Author: Valerie Compton is the author of the novel Tide Road, published by Goose Lane Editions in 2011. Her short stories have appeared in literary journals across Canada and have been shortlisted for the CBC Literary Award and the Island Literary Award. Valerie has published non-fiction articles and book reviews in The Globe and Mail, National Post, Gourmet (US) and The Citizen (Ottawa), among others, and has won the Island Literary Award for non-fiction.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, non-fiction, stage and screenwriting, history and folklore, memoir
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Christy Ann writes in many different genres. Her training in theatre and storytelling enhance her ability to give performance-style readings and involve students in the work. Christy Ann will do a 50 minute reading, including a question and answer period. Christy Ann also conducts 50 minute classroom workshops on character and dialogue where she leads students through exciting hands-on exercises where they create a character for a story. Christy Ann also does workshops on keeping journals and logs, writing book reviews and personal biographies.
Special equipment: Please contact the author.
About the Author: Christy Ann Conlin was born and raised in Nova Scotia. Her debut novel, Heave, was a national bestseller and one of the Globe and Mail's top books of 2002. Her second novel will be published by Doubleday. Her fiction has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including Best Canadian Stories 2004. She has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of British Columbia where she wrote and studied fiction, stage and screenplay writing. She also holds a Bachelor of Education from Acadia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Ottawa.
Available: SORRY, REGINA IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 2011/12 WITS PROGRAM
Areas of Expertise: Non-fiction, illustration (relations between words and text), poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Words and Images: creating comic strips. Starting with jokes appropriate to the age group, participants will storyboard an idea to find just the right words and images needed to create a short comic strip. The group will then carefully consider the relationship between format and content, along with character development where necessary. A demonstration (using one of the many combinations put forward by the class) shows students how to break down the process and provides techniques for each of the steps involved. Each student then creates a short comic strip of his or her own. Regina originally developed this workshop for the Animation program of the Nova Scotia Community College where she was teaching, but she’s found it adapts well for younger students.Note: 90 minute sessions for as many students as can work comfortably at tables in a room, and be able to see and hear Regina.
Teachers, please have students find some good clean jokes and bring in some favourite comic strips to be analyzed.
Will travel: Cape Breton and Strait Regional (within 2 hours of Homeville, NS)
Available: Sept - Dec, April - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, screenwriting
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Lesley arrives at her sessions with a wide selection of books she knows the children will find of interest – Harry Potter books, The Lord of the Rings, Narnia books, Roald Dahl classics and books by such Canadian writers as Sheree Fitch, L.M. Montgomery, Mordecai Richler and Margaret Atwood. Touching on five essentials necessary to write a good story, the sessions compare the books. Lesley discusses what makes a great story, be it books, movies or songs. There is sometimes a fun exercise to do, but mostly it’s just a gab-fest. Lesley loves kids and she's definitely not boring… that's a promise.
Leslie prefers to work with groups of 30 students or less.
About the Author: Lesley Crewe has lived in Cape Breton for over thirty years. She raised her family and a multitude of pets in Homeville and loves nothing better than to go to schools and talk about storytelling to the wonderful kids who live on the island. She says "They’re the best!"
Lesley was born and educated in Montreal, Quebec. She graduated from Concordia University in English and Education. She loves to read and write, and started as a features writer and columnist with The Cape Bretoner Magazine from 2000-2005. She’s also a columnist for Cahoots Magazine on-line.Her first novel, Relative Happiness was published by Vagrant Press in 2005 and was short-listed for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. Since then, she’s published the novels Shoot Me (2006), Ava Comes Home (2008), Hit & Mrs. (2009) and this September 2010, Her Mother’s Daughter.
Will travel:Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, Sackville, Fall River and surrounding area. Available: Oct, Nov, April & May. Half day visits only.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (grades P-12), Non-Fiction (short story, grades 4-12: An Unexpected Gift), Picture Books (award winning manuscripts, unpublished, Granny's Houseplant), Young Adult (Unlocked, 2010; Oak Island Revenge, 2011 - 2012), Short Story
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Cynthia likes to do 45 to 90 minute sessions which may, depending on time and requests, include readings, brainstorming writing ideas, a writing workshop, time to share writing, and/or Q&A.
About the Author: Cynthia thrives on taking the writing journey with her characters—they are on an adventure together! By day, Cynthia is a mild-mannered part-time grade primary teacher and graduate student, and by night, she fires up the computer and writes fiction for all ages. Family, teaching, and chocolate are three things she loves beyond measure! Cynthia once swam in a river with four types of poisonous snakes and went spelunking in the Ozarks. She stepped bare-footed on a glacier and traipsed across Eastern Europe with an overflowing suitcase reinforced with duct tape. She stood in two countries at the same time and has baked over a thousand cookies. When Cynthia grows up, she would like to be the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
Will travel: within the Annapolis Valley. Overnight accommodation may be required if the drive is over 3 hours. Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: journalism, natural history and the sciences, non-fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: My program focuses on gardening, nature, and writing/photography on these subjects. I do a Powerpoint presentation on organic and butterfly gardening, school gardening, (I bring my own laptop and projector, but require a screen or blackboard on which to show the presentation) We talk about observing gardens and nature, and how to keep a nature journal, with a bit on photography if time permits. Students will do a sample journal entry based on the presentation.
Please make sure there is a stool rather than a chair for Jodi to sit on and lots of water available for her to drink.
About the Author:Blue potatoes? How about purple cauliflower? Yellow carrots! Black tomatoes! Green flowers! Cool plants! If it’s a plant and it will grow in Nova Scotia, Jodi DeLong has probably grown it or tried to grow it and successfully killed more than a few. She encourages everyone to try growing a few plants, whether houseplants like cactuses and orchids, outdoor veggie gardens, or gardens for butterflies, birds and other wildlife.
Jodi is a freelance writer, editor, photographer and speaker who specializes in gardening, agriculture, and nature. When she was a small child, she helped her grandfather plant blue potatoes in his garden, and that started her interest in growing plants.
Jodi writes for Saltscapes magazine, Garden Making, The Halifax Herald, The Atlantic Co-operator, as well as for numerous websites and commercial clients. Her first gardening book came out in 2005, and her second book, Plants for Atlantic Gardeners, is being published by Nimbus in spring 2011. She lives on seven acres in rural Nova Scotia with her husband, seven cats, a horse and a donkey from Mars. Visit Jodi online at bloomingwriter.blogspot.com
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (especially middle readers, aged 6 - 12 years), non-fiction and journalism (general interest news and features).
Presentation style/workshop ideas: This will be my third year with WITS and I love meeting the children, hearing about their favorite books, and work-shopping their and my story ideas. I am particularly excited to be able to share my book Lunar Lifter with children this year as it is being published in Dec. 2011. With the younger grades (P-3), I discuss fiction vs. non-fiction, elements of story-telling, how to become better writers, and recognizing good writing. I read one of my own stories for a thumbs-up, thumbs-down student critique and listen to their suggestions for improvement. With middle grades (4-6), I do a fun punctuation demonstration (e.g., Let's barbecue Dad vs. Let's barbecue, Dad). I break down the four stages of writing, and talk abut staying open and receptive to criticism and feedback. I use one of my own magazine stories as an example of pre-writing, drafting, revising, final copy. We talk about how good writing is simple and clean, uses active voice and follows a subject-verb-object pattern. If there is time I uses a lego game I created to show them visually how the building blocks of strong writing are multidimensional, dynamic and colourful (follow this link to learn more). With gradesw 7-9 I offer a more advanced presentation on the stages of writing, handling criticism, and unblocking. I ask that students in grades 4 and above come to my WITS presentation with paper and pencils prepared to write. Exercises are age dependent and could include writing for seven minutes usin sentence starters (e.g., If I had a million dollars I would...The best game in the world is...), or creating stories incorporating messages buried within fortune cookies. In summary, I try to inspire children to use their imaginations and experience writing as something joyful, fun and purposeful and satisfying.
For everyone to get the most out of the WITS visits, it is helpful for teachers and students to know in advance that I will be visiting. A library or classroom with a flipchart or whiteboard is all I require.
"How very privileged we at Michael Wallace School were today to welcome Alison DeLory to our school as part of the Writer’s In Schools program. She was fantastic with the children and did an awesome presentation. She is a born teacher as well as story teller. Our students really enjoyed having her and are far richer in their writing craft with the things she was able to share. We are anxious to see her book published someday soon. - Jane Matheson, Principal
About the Author: I am a freelance journalist, editor, and consultant. I write on a wide range of topics for local and national publications and have a specialty in health-care communications. I edited a book about safe medication use called Take as Directed that was published by ECW Press in 2010. I also write news and feature stories for Today's Parent,Halifax Magazine, Progress, Healthy Living in Atlantic Canada, Optimyz, Canadian Grocer and others.
I am active at Mount Saint Vincent University where I sit on the alumnae board, chair a committee, and serve as advisor and guest lecturer in the public relations faculty.
As a creative writer I have written a children's novel for middle readers called Lunar Lifter (coming in Dec. 2011!) about two boys who rocket to the moon in a cardboard box. I've also just completed my first full-length contemporary women's fiction manuscript. I blog and tweet regularly on topics that interest me including parenting, running, travel, equal rights, environmentalism, education and, of course, writing.
Will travel: throughout NS. Depending on the weather and time of year, a two and a half-hour drive each way would be the maximum distance without requiring overnight accommodation.
Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Memoir writing, Creative writing, African studies & International Development
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Presentations on Africa, international development issues, insights for young people who believe they would like to volunteer to work abroad, and/or creative writing in various genres (using personal experience, including childhood experiences) as a basis for writing creatively. Burris can make use of Powerpoint during his presentation if it is available, but it’s not necessary.
African Chronicles is a gripping story of adventure and discovery – and a well-researched must-read for anyone who wants to understand why Africa is still held in the doldrums of poverty years after colonialism has ended. – Julius H. E. Uzoaba, Ph.D. (Edinburgh), Ottawa
About the Author: Burris Devanney grew up in Halifax, NS. He took degrees at Saint Mary’s, Dalhousie and the University of Ottawa. He enjoyed a full career as a high school teacher and administrator in Halifax, but also found or created opportunities to work in six African countries – Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Malawi. For twenty years he managed an NGO working in education, health and community development in West Africa. He and Louanne live in Halifax. They have two children, Sara and Matthew, and one grandchild, Henry Burris Leitch.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Philip presents a one-man stand-up folktale reading performance of about 25 minutes plus a question and answer session for audiences as large as 200 students or as small as a single class 1 session/morning; 1 session/afternoon. For his school presentation, Philip will do a performance-reading of Peg Bearskin, a Newfoundland folk tale which he co-wrote with Andy Jones (published by Running the Goat Press) and which was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Awards in 2005. A Q&A session follows the performance.
Note: Philip requires total darkness in the venue, as he performs with an 8 candle candelabra. For safety reasons, he also requests a bucket or jug, half-filled with water
NEW! Beginning the week of March 2nd, 2012 (Dr Seuss' Birthday) and continuing through March 9th, 2012, Philip will be performing standup readings of the most recent findings of Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) titled: Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories. This new work was discovered by Charles Cohen from a series of early magazine publications and represents the Lost Stories of Dr Seuss.
Philip is also celebrating the 50th anniversary of Green Eggs and Ham with standup performance readings of that classic. You can book this as a WITS visit through WFNS or by contacting Phillip: philipdinn@yahoo.com or my cell 902-223-7667.
If you would like to speak to someone about having Philip come to your school, the following is a list of schools who have booked him recently:
2010
Ecole de la Rive-Sud French
Rawdon District School / Kathy Manuel
Mt Uniacke District School / Allison Stickings
Lockeport Jr High/High School / Tiffiney Kennedy
2011
Brooklyn District School / Karen Ricks
LE Shaw District School / Nancy Irvine
Tatamagouche Elementary / Amy Schmidt
ColdBrook District School / Patrick Murphy
Dr Arthur Hines Elementary / Deron Moores
Hilden Elementary/April 6th / Pamela Ransome
Centre Consolidated Lunenburg / Paula Baker
Bayview Community School / Mary MacKenzie
West King’s Disstrict School / Barry Squires
Gaspereau Slementary / Jean Corporon
Hants Learning Network Association/Evening Performance / Katherine McCobrey Executive Dir. held at Falmouth District School / Katherine Meuse
About the Author: Philip Dinn is a stage and screen Actor-Writer and Musician living in Halifax. Philip is the Artistic Director of Jack Five Oh Theatre Productions and has written and co-written some 25 main stage theatre productions and productions for young audiences in the past 25 years. As a founding member of the internationally accliamed Folk Band FIGGY DUFF, Philip has written and arranged the collected Folk Songs of Newfoundland material for the band and has toured extensively in Canada and the UK. Publications include Stars in the Sky Morning and Peg Bearskin. Philip won the Silver Medal at the New York Awards for Radio and Television.
Will travel: prefers Queens County area Is available for visits: Jan - May, Sept - Dec
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, Poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Pamela enjoys presenting in a workshop style, using writing exercises to cover the styles and forms of poetry writing and fiction writing.
About the Author: Pamela Ditchoff was born in Lansing, Michigan on September 21, 1950. She began writing poems and stories at the age of seven. She received a BA in Communication Arts from Michigan State University (1982), and an MA in English/Creative Writing from Michigan State University (1985). In the mid-1980s, Ditchoff worked at WFSL-TV47 in Lansing as head copywriter/creative consultant and then as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Michigan State University. During this period, her early fiction and poetry was published in various literary magazines. In 1993, Ditchoff was recognized in Who's Who in Writers, Editors & Poets: United States & Canada, 1992-1993 for her significant literary contributions. Ditchoff moved to Liverpool in 2006 and completed her third novel, Mrs. Beast, about the lives of the Grimm's Fairy Tales princesses after they said "I Do."
Will travel: in and around the HRM and some South Shore (within 100km) Available: Jan - June (M,W,F only). Full and half days.
Areas of Expertise: Children's non-fiction picture books, children's non-fiction (grade 3-6 / language), creative non-fiction (all ages)
Presentation style/workshop ideas: To show the value of feedback during the revision process, I read from a work in progress (appropriate to the grade level) and ask for student feedback. I share my writing process "tools" and end with a time reserved for student questions. The purpose of my presentation is to motivate young writers - particularly reluctant writers - by helping them see themselves as writers, too. Kristin prefers to work with groups of 50 students or less.
About the Author: Nova Scotia is my mother's homeland, so when I moved here in 1992 I already felt connected to this province. I grew up in Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge to Canada, and every third summer my family would drive all the way here to visit our relatives. Althouh originally a "city girl", it's not surprising that I wrote four picture books about animals and their habitats in Atlantic Canada. (I also write about other topics like linguistics, meteorites, and living in Africa.)
I've been writing with my students for thirty years. I used to be a teacher in the public schools, but now I teach at Mount Saint Vincent University. Why do I write? Because writing is like a time machine: it connects people across time and space. Writing is also exploration. Every day I make new discoveries.
Will travel: within one hour's drive of central Halifax Is available for visits: Oct - Dec, April - June,
Areas of Expertise: Picture books
Presentation style/workshop ideas:
Elementary: Judy likes to tell the story behind I Spy a Bunny and read it. The reading will be followed by a discussion and activity (varying with grade level) based on observation. This is basically an exercise in noticing what we see around us and putting our observations into words in a way that will be of interest to others.
Secondary: Fifteen Minutes of Fame: This will begin with a few short readings and discussion of examples of biography, autobiography, creative non-fiction, historical fiction, historical novel, and costume/historical romance. In the first session, students will co-operatively focus on First or Third person voices to present an incident that everyone would have read or heard about, but, as they present the story, they have the freedom to create a character to tell it if they like.
In the second session, students will be led through warm-up exercises to steps that will allow them to enter the writing world of one of the forms of writing about a different time and setting.
About the Author: Judy Dudar was raised in Alberta but has lived primarily in the Halifax region since 1966. Family moves have taken her to Vancouver, Norway, and England. As a VSO volunteer from 2000-2002, she lived in rural Tanzanian where she taught in a secondary school. She is retired and lives in Halifax.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: within HRM, Annapolis Valley, Tri-County & South Shore regions (up to 100km from Musquodoboit Harbour, weather & road conditions permitting). Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Poetry, non-fiction, travel, writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: With the students I will talk a little about my writing background, but I will focus on reading and discussing my work and most importantly, get the students to do some writing exercises, often based on our discussions. For instance, for a travel poem about Thailand, I will discuss how the palm trees are like earrings for elephants, so I have the students write about jewelry for other wildlife. Deirde prefers to work with groups of 25 students or less.
About the Author: Deirdre writes poetry about many things (including childhood, nature, family and friends) and non-fiction about her travels in Japan, Asia, and Europe. She has been teaching for over 25 years. Deirdre Dwyer has been a writer since a school teacher taught her the haiku form in grade 5 or 6. She studied at Dalhousie University and the University of Windsor, and is the author of two poetry collections: The Breath that Lightens the Body (Beach Holme, 1999) and Going to the Eyestone (Wolsak & Wynn, 2002). She has taught English as a second language in Japan and at a number of Maritime universities, worked as Coordinator of a Learning Centre, and more recently as Coordinator of a farmers' market. She lives on the Eastern Shore with her husband Hans and their golden retriever.
Will travel: within HRM Available: Sept - June. Half day visits only (2 sessions)
Areas of Expertise: Acadian culture, History & Folklore, Non-Fiction writing, the subject of Housing & Homelessness
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Sally’s presentations for WITS will explore how our curiosity about everyday life around us translates into the wonderful adventures of non-fiction writing. A search for recipes after buying cabbages and potatoes at the winter farm market becomes a road to local food discoveries with many farm stories and characters along the way.
Her sessions use exploratory and illustrated discussions about how to choose a topic, how to do research (interviews, on-line, archival), and how to write up what we learn. And how to re-write, and re-write…
Sally talks about a daily writing practice as a source of ideas, and how it can help to process
emotions, events and blockages.
In the spirit of discovery, students will make observations about their food, articles of their
clothing or their homes and write sensory-based stories about raw materials and manufacturing location.
Questions are welcome throughout the session. Sally requires a chair, and a display table for all presentations. Groups of 20 students or less are preferred.
About the Author: Sally writes about housing, handmade craft, and sustainable communities. Her non-fiction articles and essays are published in various local and regional periodicals, and one textbook. These interdisciplinary subjects cut across every facet of our lives. In her work, Sally considers questions about how we live – food, clothes, transportation, living environments. She is a member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada, the Writers' Federation of NS, and the Canadian Institute of Planners.
Sally became excited about housing during her undergraduate history degree at Dalhousie. After a graduate degree in urban and rural planning, she wrote about and researched market and assisted housing for over ten years at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Sally has been doing handwork – sewing and crocheting – since she was old enough to hold a needle. She is a member of NS Designer Craft Council, Costume Society of NS, Clothing and Textile Action Group (EAC).
Every Saturday, she and her husband go to the Halifax Farmers Market to buy food and share stories with local vendors. This is the highlight of her week.
Will travel: Annapolis Valley & South Shore (up to 1.5 hours from Windsor)
Is available for visits: Sept - Nov, April - June. Full & half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Non-fiction writing, history & folklore
Presentation style/workshop ideas: My presentation style is very relaxed. Students are encouraged to ask questions throughout the allotted time frame. Generally speaking, my approach is based on how interested the group is and what they want to know at the end of the class. If students want to alk just about my book, than that is what we do. If they want to know more about the actual writing process, then we focus on improving skills.
In an attempt to help students improve their exisiting writing skills, individuals are challenged to read a sentence and suggest ways to improve it. An example of a manuscript in progress is shown and the process of finding a publisher is explained, again with the use of examples. Readings are done based on age and degree of interaction. Younger children are asked to colour a picture of a clothesline.
My aim is to encourage children to have fun writing and to learn the fundamentals of how a book gets published and the steps you can take to get your own work published.
Please have a table and whiteboard on hand for use during the visit.
About the Author: Cindy Etter-Turnbull, commonly called Mrs. Clothesline, is often found in the backyard of her Avondale country home, either hanging out the laundry or bringing it in. She is accompanied by her dog, Champ, and her cats, Tilt and Baby Belle, none of whom offer to help. For fun, Cindy likes to go fishing with her husband, play board games, paint and move furniture. Cindy enjoys gardening and so does Champ. When the ground is frozen, Cindy likes to hike in the woods, watch curling and do her needlepoint and cook. Cindy has two sons, both in university; they especially like the cooking part. Cindy is a committed volunteer, sitting on the board of three local organizations. Writing and making people laugh is something Cindy is especially fond of. Whenever you are in need of a smile, just call, drop by, or check your mailbox!
Will travel: to most areas of NS (driver must be arranged)
Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Jane prefers to work with a class that has already read her book. She finds this encourages a more interactive and engaged encounter, with discussions ranging from the writing process and how she came to write the book and have it published, to questions and answers about the characters and their motivations to the more specific technical issues of writing, such as creating voice and working with point of view. Often students will share their own experiences both of writing and life and she is happy to speak about how her own life intersects with her novel. This can lead to a discussion of how writers can take their own story and transform it, through the creative act of writing, into art. Note: Participating students should read From Bruised Fell (Penguin Canada) which is included on the NS Alternative Reading List.
About the Author: Jane has taught writing (developing a writing workshop, The Mini Writing Career, with her friend and colleague, Annie Jacobsen, now deceased) and has edited the work of others.
In 2000 she published her first novel, From Bruised Fell (Penguin), and before that various short stories. From Bruised Fell has been optioned by the film production company Sienna. Jane's non-fiction piece, Ten Million Atoms Fit on the Head of a Pin, was published in the anthology First Man in My Life: Daughters Write About Their Fathers. (Penguin, Canada 2007).
Jane co-authored a novel, Watermelon Syrup, with Annie Jacobsen. A novelist and a poet, Annie died in May 2005. She finished the third draft of her novel two weeks before she died and asked Jane to act on her behalf should it be accepted for publication. Watermelon Syrup was published in August of 2007.
Will travel: throughout NS Available for visits: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, journalism
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I offer fiction and non-fiction writing workshops. In my fiction writing workshops students will do games and writing exercises to get their creativity flowing. Then we'll discuss the process of writing and editing our work as well as giving feedback to our peers. I can also do a reading for teens and discuss writing what you know to create fiction. My non-fiction workshop focusses on the art of interviewing and the importance of the 5 Ws. Students will have the opportunity to write and read from their own work. I prefer working with groups of 30 students or less.
About the Author: Melanie Furlong is a freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of North American publications including The Rotarian, Latitudes In-Flight Magazine, Canadian Contractor, Meetings and Incentive Travel, Saltscapes and Living Healthy in Atlantic Canada. She also writes scripts, newsletters and press releases for corporate clients.
Melanie won the Atlantic NEW Cultures competition in 2010 for her short story "The Last Honest Man in Havana" and was mentored in the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia's mentorship program by author Stephens Gerard Malone. In September 2011, she will begin her Master of Fine Arts degree from UBC's department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing.
Will travel: Sue will travel throughout NS and is willing to make multiple visits to the same school to accommodate longer writing projects.
Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction &, poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Sue believes that making art is a good deed we can do for the planet and likes discussing where inspiration comes from and how to use that inspiration to write a story or a poem. For the younger grades, she talks about living with the fattest cat in the world. This story has evolved into a teaching tale that uses both the imagination and realistic details that good stories require. The story invites its listeners to contribute their own stories about what their experiences have been, which is a useful place to begin their own writing.
Sue likes to talk to the middle grades about the craft of writing and the tools in a writer’s toolbox. There’s a discussion about reading and what makes good writing sing from the page. Participants also discuss the value of spying, of watching how people talk, their mannerisms, the way the moon rests on the tops of trees, the way birds sometimes complain to each other. Noticing these kinds of things and writing about them is one of a writer’s greatest challenges and joys. The session ends with a group writing exercise that explores all of these ideas.
With the older grades, Sue talks about the value of writing, the alchemy of it, how it takes experience and turns it into poem or story. She also talks about how we each embark into a creative process individually and when we write from that authentic place, we end up saying something quite universal. These sessions could easily deal with poetry or fiction writing.
Note: Everyone will be writing, so paper and pencils are a must.
About the Author: Sue Goyette lives in Halifax and has published two books of poems, The True Names of Birds and Undone (Brick Books). Her novel, Lures (HarperCollins), was published in 2002. She's been nominated for several awards including the Governor General's Award for Poetry, the Pat Lowther, the Gerald Lampert, the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and won the 2008 CBC Literary Prize for Poetry. Her third collection of poems, Outskirts, was published by Brick Books in the spring of 2011. Her poetry has appeared on the Toronto subway system, in wedding vows and spray-painted on a sidewalk somewhere in St. John, New Brunswick. Sue has taught at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Blue Heron Workshop, the Sage Hill Experience and currently teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Dalhousie University. She also participates in the WFNS's Mentorship and Writers in the Schools programs. Sue is a vegetarian.
Will travel: throughout NS. Accomodation required for schools 3+ hours away.
Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Non-fiction: history, biography, news, trivia, opinion (suitable for grade 7 and up); workshops for younger kids; memoir–everyone has a story to tell.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I use props and games to help students understand the difference among fact, fiction and opinion; and individual and group writing exercises to demonstrate how to make facts interesting. I talk about “cheating:” using dictionaries, thesaurus, spell-check, etc. and I hand out a “cheat sheet” summarizing tips. If there is time, I read to them and answer questions about writing. If they are older and have writing they’d like to share and discuss, I’ll do that if there is time, or instead of a presentation. If that is the case, the teacher should please tell me ahead of time. A flip chart or chalk/white board is handy. The students should have pen/cils and paper. I don’t usually use electronic gizmos, because I spend too much time trying to get other peoples’ equipment to work! I prefer working with groups of 30 students or less and a scent-free audience is preferred. Coffee and a biscuit is always a much appreciated welcome after a long drive.
About the Author: Monica Graham lives in the woods in Pictou County, where she keeps a big vegetable garden, grows raspberries and blackberries, swats black flies, and hunts for moose tracks. When she’s not playing in the mud she hides in her office and writes books and stories for newspapers and magazines. She likes history and imagining the people who lived in a place long ago. Her work includes news articles and a twice-monthly column in the Halifax Chronicle Herald, and the books Looking Back at Pictou County, The Historic Town of Pictou, Scotch Willy and Other Nicknames from Pictou County, The Great Maritime Detective, Bluenose and, coming out in the spring of 2012, a history of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville and Trenton. The book doesn’t have a title yet. Right now she is working on a true ghost story. www.findingmaria.com
Shauntay is back after a few years away from WITS.
Works with grades: P - 12
Home Region: HRM
Will travel: within HRM. Schools outside the area should contact Shauntay directly. Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Poetry, Spoken Word, Black History, Journalism
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Shauntay Grant “captivates an audience the moment she starts to perform” (The Coast). Her workshops aim to CREATE a platform for discussion around poetry and spoken word performance, CHALLENGE participants to express themselves creatively through the written and spoken word, and CELEBRATE the rhythm and musicality that comes when words are spoken. Through performance, activities, and group discussion, Shauntay will encourage students to creatively explore their own stories and experiences.
About the Author: Shauntay Grant is a writer, spoken word performer, broadcast journalist, and musician. She has shared her blend of poetry and music internationally at festivals and events, and as Halifax's third Poet Laureate she organized Canada's first national gathering of Canadian Poets Laureate (held July 2010 in Halifax). Shauntay regularly conducts arts workshops and performances for youth and adults. She coordinates the Halifax-based arts-for-social-change project Poets 4 Change, and she organizes Wordrhythm, a performance showcase that encourages collaboration between poets and musicians.
Shauntay’s voice “clearly comes across as authentic in her writing, and this authenticity extends to her spoken word performance” (CM Magazine). Her original works of poetry and music have been featured nationally on radio and television, and in several anthologies. Her children’s picturebook memoir Up Home (Nimbus 2008) was short-listed for the 2010 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards, and won a 2009 Best Atlantic Published Book Award.
Shauntay was a Poet of Honour at the 2010 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Ottawa. She serves on the board of Youth Voices of Nova Scotia, and she is the host of CBC Radio's regional music program All The Best.
Will travel: within the HRM. Schools outside the area should contact Vicki directly at www.vickigrant.com to confirm availability.
Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 10 - 18), Young Adult, Mystery and comic fiction
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Vicki Grant has been called "one of the funniest writers working today" (The VancouverSun). She’s been an advertising copywriter, a television screenwriter and a YA novelist. She can talk on any of these topics but usually focuses primarily on what goes into writing comic novels and mysteries. She begins by telling the class about the winding route she took to becoming an author. She reads excerpts from her books and answers
questions from the class about the writing process.
Vicki asks that all teachers get in touch with her as soon as possible after booking in order to
discuss expectations of the visit.
Please note: a full day visit includes 4 sessions and a half day includes 2. Please limit group size to 60 students per session.
About the Author: Vicki Grant has been called “a superb storyteller” (The Canadian Children’s Book Centre) with “a wonderful sense of comedy” (CM Magazine). She began her career creating award-winning ads for agencies such as Chiat-Day and McCann-Erickson. After the birth of her third child, she moved on to writing TV scripts for numerous series including Theodore Tugboat, Big Comfy Couch and her own Gemini Award–winning preschool comedy, Scoop & Doozie. Her comic legal thriller Quid Pro Quo was described as “John Grisham for the skateboard set.” It won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Crime Fiction and was nominated for a slew of prizes, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year. Her YA mystery Not Suitable for Family Viewing won the Red Maple Award and was nominated for the Stellar, Snow Willow, CLA and Manitoba Readers Choice awards. Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret, a comic coming-of-age novel, will be out this fall.
Will travel: within Chignecto-Central, Annapolis Valley, Tri-County & South Shore. Scent-free accomodation required for trips more than 3 hours away from her home in the Valley. Available: SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 2011/12 WITS PROGRAM.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 8 to 14), Non-fiction, Animal stories & Acadian culture
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I will begin my presentation with a reading from some of my work. WIth younger studetns I wil encourage them to bring their senses into their writing, describing what they see, hear, taste, touch and smell. I'll introduce the idea of "crystal clear" words - words that bring an image alive. For older students, I'll also bring into my workshop exercises to help them show, not tell. I sometimes use Power Point presentations so I will need an LCD projector. I prefer to work with groups of 25 students or less.
About the Author: I grew up on a farm and have always loved animals, so much of my writing involves them. It’s fun to tell stories about amazing creatures.
I live on the site of an old Acadian home. Wonderful things that were unearthed when we dug our basement gave me inspiration to write the novel The Latch.
I have lived in the Annapolis Royal area for most of my life. My supportive husband, Les, and I have raised two children and many, many animals during our lives together.
I grew up loving to write and as a little girl I wrote notes, stories and poems for my family. In high school, I worked on the school newspaper and was published in the yearbook. When I became an adult, I kept working to make my writing more polished until I was able to get magazine articles, short stories and books published.
Will travel: within the Annapolis Valley (upto 200 km from Wolfville) Is available for visits: March - June
Areas of Expertise: Picture books, graphic novels
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Stories seem to follow me wherever I go: they chase my bicycle, appear under rocks, pour out of a teapot and fall from the sky. I love to look at pictures and make paintings of things I dream about doing, or of events that I find enchanted, cosy or whimsical. Sometimes I can't tell what comes first, my pictures or my words.
When I share my work with classrooms, it is usually a bright and creative adventure. I have travelled and have lived in different places and these stories usually creep into my classroom visits. I often bring in objects and paintings and have a lot of fun sharing all the stuff behind the making of each book. Mostly I can inspire kids to feel that absolutely they have stories to tell and this can happen in words, pictures, or both.
I have worked a lot as an art teacher so whenever I am in a classroom there is a good chance we will be creative with our pencils. My picture books, "I'm Writing a Story" and "Snow for Christmas", celebrate stories, the experiences and ideas of each person. I hope to enhance this on my visits, have some laughs and offer another approach to drawing, writing stories and sharing possibilities.
About the Author: Doretta graduated from NSCAD with a BA in Art Education. She then worked in Swaziland, Africa for a year and then Igloolik, Nunavut for another two. Before and after these diverse experiences, she was an avid traveller and tree planter.
Once settled in Nova Scotia, Doretta worked as an artist in classrooms through AVRSB, the program Arts Infusion, the Paints program, and as a volunteer. Her paintings are represented by the Harvest Gallery in Wolfville, Details Gallery in Charlottetown, and Art Sales and Rentals at the AGNS in Halifax.
Doretta has illustrated 5 children's picture books, including Fiddles and Spoons (Dery Publishing Group) and Bounce, Beans and Burn (Acorn Press). She is the author and illustrator of I'm Writing a Story and Snow for Christmas (Acorn Press). Her 6th book, Thank You For My Bed, will be published in Fall 2011.
Home Region: South Shore Will travel: throughout NS Is available for visits: Oct & Nov, Mar - May. Full day visits only (3 sessions per day).
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (chapter books for ages 6 to 8, juvenile for ages 9 to 12, teen from ages 12 to 16); picture books (non-fiction guided reading books for primary and grade one), young adult (chapter books for ages 6 to 8, juvenile for ages 9 to 12, teen from ages 12 to 16), teacher resource books on writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Sylvia offers two WITS presentations as well as writing workshops. The presentations are accompanied by PowerPoint visuals (when requested): The Story Behind the Cover and Finding Stories Every Day. Students will hear excerpts from her books, find out what inspired her story ideas, and learn some behind-the-scenes details about getting a book published. In writing workshops, students will be active writers, creating their own fictional characters and making them walk and talk on the page. Between 30 to 75 students at presentations; 15 to 20 at writing workshops.
About the Author: Stories have always been part of my life—my family shared stories around our kitchen table; I made up stories to tell my sister late at night in our bedroom; I wrote stories as soon as I could form sentences and paragraphs. But I did not take myself seriously as a writer until I was almost 30 years old. That summer I studied at the Banff Centre in Alberta for five weeks. One of my teachers was W.O. Mitchell, a well known Canadian writer who taught me to trust in my own writer’s voice and to keep on writing. Now I have 14 books in print and two more novels have been accepted for publication very soon! Most days you can find me here at Crescent Beach on the South Shore, writing stories or reading books—many of them written by friends from across Canada.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: within one hour of downtown Dartmouth only.
Is available for visits: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, History & Folklore, Picture Books
Presentation style/workshop ideas: For the younger grades, Jackie focuses on her latest book (co authored by Carrie Muller), The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate. In this rambunctios program she gives an animated reading of the book, throws in some Mermaid riddles and gets the students to help her design their own Terrible Horrible Pirate. There may even been time for some storytelling.
For older grades she talks more about the writing process and focusses on her first award winning book, Peggy's Letters. This story is set in London during the second world war and contains many of her mother's true experiences. Jacqui find students are fascinated by the tales of air raids and rationing and get to imagine what it would be like being a kid living in a war zone. She has some overheads and a few artifacts to show. It is really nice if the students have read or are reading the book.
Jackie also designed the 2009/10 hackmatack Children's choice poster using a torn paper technique and would be happy doing an illustrating workshop if required - one class only. Jackie needs a flip chart and an assortment of working markers. Jackie prefers working with groups of no more than 50 students.
About the Author: Jacqueline was born in London, England. After several globe trotting years she fell in love with Nova Scotia and has lived here ever since. She and her husband now live in an old cottage over looking Halifax harbour and from their deck are able to keep a watchful eye out for Terrible Horrible Smelly pirates.
Jacqueline is a writer, artist and potter. She loves whale watching, cats and adventures. For the last 17 years she has worked in the youth Services department of the Alderney Gate Library, where her days are filled with books, rhymes, songs and lots of children to share them with.
Will travel: up to one hours drive from the Bedford area
Is available for visits: Sept - June. Half day visits, mornings only.
Areas of Expertise: fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Lisa's WITS presentations focus on the writing experience and encouraging students to find stories in their everyday lives. Even if you've never thought about writing anything before, you can take the smallest happening from your life, add a little imagination, and suddenly you've got the makings of a story! Lisa talks about her experiences as a writer and how real life is relfected in her writing, as well as reading from her book Rattled . Lisa also loves to talk about the life of a book from start to finish and the fun of writing mysteries and how it's all about setting up the clues.
Lisa is very open to working with teachers and librarians to plan a visit that fits within their curriculum and encourages students to read from her book Rattled before her visit (suitable for grades 6 - 8).
About the Author: Lisa Harrington graduated from MSVU with a degree in Education. When she's not writing, Lisa can be found listening to everything from Weezer to Madonna and rooting for Team Edward. Rattled, her first novel, was published by Nimbus in 2010 and her short story, 'A Nanna Mary Christmas', was published in A Maritime Christmas. Lisa lives in Bedford, NS with her family. For more info visit www.lisaharrington.ca
Will travel: within HRM, Chignecto-Central, Annapolis Valley, South Shore and Strait Regional.
Is available for visits: Sept - June. Full and half day visits. Sept-June, full and half day. As a freelance writer, Jennifer's work schedule is variable and can change quickly - some flexibility in scheduling is required.
Areas of Expertise: journalism, magazine and newsletter writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: My presentations vary with the audience and requests of the teachers. Session topics can be general information on the power of words, the potential of writing or a day in the life of a reporter or author. I also do specific workshops on setting up a school newspaper and/or, reviving an old school newspaper, or designing a magazine. Other workshops include writing writing and polishing fiction and non-fiction stories, the business side of publishing, and the power of the printed word.
About the Author: Jennifer Hatt is a former newspaper reporter and editor who as a freelance writer and author now brings words to life for periodicals, corporate clients, and students of all ages. She has written articles for Via Magazine, East Coast Living, Atlantic Business, the Chronicle-Herald, and a variety of national and regional trade magazines including Greenhouse Canada, Northern Aquaculture, and Trade & Commerce. She is also a participant in the Writers in the School program, instructing grades 3-9 on the elements and rewards of creating their own newsletters, and has developed and taught communications and writing skills programs for the Nova Scotia Community College and the Nova Scotia School of Fisheries.
In 2010 Jennifer became an author and co-publisher. Her first novel, Finding Maria, was released in 2010 and a second novel in the series, Orchids for Billie, is set for release in late 2011.
Jennifer has won the Thompson Newspapers Award of Excellence for Canadian Newspapers, circulation under 15,000, non-deadline writing, for "The Silent Thief", depicting the struggle of two men to cope with the slow loss of their wives to Alzheimer Disease. She is also the Thompson Newspapers Award of Excellence winner for East Coast Newspapers, circulation under 12,000, for "Double Vision", an exploration of the battle over herbicide use in Nova Scotia forests. Jennifer was part of the news team that in 1992 received the Thomson North American award, for coverage of the Westray Mine disaster. Jennifer can be found online at www.findingmaria.com.
Will travel: throughout NS. Full and half day visits, overnight accommodation required for schools more than 2 hours from the Valley.
Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Non-fiction writing, natural history and the sciences.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Pam begins her discussion with her motivation for writing non-fiction nature books, what is involved in finding her information and how she (and they) can go about gathering facts through exploration outside. She’ll read from one of her short books and discuss some of the extraordinary features of seemingly ordinary creatures. Following that, she’ll
show the students some special natural objects and then demonstrate how they can make
a series of simple “gadgets” for outdoor exploration. If there’s time, she has a fun game to
play. She likes to end with some questions from the audience. If teachers would like a more
in-depth review of the process of writing, editing and book production, that can be
arranged in advance of the visit. Note: Pamela prefers to stay in one space and have the kids come to her in groups of no more than 50 (2 classes). All she needs are two large display tables and a chair at the front of the room. About the Author: Pamela Hickman was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario. She holds an Honours Bachelor degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of Waterloo. She was the Education Co-ordinator for the Federation of Ontario Naturalists for 7 years. During that period, Pamela wrote several education kits and other natural history material for children. In 1989, Pamela began a freelance writing career and has published over 35 books to date. She moved to Canning, N.S. with her husband and three daughters in 1992. Pamela divides her time between her writing, family and volunteer work in her community.
Will travel: anywhere in NS Is available for visits: SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 2011/12 WITS PROGRAM
Areas of Expertise: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Presentation style/workshop ideas:Most of the sessions I’ve done in the last two years have ended up being story-telling sessions with Q&A and have worked quite well with both Junior High and High School groups, with as few as 20 and as many as 120 participants.
About the Author:Andria Hill-Lehr has been a writer since she learned the alchemy of transforming letters into paragraphs. As an actor she brought to life characters’ stories in plays. Intrigued by the lives of real people, she began writing about their stories for newspapers and magazines, which led to her first book about the life of Nova Scotian, Mona Parsons – an unrecognized hero of World War Two. Now she enjoys telling the stories of Mona Parsons and other remarkable women to people of all ages.
Andria has a B.A. (Theatre Studies), M.A. (English) and M.Ed. (Counselling), all from Acadia University. Born and raised in Toronto, she first came to Nova Scotia in her early twenties and instantly felt she’d come home. She settled here in 1985. She currently divides her time between a home in Wolfville and a cozy seaside retreat in Port George on the Bay of Fundy shores.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: within 2 hours of HRM, weather and road conditions permitting. Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Young Adult, Theatre, Newspaper Journalism, Photography, Cartooning, Scripts for TV, Advertising
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Fred Ted Hollett’s style is reminiscent of Chuckles the Clown, “a little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants!”. Hollett’s aim is to stimulate students’ minds and invigorate their dreams. Fred shares how he made his childhood dreams come true and they can too!
About the Author: Fred Ted Hollett shares the “High thrills of his crazy-quilt career”: The day Johnny Cash sang his TV jingle about a “cuppa coffee”; the day Elvis autographed his newspaper sketch of him; interviewing Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams for his Florida radio show; photographing the Queen and a PM for the Toronto Star; a Halifax Herald interview with the man who climbed Mount Everest; creating a “Gufump” for CBC TV children’s programming. Fred always ends his lively presentations with this message from baseball legend Satchel Paige, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you!”
Will travel: mainland Nova Scotia Available: SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 2011/12 WITS PROGRAM
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (P-5, 10-12), Picture Books, Young Adult
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Maureen likes reading, discussion and workshops with her presentations.
About the Author:Originally from Cape Breton, Maureen Hull has lived on Pictou Island in the Northumberland Strait for over thirty years. She has made costumes for Neptune Theatre, worked as a deck hand on a lobster boat, and as a teacher when she home-schooled her two daughters. For the past fifteen years she has been writing poetry, creative non-fiction, adult fiction and children’s picture books. Some of them have won awards. In the next few months she plans to finish a Young Adult trilogy (two books done, one to go), go paragliding, and pick enough blueberries to make blueberry muffins all next winter.
She has no pets, but there are a dozen wild rabbits living in her yard. All of her gardens are fenced, since the rabbits have no respect for the work she does in them. Her trees are full of crows, hummingbirds and plums. It’s a good place to be a writer.
Will travel: throughout NS Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits. Scent-free accommodations required for visits to schools 2+ hours away from Halifax.
Areas of Expertise: Children's Fiction
Presentation style/workshop ideas: The author of Mr. Sweetums Wears Pink and My Mom's Purse visits schools accompanied by her rather plump teddy bear, Princess. Charlotte reads her books and/or discusses writing and publishing, depending on the grade levels and interest of the groups. The purse memory game, the poem "Noises in the Night" (A Princess Bear Story) and, of course, Princess herself are considered highlights of the presentation. Special equipment: 3 small chairs, blackboard or wall space. Students and teachers are asked to be scent-free on the day of the visit.
About the Author: Charlotte Hutchinson holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Dalhousie University. A former President of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia's Board of Directors, she worked for many years in personnel for the federal government and as a field technician for Environment Canada, as well as working on her writing. She has traveled in North America, Europe, the Carribean and the South Pacific, and spent a summer working in a plastics factory in southern Germany. Charlotte was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia and now lives in Dartmouth with her husband and a plethora of teddy bears.
Will travel: within HRM and some South Shore & Annapolis Valley (no more than 1.5 hours drive from Chester each way) Is available for visits: Jan - Dec
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 8 - 14)
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I’ve done workshops before that have involved a/v presentations, workshops, readings (both of my own and of participants) and just general discussion of the process of writing. I like to focus on the usefulness of writing and storytelling, regardless of students becoming published authors or not – to try to ignite a creative way of thinking and expressing. We always have a good time and a good discussion.
About the Author: Kate Inglis, a writer and photographer, lives on the edge of a meat-grinder sea on the far eastern coastline of Nova Scotia where she was born. Since 2004, her personal blog sweet | salty has chronicled a journey that's been equal parts joy, blessings and unexpected bumps. She spends a lot of time with her camera in-hand, chasing light, and writes for Shutter Sisters as a founding contributor. In November 2009 her first novel was published — The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods, a book January Magazine calls “a spirited tale, gorgeously rendered.” The second edition lands in Canada and the U.S. in April 2010. Kate lives on the South Shore.
Will travel: throughout NS Is available for visits: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Acadian culture, French-language, Francophone countries and their culture, fiction, non-fiction, journalism, poetry, writing and publishing industry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: With little ones, I use a PowerPoint presentation to play a game with them: they feel that they create a story when they are actually learning words and rhymes. With P1-2, I use one of my novels for young readers and we turn the story into a play full of magic as each child is assigned a part based on the story. This way, they memorize some phrases and create their own and feel they are part of an artistic event. With P3-6, I use my novels for young readers to show them what “ingredients” I use to create a story. Depending on the novel they chose, they learn about Mi’kmaq, Acadians or French cultures while having fun.
With grades 10-12, I can talk about Acadian or French cultures, or about the culture of different countries where I spent time. I can also explain how those places inspired me and became part of my stories. This is specially appreciated by teachers who teach them social studies. We can also talk about my novels for older readers, depending on their choice. Since I am also a journalist, I can offer a workshop in journalism. With all age groups, I love spending time to answer questions and explain what it is to work as a writer. I prefer groups of 30 students or less and a computer and/or a projector are useful for showing PowerPoint or pictures.
About the Author: Martine Jacquot holds a BA (La Sorbonne, Paris), 3 MA degrees (La Sorbonne, Acadia, Dalhousie), a BJ from the University of Kings College and a PHD from Dalhousie University. She has studied and lived in France, England, Switzerland and Canada. Martine writes poetry, novels, short stories, essays, and articles, in both English and French. Pour plus d'informations cliquez ici.
Will travel: throughout NS. Available: Nov & Jan - April. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing & poetry.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Heather’s workshops are different every single time. Her teaching is lead by student questions and supported with a huge bag full of good books, coloured pens, and writing tricks involving carrots.
She will teach primary students how to write about an orange as if it is the entire sun; how to really taste a piece of salt; and how to know what a bathtub is thinking.
For middle-school aged students, Heather shares her love of craft: why writing about the moon has been done since the very beginning of time, and why this matters; how crazy writing practices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, odes, and “once upon a time” can actually save lives.
For high school classes and writing clubs, Heather can offer invigorating writing-exercises dedicated to plot, characterization, setting, structure, image, and metaphor; workshops that hone encouraging and exacting critiques of student’s own work; and one-on-one editing.
Heather is also happy to give readings from her own work.
Heather loves good questions no matter how old the asker. Heather knows how to make books by hand. Heather also loves letter-pressing and talking about how books are made and where they come from.
Heather prefers working with smaller groups (under 20) whenever possible. Heather can’t wait to meet your class!
About the Author: Heather Jessup's poetry, fiction, reviews, and interviews have been published in journals across Canada and the U.S. including The Malahat Review, The Denver Quarterly, and PRISM International. Her first novel, The Lightning Field, will be published with Gaspereau Press in Fall 2011. She is completing her dissertation on contemporary Canadian literature and visual art in the English Department at the University of Toronto.
Will travel: within HRM, Chignecto-Central, Annapolis Valley, Tri-County and South Shore Available: Sept - Feb. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Acadian culture; newspaper, magazine and newsletter writing; history and folklore; writing and publishing industry; journalism; non-fiction; historical research and writing, using research tools; understanding the justice system
Presentation style/workshop ideas: How do journalists find and write the news? Is journalism a career option for me? When did the first newspapers appear in Nova Scotia and what is the industry's future? Why were the Acadians deported and how did their culture survive? How do writers find information about historical events and bring them to life? How does Canada's justice system work? These are among the subjects Dean can explore with junior high and high school students, using humour and real-life examples to illustrate points and promote discussion. He has developed an in-class exercise to teach students the basics of writing the news. Special equipment: A laptop LCD hookup and internet connection (wireless or ethernet), if possible. Please limit groups to 50 students or less per presentation.
About the Author: Dean Jobb, the author of eight books, is an associate professor of journalism at the School of Journalism, University of King's College in Halifax, where he teaches introductory journalism, newspaper production, and news reporting, writing and editing. A reporter, editor and columnist during a 20-year career at The Chronicle Herald, he is a three-time winner of the Atlantic Journalism Award and a finalist for the National Newspaper and National Magazine awards.
His articles have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the Winnipeg Free Press and he has written for numerous magazines, including Canadian Business, Canadian Lawyer, Saltscapes, Elm Street, Canadian Home & Country and The Literary Review of Canada. Dean has won the Evelyn Richardson and Dartmouth awards for non-fiction and was runner up for the National Business Book Award.
Home Region: Sackville, NB Will travel: within the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board (approx. 90 minutes from Amherst), for schools outside this area please query the author. Longer drives may require overnight accommodation. Available: Sept, Oct, April - June. Half day visits only in Amherst; full days preferred.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, fantasy, science fiction &, fairy tales.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: For a reading, I take about an hour. I read to the students and then get them to do some artwork related to the reading. Then, depending on time and the age of the studetns, I will either read again before having a question and answer session, or go straight to a Q&A. If I am doing a workshop, it can take an hour to ninety minutes, depending on the age of the students. I usually talk to workshop students about some aspect of writing and literary storytelling; I then have them work on an assignment with time left for them to read their work, and for Q&A.
Teachers should ensure that children have drawing materials, if it's a reading, or writing materials for a workshop. Please note that I will not do writing workshops for children in grades P - 4. I only do workshops for grades 5+. Workshop groups should be no larger than 20 students, and they need to be stuetns who are actually interested in being there, not an entire class. Mixing studetns from several grades for a workshop is fine.
About the Author: K.V. Johansen has written everything from picture books to literary criticism for adults, but most enjoys writing fantasy and science fiction. Some of her books have been translated into Danish, French, or Macedonian, and the most exotic place she has ever travelled is Macedonia, where she got to see real mountains. Her books have been shortlisted for various awards. Sometimes they’ve even won!
Johansen thinks books are the best thing there is: “they’re how we remember our past and imagine our futures. I like to read fantasy, science fiction, and manga, as well as non-fiction about history and archaeology. My dog likes to steal bookmarks out of books and eat them. Luckily, he doesn’t like to eat actual books, because my house is really small and a lot of my books live in stacks on the floor.”
Works with grades: 9-12 Will travel: throughout NS Available: unknown for 2011
Areas of Expertise: Acadian culture, black history, history and folklore, mi'kmaq culture, non-ficton writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Johnston can give presentations on any of the following:
Katharine McLennan in Fact and Fiction: This is a tantalizing examination of the differences between fiction and non-fiction, using the life of Katharine McLennan (1892-1975) as the point of convergence. Johnston has written about McLennan's youth and adventures overseas in both genres; first in a couple of history articles and more recently in a forthcoming novel. (45 minutes, illustrated talk with selected readings of historical and fictional treatments of different moments in Katharine’s life.)
Louisbourg From Foundation to Fall: This is a fully illustrated and highly engaging 45-minute talk, presented by a historian who has written many books and even more articles about the place.
Mathieu Da Costa: What We Know and What We Imagine: This is a partially illustrated 45-minute presentation in which the speaker shares all that is known about this early 1600s Black figure, and seeks to spark interest in the audience in Canada's little known multi-cultural past and the challenges and limitations of history.
Grand Pré as a Candidate World Heritage Site: This is a 45-minute well-illustrated talk on the history of the Grand Pré area across the span of more than three centuries, from its era of exclusive Mi’kmaq use, through the Acadian then Planter periods and its subsequent development as a site of historical commemoration. Special equipment: PowerPoint projector and laptop for certain topics.
About the Author: Author: A.J.B. (John) Johnston is the author or co-author of 11 books, over 50 articles in scholarly journals and nearly 50 articles in magazines and newspaper. His most recent book is the award-winning Endgame 1758, while his most recent article appeared in the June/July issue of The Beaver.
Johnston continues to work as a historian, writer and editor, though not necessarily in that order. He moves on from Parks Canada in September 2009, embarking on a new career as an independent writer and an associate of Camus Productions. He was pleasantly surprised recently to learn that his Clio award-winning Endgame 1758 is to be translated into French and will be published the Press of the Université Laval in 2010.
Works with grades: P-12 Will travel: within Halifax & the Prospect area, within 60 minute drive of the Halifax rotary. Kentville and Wolfville are also possibilities. Is available for visits: unknown for 2011/12
Areas of Expertise: Picture books, visual literacy, creative thinking process, design problem solving
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I currently have two prepared presentations:
grade 1-3 presentation - looks at picturebook illustrations and the storytelling/communication aspects of visual images. This is an introduction to visual literacy and begins with a game of Pictionary and proceeds through to interpretation of images.
grade 4-6 presentation - looks at the process of illustration, how does one create a picturebook and how is that similar to everyday thinking processes that one uses in school and day-to-day. Introduction to critical thinking approached from an illustration perspective.
I am willing to prepare a workshop or presentation specific to a teachers needs: interest in visual literacy, critical thinking, and the creative/design process. Would work in a longer term project with a group working on a specific project. Inquiries welcome.
Questions to think about:
What does a designer/illustrator (with over twenty years experience) do?
How does a designer design?
How does an illustrator illustrate?
Do designers and illustrators think differently then you?
Did they learn it or were they born with it?
Is their work inspiration or problem solving?
How does one solve visual problems?
How does one solve a problem if there are no rules to follow?
If one learns the process of creative thinking does one become a critical thinker?
If you read words, can you also read pictures?
How does one read a picture?
If one learns to create visuals to read, does one also learn to read visuals?
Does learning to read visuals make us see differently?
How does one find answers if you don’t ask questions?
Do you want these answers or another question?
About the Author: Kathy Kaulbach lives and works in Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia. Originating as a graphic designer, she worked in museums and as a freelancer for many years doing a variety of print and exhibit work in the educational and publishing fields. She has illustrated over a dozen children's books and designed over 200 publications. After an eight year pause in her children's illustration, Kathy returned in 2006, as HildaRose, to her 'soul work' in the children's publishing industry. In a mix of both traditional and digital, her work continues to be humourous and energetic with the usual odd batch of characters.
Areas of Expertise: ficiton writing, history & folklore, time travel
Presentation style/workshop ideas: In Karen’s presentation she does a reading from her time travel adventure novel, Raphael’s Riddle. She discusses how she researched the book and uses a power point presentation to show pictures of her travels to Turkey where the real fourth century St. Nicholas lived. Karen also includes a section on how the book cover evolved for the aspiring artists and graphic designers in the room. She enjoys answering questions throughout her talk, particularly about setting, character development and how to weave historical facts into fictional work.
Students in grades 5-6 tend to most enjoy a discussion on Raphael’s Riddle. Karen’s ideal class size is 30 students or less with a teacher in attendance. The sessions are more useful, and more fun, if the teacher has read part of the book beforehand. Karen donates a portion of all book sales to Breakfast for Learning programs.
“Karen, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to come to our school. Your presentation was very enjoyable and professional. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!”
- Library Technician (presentation to grades 5 & 6)
About the Author: Karen Kelloway is so enthusiastic about the story of the real, fourth-century Saint Nicholas that she traveled to Turkey to personally experience where the former Bishop of Myra lived and worked.
Karen started her career writing freelance articles for tourist magazines and newspapers in Whistler, BC. She now works as a business coach and has written a career book, Nail It™! Six Steps to Transform Your Career. Her business writing has been featured in the Globe and Mail, Atlantic Business Magazine and Progress Magazine.
Karen is an active member of the Nova Scotia Chapter for Breakfast for Learning, a member of the Nova Scotia Writer’s Federation and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. She is a certified executive coach through Royal Roads University and holds a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University. Karen lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband, Stephen and two children. www.karenkelloway.com
Praise forRaphael's Riddle(a time travel adventure for young readers 10-15 yrs. old) “Kelloway has done her research -- and it pays off in this marvelous debut novel."
Home Region: Chignecto-Central Will travel: within Chignecto-Central Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Non-fiction, fiction, anthropolgy, and some experience with fiction writing.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: John’s presentation will concentrate on his fieldwork as an anthropologist with special attention to how one describes places such as the small communities where he has worked. John uses a slide show during his presentations and discusses the people and places while leading the discussion to the importance of writing. Attention is also given to some differences between writing non-fiction and fiction. John prefers working with groups of 30 students or less.
About the Author: A retired anthropologist, John Kennedy taught at Memorial University for 31 years. In addition to teaching, John conducted anthropological fieldwork in Labrador, Mexico, and Norway and wrote about the communities where he researched and lived. John Kennedy continues to do some research in Labrador during his retirement but also plays banjo and guitar, writes, and farms.
Available: Dec - April, June, Half day visits only.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Having dedicated her career to the visual arts, performing arts and museum world, Jessica has learned how to deliver engaging talks and has presented to over 60 elementary schools across Canada and the United States. Her Powerpoint presentation (which includes props, videos and short readings) to early-chapter-book readers is a behind-the-scenes look at the daily experiences she writes stories about. Jessica brings all her own equipment.
Jessica writes for elementary-aged students, and in particular, for young male readers. Using humour throughout her presentations, she references two fictional characters during school visits: Martin Bridge (a boy whose superhero is an astronaut) if her audience is Grades Three/Four; or, Graeme Swinimer (the son of a lobster fisherman) if her audience is older. With either character, she identifies sources for creative inspiration (such a model rocket that blew up or the purchase of a gigantic lobster claw - both of which she brings into the class); demonstrates how brainstorming works to launch a writing assignment; shows how to take an idea and shape it into a story; and reveals the stages of editing and good writing habits. She always concludes with a question and answer session.
Reported outcomes following her visit have included: an increase in library borrowing; an enhanced understanding of the writing process; a surge in creativity; and the application of new techniques for creative writing. Most importantly, students come away with the appreciation that they, too, have unique experiences worthy of writing about that contribute to universal themes.
Jessica encourages students to write to her with questions in advance of her visit, by sending
queries to: jessicascottkerrin.wordpress.com. Fun hands-on activities (such as learning Morse code, building a catapult, tuning up a bicycle) are included in the back of the Martin Bridge books; students might want to tackle those in advance of a visit. In addition, Jessica prepares a free writing package for schools that she leaves at the end of her presentation, should teachers and librarians want to engage their students in a follow-up activity.
Jessica also offers writing workshops for adults on the following topics: Why boys don’t like fiction; Classroom activities to engage male readers; What boys like to read; Creating strong characters; Developing story ideas; How to write a book a series.
Jessica has judged several national and regional writing competitions, served as a mentor for young writers with manuscripts in progress, and spoken about literacy at national conferences.
Note: Jessica works with groups of up to 75 students. She brings her own equipment and it takes her a half an hour to set-up; therefore,a gym or a library is the best place for her to present. In addition to set-up time, schools will need to provide a screen onto which she will project her powerpoint presentation.
About the Author: I grew up on Alberta’s prairies, and my favorite thing to do was build tree forts. You would think that trees were hard to come by in endlessly flat wheat fields, but they were around if you knew where to look. There were also plenty of things I didn’t like: spiders, for one thing. Balloons. Worms. Spelling tests. Being the shortest in my class. And I really hated it when my peas touched my mashed potatoes. That just ruined my dinner.
I remember I liked telling stories and drawing pictures about them. And when I grew up, I went to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. But I only really began to write when my son started coming home from class with stories of his own. He was about the height of my shoulders when he reported his infamous rocket launching debacle. That was the beginning of Martin Bridge. When I finished the series, I was the height of my son’s shoulders. By then, he had grown to become the tallest boy in school. No fair!
Even though I have spent my adult life on the granite coast of Nova Scotia, I still harbor a love of
wide-open flat spaces. I spend much of my time sailing the eastern seaboard, tying up to wharves of small fishing communities along the way. My new series, based on the accidental capture of a giant lobster, was insprired by my offshore adventures. When not writing, I enjoy a good feed of lobster. To visit Jessica's website click here.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: throughout NS Available for visits: May & June. Full day only. Overnight accommodation may be required for schools that are more than a couple hours away.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, non-fiction writing, poetry,
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I read my children’s books to the class (Where the Wind Sleeps, and Interview With A Stick Collector. Then I lead the class in a discussion and we make up a story together. The teacher records the ideas as the children raise their hands and participate. Then the children illustrate their story.
For older classes, (grades 4 and 5, I give a poetry workshop. I read poems to students, then I give an exercise and students write their own poem using metaphor and alliteration and other poetic techniques.
About the Author: Several selections from Carole Langille's most recent book of poetry, Late In A Slow Time, have been adapted to music by renowned Canadian composer Chan Ka Nin. The production, also called Late In A Slow Time debuted at the 2006 Sound Symposium in St. John's, Newfoundland and will be on Duo Concertante's forthcoming CD.
Her second book of poetry, In Cannon Cave, was nominated for a Governor General's Award in 1997, and the Atlantic Poetry Prize in 1998. Her children's book, Where the Wind Sleeps, was the Canadian Children's Book Center Choice in 1996. Her most recent children's book is Interview With A Stick Collector.
Her book of short stories, When I Always Wanted Something, was long listed for the 2009 ReLit Award for short fiction.
Originally from New York City, where she studied with the poets John Ashbery and Carolyn Forche among others, Carole now lives in Black Point, Nova Scotia.
She has taught at The Humber School for Writing Summer Program, Maritime Writer's Workshop, the Community of Writers in Tatamagouche, and at Women's Words the University of Alberta. She has taught Creative Writing at Mount Saint Vincent University, Writing for the Arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and currently teaches Creative Writing: Poetry at Dalhousie University.
Carole has given poetry readings in Athens, Delhi, Prague, London England, New York City, Kirkcudbright Scotland, and throughout Canada. She has received Canada Council Grants for poetry, non-fiction and fiction as well as Nova Scotia Cultural Arts grants for poetry and fiction.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: Anywhere on mainland NS. Visits to Cape Breton will require accommodation. Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction Writing, Young Adult Fiction, Writing Mysteries
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I have taught at the middle school and high school levels in Japan, Kuwait and in Nova Scotia. I also have extensive presentation experience, having appeared at schools as a guest speaker in Kuwait, Ottawa, Toronto, and in the Halifax area over the past two years. I typically run a one hour workshop in which the students create their own mystery applying the techniques that I use as a published author. I provide worksheets that take the students through this process and include additional activities that can be used by the teacher at a later date. Students will also apply their detective skills as we work through some tricky puzzles, riddles and logic problems. That said, I am very flexible regarding the content of the presentation and I am comfortable with groups of up to 40 students.
Special Equipment: LCD projector, projection screen or white board.
About the Author: James Leck has worked as a high school teacher in Canada, Japan, and Kuwait. The Adventures of Jack Lime (Kids Can Press) is the first book in a series of mysteries that will follow his teenage private eye, Jack Lime, as he solves mysteries in the fictional town of Iona. The Adventures of Jack Lime was named as one of the Top Ten First Novels for Youth by Booklist Magazine and is on the shortlist for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Awards for 2012. Currently, James lives in Dartmouth with his wife and two children.
Home Region: Moncton, NB Will travel: anywhere in NS, accommodation required for destinations 3 hours or more from Moncton. Is available for visits: March - June. Full and half day visits
Areas of Expertise: Acadian history and culture, French language, Emily Carr, and environmental issues
Presentation style/workshop ideas: A polished presenter in both languages and a Canada Council Reader, Diane has toured schools in Canada and the United States since 1991. Teachers have used her books to complement their study of the environment, Canadian history, Acadian culture,and Emily Carr. She strives to inspire and to show how to use life's experiences to build a story. Diane has four dynamic presentations that are available in French and English. Special equipment: LCD projector, screen and table. Diane will work with groups of 60 students or less.
"It is the kind of book I wish I had as a child." - Farley Mowat
"...a terrific starting point for a multitude of discussions, both about the environment an about each person's ability to make a difference." - Quill & Quire
"Maxine's Tree will increase awareness of both young and old to various environmental topics." - Canadian Book Review Annual
About the Author: For 20 years, Diane lived in Victoria, British Columbia, where she taught French Immersion and wrote books in both French and English. Upon her arrival on the West Coast, Diane had the incredible luck of living in Emily Carr's home for a year and amazingly, once again for her last year in Victoria. Diane has left the West but a little part of herself stayed behind in the virgin rainforests of Vancouver Island where her family was very involved in saving some of the world's tallest trees. Both experiences inspired her picture books selected for CCBC Our Choice Award.
Diane is now living near her native village, which was called la-butte-à-Pétard before the deportation of 1755. This is also the name of her first book, an award-winning novel which depicted the resistance of her Acadian ancestors who escaped expulsion. The sequels, Retour à la butte à Pétard andÉchos de la butte à Pétard take place in Louisiana and the Maritimes.
Will travel: Kings County only Available: Sept, Oct, April, May & June. Sandra and Ron provide half-day sessions, preferably in the afternoons. They only do sessions together, which means a single booking is invoiced for two half-days. Their Pumpkin People presentation is suggested for September/October and their Apple Blossom Festival presentation is suggested for April/May/June.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 5-10), Picture Books
Presentation style/workshop ideas:
Pumpkin People
Sandra and Ron talk about the Kentville Harvest Festival and the pumpkin people, followed by a reading and discussion of their picture book, PumpkinPeople. They can demonstrate how to make a pumpkin person using cornstalks (when available). The completed cornstalk skeleton will be left with the school for students to dress and add a head. Teachers may wish to provide a pumpkin head, clothes for dressing and straw (or newspapers) for stuffing the pumpkin person skeleton. Alternatively, Ron can create a sketch of a character from Pumpkin People if a flip chart with paper is provided. Pumpkin People colouring pages will be made available for the teacher to photocopy.
Apple Blossom Festival
Sandra and Ron talk about the history of the Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival, followed by a reading of their ballad My Apple Blossom Friend. This ballad is the text for a proposed picture book and the lyrics for a song. Sandra and Ron will play a CD recording of the song that is sung to the melody of Farewell to Nova Scotia. Preliminary drawings and sample illustrations for this picture book can be shared with students if the host can provide a projector and laptop for a power point presentation. Sandra and Ron will leave a song sheet with music and lyrics to My Apple Blossom Friend.
Please note: Presentations are 45 minutes in length and can include up to 60 students. Sandra & Ron require two tables (each 4 feet wide) for their presentations.
About the Lightburns: When Sandra and Ron moved to Coldbrook in 1997, they learned that autumn not only brought the spectacular colours of fall, it also heralded the arrival of many special visitors to the Town of Kentville for the Harvest Festival. These unusual townsfolk had large orange heads, cornstalk bones and lots of personality! Sandra and Ron had discovered the annual gathering of the Pumpkin People. When they saw hundreds of these fun figures cavorting throughout the town, they knew they had moved to their kind of place! And as they saw the Pumpkin People reappear from year to year, Sandra couldn't help wondering what they did at night while the town slept. This question inspired her to write the story, Pumpkin People. Ron’s colourful illustrations bring this secret world to life. And there is a special section at the back of the book to teach pumpkin fans how to build their own pumpkin person.
Home Region: Chignecto-Central Will travel: throughout NS Available: Sept - Dec
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (14 years +)
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Linda’s fiction workshops and presentations include lively readings and discussions. Participants talk about the process of imagining, understanding and writing a character. Most sessions will include a chat, an exercise and a short reading.
About the Author: Linda Little has written two award-winning novels, Strong Hollow and Scotch River, both of which are popular with high school audiences. Both novels are set in rural Nova Scotia and they can make you think about your own life here. Linda has worked with students of all ages and currently teaches composition and literature at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. She lives and writes in River John.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: within HRM, Chignecto-Central & South Shore Is available for visits: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 13+), Playwriting & Screenwriting
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Josh is deeply encouraging to students -- "If I can do it, then absolutely, so can you! You CAN follow a life in the arts!" Josh will engage students in a fun, free-range and interactive discussion about creative writing and the storytelling process, as well as present A/V selections from his own work. Special Equipment: Josh needs a television, DVD player and a working remote control. He brings material that requires a small amount of photocopying on the day of the visit. Josh prefers working with groups of no more than 30 students.
About the Author: Josh loves to talk about creative writing with students of any age, and with junior high & high school students in particular. Josh grew up in the N.S. school system (he attended Oxford School & QEHS) and discovered his love for storytelling via supportive teachers and programs similar to WITS! An award-winning short-fiction writer by 16, Josh grew up to be a professional writer & actor for stage, film and television. Josh is a lively and engaging speaker (and a recognizable performer from his acting work). Josh has been a playwriting instructor at Dalhousie University, NSCAD and Neptune Theatre. Josh’s feature-length movies FAITH, FRAUD & MINIMUM WAGE (a comedy-drama based on his play HALO, and featuring stars from Superbad, Zach & Miri..., 24 and Picnicface) and THE CORRIDOR ( horror-thriller featuring stars from The Tudors, Haven and Hobo With A Shotgun) both debuted on screens in 2010.
Will travel: within Cape Breton and Strait Regional School Boards
Available: April - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: fiction writing, history and folklore, non-fiction writing, as well as some experience with playwriting and screenwriting
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Paul is interested in talking to students that have an interest in writing either as a career or purely for the love of it, as a hobby as he does. He will begin by explaining how he came to become a published author with a recent Nova Scotia best selling book about boxing entitled Distinction Earned. He will then discuss with the students the methods he uses to write both nonfiction and fiction and how to go about getting things published.
He will also discuss how to go about getting ideas for writing historical work and if there is interest he will also discuss some basic ideas about playwriting. Though not an expert in any one area Paul is enthusiastic and aims to motivate students to actually start writing things down and not just think about doing it.
A computer with internet access and a screen would be useful to have for Paul's presentation but not essential. Paul is willing to travel anywhere in Cape Breton to do student presentations.
About the Author: Paul is the author of Distinction Earned, published by Cape Breton University Press. Paul researched the boxing era in Cape Breton and collected dozens of interviews from participants, enthusiasts and their heirs. The book's title is taken from a citation of Cape Breton boxers at a Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame investiture in 1987. Paul also writes short fiction, plays, book reviews and magazine articles. Paul is a registered microbiologist and an instructor in the Health Studies dept at Cape Breton University and encourages his students to pursue writing opportunities wherever they may arise.
Will travel: thoughout NS, overnight accommodation required for drives over 300km from the Mahone Bay area.
Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: conventional and alternative medicine
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Heather is comfortable with all ages and class sizes. She will customize her presentation to match curriculum outcomes, teacher needs, time available and class size.
For P - 6, Heather typically prefers a 30 minute time slot when she reads "Melvins Balloons". She follow the reading with a question and answer discussion of favorite colors, and the writing process, including the steps from idea to publication. Heather will leave follow-up activities with the classroom teacher. These activities range from coloring a balloon for Melvin, writing a letter to Melvin, or publishing a book review on Melvin's blog or facebook page. All Activities can be found at melvinsballoons.blogspot.com
For older grades, Heather will bring examples of her non-fiction books, magazine articles and blog writing. She will discuss various styles of writing, differences between fiction and no-fiction, and methods of publishing including freelance writing, traditional book publishing, self-publishing and new hybrids developed due to technological advances. These presentations are typically an hour in lenght.
For older grades or motivated groups, Heather provides a 3 hour workshop focues on taking a family story, event, thought, or area of expertise through the writing process. She discusses how to identify whether your story might be developed into a picture book, chapter book, fiction or non-fiction article or book. Heather reviews the steps of researching for submission, writing a query letter, and choosing a publisher.
Based on her non-fiction writing, Heather provides workshops for teachers on emotional healing strategies as an approach to health and wellness.
About the Author: Heather MacKenzie-Carey, the founder of Pixie Dust Healing, comes from a medical background and has worked as a health educator, paramedic, teacher, and in counselling and consulting capacities. Heather is the author of Melvin's Balloons. www.pixiedusthealing.com
"Melvin's Balloons is a burst of colour for the ears, eyes and imagination of kids and grown-ups everywhere. A colourful and touching addition to any home or school library."
- S. Rosborough, Elementary school librarian
Works with grades: Grades 4-7, depending on the book title(s) selected by the teacher
Home Region: Halifax
Will travel: Within 50km of Halifax Is available for visits: Feb - April, half days only (mornings)
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 8-12 for Nine Lives, ages 9-13 for Present Tense, ages 13-14 for Home Truths).
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I’ve visited many schools and libraries since the spring of 2009, in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Newfoundland. In general, I like my sessions to be interactive and flexible, a mix of reading, workshop and Q/A.
Note: I require the studentsto have read at least the first 25 pages of the selected book. The book must be available in the school library (min. 2 copies). While it doesn’t matter if the students have seen the book or not, it should be available in the school library.
I prefer a classroom setting with no more than 35 students and the teacher must be present. I want the teacher to call me at least 10 days beforehand, both to confirm the visit and to discuss current reading and writing activities in the class.
I also want the students to write 3 questions they’d like to ask a “real writer” and bring them to the session.
Presentation: I start with a short reading (a cliff-hanger!).
TheNine Lives of Travis Keating is suitable for grades 4 and 5; I can describe how it came to be written, and do related writing exercises. Present Tense is for grades 5 and 6. It’s always interesting to bring up the issue of a book written from a girl’s point of view, and whether the boys will read it. Again, I can lead various writing exercises. Home Truths is for grade 7. I’ll read, discuss some of the issues, discuss the writing process, getting published, covers, and so on. If writing exercises seem appropriate, I can do those – play it by ear, in other words. And I love to answer questions! I can also do a session on bullying as this is a recurrent theme in all three of my books; the readings ans writing exercises are centered on bullying.
About the Author: Eight years ago, my grandson said to me, “Will you write me a book? With hockey and snowmobiles in it?” “Yes,” I said. Oops, I thought. Where is the blueline? And I don’t even like snowmobiles. The learning curve was like the slopes of Everest; the rejections flew like snowflakes. However, in 2008, The Nine Lives of Travis Keating was finally published. Its sequel, The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy, also set in northern Newfoundland, followed in 2009. Home Truths, which takes place on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, and is told from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old bully, was published in the fall of 2010.
This fall I hope to complete my fourth book, NIx Minus One, written in free verse; like Home Truths, it is also for young adult readers. I’ve not only discovered the pleasures of writing children’s books, I’m rediscovering the delights of reading them. Amazing how a single question can change your life.
Home Region: Annapolis Valley Will travel: within HRM, Annapolis Valley and South Shore Is available for visits: Nov - May
Areas of Expertise: Fiction and non-fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Allison begins by talking about what started her writing. She then compares different writing styles by comparing examples from J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. The students then start writing their own mystery stories, set in their own school. The process is broken down into five separate tasks: allowing sufficient time for the completion of each task, Allison encourages the young writers by coaching with ideas to trigger their imaginations.
Special equipment: Each student will need five loose sheets of paper, something to write with and something to write on. Allison will need a whiteboard, chalkboard or flip chart and something to write on it with.
About the Author: Allison Maher is a former marketing manager for a company that manufactures "spy gear" for police agencies around the world. She now lives on a fruit farm in the Annapolis Valley and has released her first novel, I, The Spy in April 2006. The second book in the series, With My Little Eye, is in the hands of the publisher and the third, Something That Is Red, is in the development stages.
When not farming or writing, Allison is engaged in public speaking and teaches writing classes for grades 3 to 12 and small adult groups. She has been nominated for the 2009 Red Cedar's Reader's Choice Award is on Canadian Geographic's Kayak Magazine Recommended Reading List.
Works with grades: P-6, 10-12 Will travel: within HRM, Chignectto-Central, Annapolis Valley & South Shore. Kathleen prefers not to travel more than one hour from central Halifax. Available: Jan - June. Full and half day visits. Full days are always preferred.
Areas of Expertise: Journalism & Non-fiction Writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas:
P – 2 Sturdy Turtles
Ever wanted to know what makes turtles so sturdy? Curious about the colour of a beaver’s teeth? Kathleen writes non-fiction books for young children. Her presentations are packed full of information about animals and how to write about them. She involves kids in animal-related games and encourages them to use their observational skills to create their own stories. Note: Kathleen requires an open space big enough for the children to spread out comfortably on the floor. IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT read Sturdy Turtles to students before her visit.
High school: Writing to Change the World
Students learn the power of words to make change in the world. Kathleen reads from her book Kamakwie: Finding Peace, Love and Injustice in Sierra Leone (Red Deer Press) and shows slides from her trip to Sierra Leone. She talks about transforming what she found there into a book and the importance of teenagers as agents of change in the world. Note: Kathleen will need an LCD projector. She would also like to have a laptop if possible. (If there isn’t one, she will bring her own.)
“Kamakwie is a wonderful piece of literature that has the ability to touch the hearts and minds of North Americans. It is refreshing to see Ms. Martin translate the lives of youth affected by war in Sierra Leone in such a powerful, yet honest and hopeful manner.”
—Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire
About the Author: Kathleen is a journalist and the author of several non-fiction books for young children and teenagers. Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire calls her most recent book, Kamakwie: Finding Peace, Love and Injustice in Sierra Leone, “powerful, honest and hopeful.” Kathleen is on the jury of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, chairs a panel for Best Books for Kids and Teens, and is on the board of the Ann Connor Brimer Award. She was the Nova Scotia representative for the Canadian Children's Book Centre, has edited children's fiction books for Front Street/Cricket Books in Chicago, and was an acquisitions editor for the Cricket Magazine Group.
Kathleen also writes for adults. She is creativity columnist with ProgressMagazine and was Atlantic correspondent for Marketing Magazine for more than a decade. She edits fiction, poetry and non-fiction books for publishers in Canada and the United States, and has written for a variety of magazines and newspapers. She previously taught communications at Acadia University.
When she isn't freelancing, Kathleen is the executive director of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, which allows her to spend a lot of time learning about, and trying to help, sea turtles, her favourite animals. In 2007, she won the Gold Canadian Environment Award for Conservation.
Books
Building Beavers (Lerner Publishing Group)
Floating Jellyfish (Lerner Publishing Group)
Gentle Manatees (Lerner Publishing Group)
Harp Seals (Lerner Publishing Group)
Kamakwie: Finding Peace, Love and Injustice in Sierra Leone (Red Deer Press)
Soaring Bald Eagles (Lerner Publishing Group)
Sturdy Turtles (Lerner Publishing Group)
Swimming Salmon (Lerner Publishing Group)
Works with grades: 9-12 Will travel: up to 100 km from East Hants, NS Is available for visits: SORRY NOT AVAILABLE FOR 2011/12
Areas of Expertise: Poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Julia prefers to work with adolescents and classes that have already been exposed to poetry. She will use various writing exercises to explore the physicality of language, the associative nature of poetry to promote a better understanding of metaphor. She will discuss with the students their understanding of language in general, and specifically what makes poetry different from prose. It's helpful if participating students have been exposed to some poetry. Paper and pencils are a must.
About the Author: Julia McCarthy is originally from Toronto. Her poetry has appeared in magazines in Canada, the United States and the U.K. She spent a decade outside of Canada living in Alaska and Georgia, as well as Norway and South Africa. She has taught classes on creativity and poetry at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and facilitated poetry workshops for adolescents. Her work has been shortlisted for awards in the United States and Canada.
Works with grades: P-3 Will travel: up to 150 km from HRM and sometimes further Is available for visits: SORRY NOT AVAILABLE FOR 2011/12
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, children’s picture books
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Judith begins by reading Gracie The Public Gardens Duck. She likes to sit with the children, either on the floor or on a small chair where they can all see the book and the pictures. After the reading, the children usually have much to say and the way this proceeds is fairly organic. It is also dependent to some degree on the age of the children.
Generally, discussion topics include: Where do ideas come from? Who does the illustrations? How does a book get made? Ducks, generally! Judith focuses on ideas, where they come from, how to let them develop and the process of writing and turning ideas into stories. It’s helpful if the children are aware of the Public Gardens in Halifax, and perhaps of such features as the Concession Stand, the lake upon which a model Titanic floats, and the fountains.
About the Author: Judith Meyrick has lived and worked in Halifax, NS for many years. She was born in Aotearoa, or New Zealand as it is more commonly called, and left to 'see the world' as young Kiwis are wont to do. However, unlike most, she never returned permanently. She came to Canada to visit friends and stayed, eventually settling in Halifax, where the sea air reminds her of home.
In 2005, Judith took a "Writing for Children" workshop at the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia and discovered her passion for children's writing. She finds children a demanding audience who are quite unafraid to voice what they like or don't like. Reading to them is one of her great joys. Judith is a freelance writer and editor. She writes articles and reviews and is currently working on a novel for 7-11 year olds, and several other shorter works for children. She edits a variety of different writings, including adult manuscripts and other non-fiction works and reports. Gracie The Public Gardens Duck (Nimbus, 2007) is her first published children's book.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: throughout NS. Accommodations and meals may be required for visits to schools located more 2-3 hours outside HRM. Is available for visits: Sept - June. Full days anywhere in NS, half days only in HRM and some areas of South Shore and Chignecto Central.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction (ages 6-10), Non-Fiction (pets, mental health, personal stories, music, agriculture - a wide variety of stories for magazines and radio), French Language, writing comics, freelance writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I offer a range of workshops, depending on grade levels, student interest, and teachers' needs.
For elementary classes, I focus on my work as writer of the “Daisy Dreamer” comic, which appears monthly in Chickadee magazine. I read from a selection of the comics and show the process of making comics from beginning to end (from script to sketches to final art). These sessions typically run 30 minutes to an hour. I also take lots and lots of questions.
With older elementary and junior high classes, I can delve deeper into the process of making a comic. I can also work with students on creating their own comics and characters, and looking at different types of storytelling through comics. These sessions require at least an hour.
In addition to writing “Daisy Dreamer” I am a journalist, a frequent contributor to CBC Radio and have worked in documentary television. I can draw on this experience for junior high and high school classes, doing workshops on storytelling techniques, interviewing people, coming up with ideas, and finding great stories in your community. (These are skills which can be helpful, for instance, for students doing oral history and video projects).
In terms of equipment, I will need an LCD projector that I can plug into my laptop. For sessions on interviewing and oral storytelling, I will also need to be able to connect to a speaker system.
Finally, I am bilingual and can do presentations and workshops in French for immersion classes.
Je suis bilingue, originaire de Montréal, et tous mes ateliers et présentations sont également disponibles en français.
About the Author: I live in Glen Margaret, near Peggy's Cove. I am willing to travel anywhere in the province – in fact, I enjoy the opportunity to visit schools in smaller towns, where students may have less access to local writers than in the larger cities. However, if I am driving more than two and a half hours, I will require a room in a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast, as well as breakfast for the morning of my visit.
I understand that school budgets are tight. If you are not sure whether or not I'll need accommodation to visit your school, please don't hesitate to ask. Alternative arrangements may also be possible. For instance, last year I visited a distant school and we agreed that I would start in the late morning, and do one fewer session than usual. That way I'd be able to do the round-trip in one day.
The maximum number of classes I am willing to see in a full day is 4 or 5 (depending on session length). In smaller elementary schools I'm often asked if I can do 6 or 7 sessions, in order to spend time with all the classes. While I really appreciate that all students will benefit from a writer's visit, I am afraid I simply cannot see that many classes in a day. It's exhausting for me, and it's not fair to the students whose sessions come later in the afternoon.
I also appreciate seeing classes of under 30 students. There is usually a lot of discussion, and – especially in more hands-on sessions – it's great if everyone who wants to has a chance to participate.
If I am going to be discussing the Daisy Dreamer comic, it is helpful (although not essential) if students can have read a few of my comics from Chickadee magazine. Any Daisy Dreamer from 2001 on is fine. I also require an LCD projector that I can hook up to my laptop.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. You can also keep up with my latest projects at www.moscovitch.com.
Works with grades: P-6 Will travel: within 2 hours drive of Halifax.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Equipped with both an Archie the Pit Rat puppet and a rousing theme song, David and Louise introduce themselves to the students and present a reading of the book. David talks a bit about the writing process and why he wrote this book and how the idea came to him; Louise talks about her experience and how she took David’s words and translated them into pictures. While this is going on, Louise is illustrating with the Archie hand puppet which she does throughout the entire presentation, except when David is reading the book itself. The introductions are followed with David’s Archie the Pit Rat theme song which he sings, while accompanying himself on the guitar. David and Louise conclude by answering any questions, rounding out with a final chorus of the song so that the students may end the WITS session by singing along. 2 chairs; with larger groups, a screen and powerpoint projector, and two microphones (although David and Louise could manage with one, if necessary) are needed for their presentation.
Works with grades: P-3 Will travel: HRM only Is available for visits: Jan - June, Nov & Dec
Areas of Expertise: fiction & picture books
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Carrie presents a swashbuckling program for younger students featuring a reading of The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate with some extra “mermaid riddles’ thrown in, along with some fun with pirate vocabulary and storytelling.Characters and setting feature prominently as the class has some fun with making up their own story of smelly pirates and tricky mermaids. The session ends with time for questions.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: anywhere but may need accommodation for drive over 3 hours from South Shore Is available for visits: Oct -March. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: fiction; non-fiction; natural history & the sciences; SCIENCE FICTION and FANTASY; copywriting, media & advertising; blogging
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Nina has taught and mentored students from elementary through to university level. Her style is relaxed and interactive with show and tell props including PowerPoint slide presentation, whiteboard diagrams, published materials, scrapbooks and other curious workshop exercises to elicit student participation. Nina shares her humorous but inspirational story of how she became a successful writer from dreaming of being one at age 10 when she couldn’t spell or read. Nina tailors her workshops to the needs and interests of the class. A long-time writing coach and mentor, who has guided several writers through the process from idea to successful publication, Nina provides workshops on what it means to be a writer, the benefits of writing (whether for publication or for personal use) and elements of craft through lecture and hands-on workshops. Some of her popular workshops include:
The Hero’s Journey: transformation & archetypes
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Building Your Story from Words to Worlds
How Are You Telling Your Story: narrative form and POV
Writing Short Stories: how they differ from the novel and why
10 Commandments of Writing Fiction: 10 key attitudes and activities for success
From Promise to Story: fundamental story structure
Find Your Passion to Write: what does it mean and take to be a writer?
Writer As Hero and Shapeshifter: from sensitive artist to tough marketer
Special Equipment: LCD projector, projection screen, a small table for presentation materials, water. (microphone and amplifier for larger groups and venues like the coliseum... :)
Class Size: under 30 is best; small (15 and under) creates intimacy; but I am comfortable with larger (auditorium-size) sized participation.
About the Author: Nina is an ecologist and internationally published author of five acclaimed science fiction thrillers & fantasy novels, award-winning short stories, essays and a textbook on writing. “Outer Diverse”, the first of her Splintered Universe Trilogy will be released October 2011 and will be launched at Hal-Con in Halifax. Nina has conducted online and on-site writing workshops and coaching throughout North America and Europe for novice to professional writers. Nina taught college and university science and environmental education courses in Vancouver (e.g., UVic, Simon Fraser University, UBC, Douglas College) before moving to the South Shore of Nova Scotia to write and teach writing. She is a strong believer in altruism in nature and advocates conscious stewardship for the environment. A practicing ecologist and environmental consultant, Nina teaches that the principles of altruism form a cornerstone model for our planetary survival. Her SF novels, short stories and articles reflect this message. For more information about Nina visit www.ninamunteanu.com
Home Region: Chignecto-Central Will travel: HRM, Strait & Chignecto-Central within 200 kilometers distance of Tatamagouche Is available for visits: Sept - June but only local schools during the winter months (Dec - March). Full and half day visits (half day visits must be within 1 hours drive of Tatamagouche).
Areas of Expertise: Non-Fiction, natural history and the sciences, personal essays, and radio.
Presentation style/workshop ideas:Grades P-3: Magi leads an interactive discussion about the steps involved in writing nature non-fiction, tailoring her presentation to the audience’s age and illustrating it with a PowerPoint slideshow of Australian wildlife. She reads a captivating Ranger Rick magazine story and encourages questions. If time permits, she leads the students in writing a co-operative fiction story.
Grades 4-6: Magi guides students through a discussion about the parts of a story and the use of specific words to create strong images. She illustrates these topics via readings from her Ranger Rick nature magazine articles. She also conducts times creative writing exercises based on external and internal cues that lead students to link ideas and explore personal responses through fiction and non-fiction writing.
Magi prefers groups of 30 students or less and requires a projector, a whiteboard, pens, and two tables on which to put materials.
About the author: Freelance writer Magi Nams has published dozens of wildlife articles for Ranger Rick magazine as well as poetry, biographical profiles and personal essays for radio. She has conducted workshops foe children and adults throughout Nova Scotia and is the recipient of the National Wildlife Federation’s Trudy Farrand andJohn Strohm Magazine Writing Award. Magi is currently working on two travel memoirs — one about New Zealand and the other about Australia — and a science/romance novel set in the Yukon, Toronto and Edmonton.
Home Region: Annapolis Valley Will travel: Mark is willing to travel throughout NS . Mark does not own a car, so schools must make travel arrangements. Mark is happy to ride share with teachers or others passing through Woldfville on the way to a school. Mark is also willing to be billeted and will even sleep on the couch. Travel costs incured must be paid for by the school.
Available: Sept - June. Full and half day bookings.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, natural history and the sciences, comic book/graphic novel writing and illustration.
Presentation style/workshop ideas:
Mark gives a talk about how comics and graphic novels are made, and what it's like to work as a writer and illustrator of comics.
Mark will perform a drawing workshop where he will teach some of the basics of how anybody can draw comics and manga characters. Mark will then do a reading of his work and show paintings and drawings that he brings with him. Marks presentations work best wit a single class so that all students can get close enough to see the work (35 students max. please).
About the author: Mark Oakley has lived all over Eastern Canada, Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario and now in Nova Scotia. He currently lives in Wolfville, where he runs a small one-person comics and illustration studio. He has published many comics and graphic novels over the years, the largest project of which is a long-running fantasy-adventure series for all ages, Thieves & Kings. Filling now six graphic novel volumes, Thieves & Kings is available in libraries, comics shops and book stores all across North America. When he moved to Wolfville in 2003, Mark got involved with the town community and began publishing a short comic strip for the well-circulated town newsletter, "The Grapevine". From his days working as a camp councilor to now, Mark has taught countless hundreds of kids all kinds of things about comics and story-telling.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: within HRM, Annapolis Valley, Tri-County, South Shore and Chignecto-Central (as far as Truro only).
Available: April - June. Full and half day visits. Half day visits must be within the Halifax metro area (incl. Dartmouth, Bedford, Sackville), all schools outside this area must request a full day. Accommodation and meals may be required when several hours of driving is required to reach the school. Please discuss travel arrangements with Mike.
Areas of Expertise: History and folklore, Mi’Kmaq culture
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Mike's program focuses on heritage slide show talks comprised of rare archival images compiled from his books and experience as a historical researcher. Visit http://www.smu.ca/gri/mparker for complete details.
While presentation content is subject to change, two popular topics currently available provide students with the opportunity to see and hear about 19th century Mi'kmaq hunting and fishing guides who forged the beginnings of Nova Scotia tourism (Guides of the North Woods); or Canada's W.W. II merchant seamen in the Battle of the Atlantic (Running the Gauntlet ; Fortress Halifax ). Mike's goal is to remove the stigma that history is dry and boring by emphasizing 3-Es: entertaining, educational material combined with encouragement for classroom audiences to learn more about their rich heritage.
Mike is comfortable working with groups of almost any size provided everyone is comfortably seated. Please note: a half day includes 2 one hour talks and a full day includes 3 one hour talks.
Specific requirements: LCD projector, lectern, suitable viewing venue.
About the Author: Mike Parker has been called Nova Scotia's Storyteller - a reference to the diversity of themes covered in his numerous books of popular history. In addition to personal research and writing, Mike contracts assignments and speaking engagements through Old Days-Old Ways Heritage Programs & Services.
Works with grades: P-12 Will travel: Throughout NSI
Is available for visits: SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 2011/12 WITS PROGRAM
Areas of Expertise: Magazine writing (features on various topics and travel writing); fiction; poetry; scriptwriting for videos
Presentation style/workshop ideas: It's been said that Sandra Phinney can find a story in a stump. She's written hundreds of magazine articles, tons of scripts for videos and two books. One of the techniques she uses for both her fiction and non-fiction is a tool called "clustering". She loves to teach students how to cluster and from this, they come up with some amazing tales. Her sessions focus on finding the "story" and discovering how to give the story a pulse and make it jump off the page. For younger classes, she gets them to cluster verbally or by drawing pictures to tell their stories. She often brings a surprise bag of small inventions related to the book she wrote about inventors, and she also likes to talk about what she learned writing Pierre Elliott Trudeau: The Prankster Who Never Flinched. With high school students, Sandra helps explore opportunities open to them, related to the writing profession.Students should have plenty of paper and pencils for writing exercises.
About the Author: Sandra writes from her perch overlooking the Tusket River in Yarmouth county, NS. Her articles have appeared in over 60 Canadian and American magazines including AAA Living, Open To The World, Saltscapes, iQ Magazine, VIA Destinations, GoMedia, Imperial Oil Review, Atlantic Business Magazine and the European Reporter. Her cover stories and profiles span the worlds of business, lifestyle and travel to name a few. She's created short documentaries for CBC radio; writes advertorial copy, brochures, and web content for a variety of corporate clients; does script writing for videos; and pens a cooking column for The Atlantic Cooperator.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: within HRM and the South Shore (especially her hometown of Bridgewater!)
Is available for visits: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: journalism, non-fiction writing, poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: As a columnist for the Chronicle Herald, Megan contributes book reviews of Atlantic and Canadian novels. In classroom presentations, students will practice writing critical opinion pieces on books of their choice and learn interviewing techniques.
About the Author: Megan Power is a columnist for the Chronicle Herald and freelance writer for a variety of publications including Arts East and Inside Business. Megan has an MA in Creative Writing from Trinity University.
Works with grades: 3-12 Will travel: Within 100 km of Wolfville
Available: SORRY, NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 2011/12 WITS PROGRAM
Areas of Expertise: Poetry, fantasy, grammar
Presentation style/workshop ideas: With younger students, Heather begins by reading some foot-stomping poetry, which she follows by reading from her fantasy trilogy (a work in progress), and concludes by demonstrating how they can write their own fantasy complete with illustrations, maps and that most useful invention - the paratext. As a past creative writing professor, she can also suggest some great writing exercises.
For older students, she likes to read poetry and discuss how poetry works, and to answer questions about writing, publishing, collaboration and the writing life. She is also happy to read and discuss how to write fantasy. She is also very open to adapting her sessions based on specific discussions with the teachers about the needs of their students, including that pesky grammar.
About the Author: Heather Pyrcz was born in B.C. and raised in Ottawa, Whitehorse and Churchill. She received a B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of Alberta, and an M.A. in English Literature from Acadia University. She has taught grades 2-6 and was an instructor and faculty consultant for the University of Alberta. A mother of two, she has spent the last 20 years with her family in Wolfville, where she taught creative writing and introductory English part time at Acadia University. Gaspereau Press has published three of her books of poetry, Town Limits, Nights on Prospect Street and Viaticum. She has also published A Digital History of Canadian Poetry for the League of Canadian Poets' website, and two books from Oxford University Press: The Canadian Oxford Guide to Writing 2nd Editionwith Thomas Kane (2008), and Writing with Style (2010).
Home Region: Cape Breton Will travel: within Cape Breton and Strait Regions, further if accommodations are arranged. Aavailable: All months except November. Full and half days.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, non-fiction, Poetry, Editing and Publishing, Science fiction & Fantasy
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Sherry usually does a PowerPoint presentation for grades P-3 entitled "Where do books come from?" This includes a brief storytelling session. She also does an interactinve session with students where they brainstorm a story idea from student ideas, talk about how to build interesting stories and the different stages of writing. Sherry calls this "100 Ideas in an Hour". She also does a presentation, "Writing Outside the Box", which revolves around writing speculative fiction and poetry -- definitions of "speculative", finding ideas, and what makes a "good" story.
For elementary grades Sherry can manage two classes together (if they are not too large); for junior high and high school she prefers no more than one class at a time.
About the Author: Sherry D. Ramsey writes speculative fiction for both adults and young adults, has been the Editor/Publisher of The Scriptorium Webzine for Writers for over ten years, and is one of the founding editors of Third Person Press. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in publications such as Thoughtcrime Experiments, Neo-Opsis, On Spec, Oceans of the Mind, Destination: Future and Astropoetica. Her Third Person Press projects include the anthologies Undercurrents (2008) and Airborne (coming in October 2010).
When she's not actually writing, Sherry moderates her local writers' group, participates in a vibrant writing community in the virtual world of Second Life, and sometimes even spends time with her husband and two children at their home in Cape Breton. Every November she disappears into the strange realm of National Novel Writing Month and emerges gasping at the end, clutching something resembling a novel.
A member of the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia Writer’s Council, this year Sherry is also serving as Vice-President and webmaster for SF Canada, Canada's national association for Speculative Fiction Professionals.
Home Region: South Shore Will travel: any school in the South Shore Regional School Board Available: Sept - June. Full days only; The In The News program takes place over several weeks with at least three visits to the school. This counts as one full day. One class per program.
Areas of Expertise: Non-Fiction, writing for newspaper and the web, Media literacy
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Students learn about media by creating their own newspaper and publishing it for a large, appropriate audience via their community newspaper and website. They also share via a blog and some classes create a video.
120-minute program launch on Day 1 of program
60-minute check-in/update session on Day 2 of the program
30-minute review, wrap-up and delivery of newspapers on Day 3 of the program
* The three sessions, and other interaction during the program, are all counted as one day.
In The News
Tim works in conjunction with Lighthouse Media Group (publishers of the Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin newspaper and Southshorenow.ca website) to offer South Shore Regional School Board Gr. 6 classes the opportunity to produce their own student newspapers that are published as two-page spreads in the Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin and on Southshorenow.ca to an audience of approximately 20,000. Students also chart their progress in the program via a blog and some classes produce a video at the end of the program.
The program is launched with an introduction to media literacy in which students trace the evolution of media and deconstruct their community newspaper. The class then works to create an outline of potential articles, stories and photographs for their own newspaper reflecting their own lives, schools and communities.
Following the initial visit, students work on their chosen assignments in preparation for Tim's second visit several days later. The articles are then completed over another few days and submitted to Lighthouse for publication. The program concludes with the students being presented with their own copies of the local newspaper that includes their student newspaper. The program takes place over a two or three-week period, depending on the schedule of the teacher.
About the Author: Tim works in conjunction with Lighthouse Media Group (publishers of the Bridgewater Bulletin, Lunenburg Progress Enterprise and Southshorenow.ca) to offer South Shore Regional School Board Gr. 6 classes the opportunity to produce their own student newspapers that are published as two-page spreads in the Bulletin, Progress Enterprise and Southshorenow.ca to an audience of approximately 20,000.
Home Region: Tri-County Will travel: Anywhere in NS except Cape Breton
Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Journalism
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Darcy will do readings, presentations on the writing process and the writing life, fiction and non-fiction workshops, as well as performing radio plays with help from the students. Darcy works with groups of up to 100 students.
About the Author:I write fiction for adults and kids, non-fiction for magazines and web sites as well as plays for stage and radio. I’m the author of Conductor of Waves, stories suitable for grades 7-12. I’ve written two novels for young readers. One is a fantasy novel set in Halifax for kids grades 3-6. The other is realism for readers grades 7-9. I’m a professional travel writer and a columnist for Saltscapes magazine and for the web site Life As A Human. My readings and workshops are lively, fun and engaging. I know kids and the classroom very well; after earning graduate degrees in Education and Literature, I taught in the public school system and worked at the Department of Education. For over a decade, I’ve been teaching graduate courses in the Faculty of Education at Mount St. Vincent on topics like reading, writing, literacy and popular culture. In fall 2011, I have a new book of short stories coming out called Holidays, all set on various holidays throughout the year.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: anywhere in NS Available: Sept - June. Full and half days.
Areas of Expertise: fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I offer a very relaxed and friendly presentation involving readings, discussion, display of folk art, Q&A and so on. I engage with students in a highly energetic and enjoyable fashion. Lots of fun for everyone!
About the Author: I write much the way I live, somewhere in the foggy world between fantasy and reality. I love the ocean and the earth and peoples’ cultures everywhere and all the interesting bits of information that make life so interesting to read about. Travelling around the world, then writing stories, then making them into books, then presenting them to students in schools is simply the best job in the world. Nova Scotia is probably the best place in the world to live. I’m from Antigonish.
Areas of Expertise: picture book illustration,painting & drawing, black history, history and folklore, natural history and the sciences,
Presentation style/workshop ideas: I introduce myself as an artist and children’s picture book illustrator who is also an author. The focus of my presentation is visual art so I start by quickly showing some of my paintings of places I’ve painted in Nova Scotia where I live, and a few photos. I then move into the book I am there to discuss and introduce it with a short talk in words and pictures about the real story behind the book, generally based upon my own research for the illustrations, or in writing it. I then begin to read from the book. I read a page of the story, with the illustration on display. Then I talk about the part of the real story that page is about, and show some of the information and pictures I’ve gathered from my research. I show the work it takes to create the illustrations and talk about the process for each one with sketches, drawings, and the final painting. I explain the reasons I painted each illustration the way I did and how it relates to the story. After reading the book, questions are welcomed and answered. Finally, I talk about the ways there are to get ideas for writing and/or making pictures, and I do a creative exercise with the children. The Squiggle Game for young ones is about stimulating visual imagination and for the older children an exercise in drawing from memory or imagination, from a photograph and from life.
Illustrate and make picture books with your own stories. I provide input and direction into picture book illustration and the process of producing a book. I show samples of my art and discuss what it takes to be a successful artist. I explain the steps in illustrating a picture book,, and how to research and develop illustration ideas for their stories. I demonstrate how to design and layout their books using computer-generated text and colour photocopies.
“My Own Story in Words and Pictures”. The children tell their own story in words and pictures by reading, writing and making art. Children write poems, descriptions and stories about a number of subjects found in their neighbourhood and do drawings, paintings, collages, clay models and so on about each subject. Finally, pages are assembled into books and each student does a presentation on their book.
Comic booking – students write and illustrate their own story set in the far-flung future.
About the Author/Artist: I am an artist, an author, and an award winning children’s picture book illustrator.
I paint acrylic landscapes plein air and in-studio, as well as many commissions. I am especially interested in historical material, picture book illustration and portraiture. I completed a commission for the Royal Canadian Navy for their 100th anniversary, and just finished illustrating a story I wrote, The Christmas Dollhouse (Nimbus, publication pending November, 2011). I recently organized a one week trip to paint Sable Island with a group of ten artists.
I give private classes and workshops in painting and drawing, and enjoy working with school children. In May, 2011, I presented my book, Viola Desmond Won’t be Budged (Groundwood, 2010), to 2000 school children over three days at Saskatoon Literacy for Life Conference.
I am a member of CANSCAIP, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia, PAINTS, ArtSmarts, and Visual Arts Nova Scotia. I live and work with my artist wife, Susan Tooke, at Elm Street Studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. www.richardrudnicki.com
Home Region: Chignecto-Central Will travel: throughout NS Available: Oct, Nov, March - May. Full and half day visits. Overnight accommodation would be nice if traveling over two hours each way. Norene has friends around the province who are often willing to put her up for the night depending on location.
Areas of Expertise: fiction writing, children’s and young adult fiction
Presentation style/workshop ideas: All presentations promote reading and writing. Norene has years of experience teaching writing and working within the writing and publishing industry. She enjoys working with children and students, helping them tell their stories.
P – 6: Fiction – Discussions about where ideas come from; background of some of her own stories and how they changed from the original idea to their published form; what makes a good story; what makes characters come alive and makes us care about them; importance of students’ own stories.
7 – 12: Writing Workshop – All aspects of writing including developing characters, structure, conflict and tension, revision and marketing work. MINIMUM HALF DAY SESSIONS RECOMMENDED.
For Norene's presentation, she will need a large flip pad, stand and markers, or a black board/white board, paper/pencils for students to write, table for display, water. Norene is flexible on group size, depending on ages – please discuss this with her before the visit.
About the Author: After a number of years working with geriatrics and mentally handicapped children, Norene changed direction in the 1980's to focus primarily on the book industry. She has been a bookseller, editor, writer, teacher, book reviewer, book publisher, publicist, event organizer and cultural administrator. Norene is based in Pugwash.
Works with grades: 4-12 Will travel: Fara is able to travel throughout Nova Scotia from her home-base in Dartmouth, but if distance requires an overnight stay, the school must arrange for and provide accommodation. Available: unknown for 2011
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, history, playwriting, building your own writer’s Tool Kit
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Fara, who has worked extensively as a teacher, spends her sessions working with students to build a personal writer’s tool kit. She guides students through fun, educational and creative exercises that help build a writer’s notebook that can be used long after her visit. She focuses on seeing, hearing and even smelling the way a writer sees, hears and smells. From time to time, she may bring a live model to help with descriptive writing. Smiles are required for this engaging workshop.If possible, students can bring a notebook or journal, some favourite photos (either personal or from magazines) and coloured pens/markers. Familiarity with Fara’s book, Black Water Born, is a plus.
About the Author: Newfoundland born Fara Spence is the author of two books, That Hurt Thing (Hawk Publishing) and Black Water Born (Breakwater Books). She lived in Midwestern US for nearly a decade where she worked as a Special Education teacher for incarcerated youth. With a background in journalism, Spence has been a reporter, columnist, and research writer. She is also a playwright, with seven produced plays, including the controversial drama, 'The Error of Her Ways.'
She is pursuing a Masters of Literacy at Mount St. Vincent, and working on a third novel about Newfoundland's entry into confederation with Canada. Spence currently lives in Dartmouth with her daughter Krista, two dogs, and a very fat cat.
Works with grades: 4-12 Will travel: throughout Nova Scotia
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, Acadian culture, history and folklore, natural history and the sciences
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Depending on the age group of students and program needs of the teacher, Deborah will provide an interactive workshop (for smaller groups) designed to focus on tapping into students' innate creative energies through connections with the natural world. Deborah uses techniques and ideas found in Imagination in Action (2007), both from her own essay contribution and those of other contributors to this volume. For older groups (8-12), and for larger size audiences where workshop format will not work, her presentation will involve multi-media/props and lecture and feature one of three themes: rural politics (drawing from either the Atlantic Canada region, or eastern Europe, the latter the subject of her poetry collection, Movement Catalogued); the "Creativity of Cookery," (from Imagination in Action); or the "Frankness of Farming" (a humourous, fact-filled and poetry-rich exploration of farming today, drawing on Stiles' current essay work).
About the Author: Deborah Stiles was born and raised in Appalachia, in West Virginia, but found herself moving northward in 1988. A graduate of the University of Maine's M.A. in Creative Writing in 1990 with the thesis No Curtains on These Windows (a collection of short stories), she has published poems, short stories, agriculture and cooking articles, and scholarly articles in a wide variety of journals in Canada and the U.S.
Will travel: within HRM, Chignecto-Central, Annapolis Valley and South Shore (no more than 200km from Dartmouth). Accommodation may be required for visits requiring a 3+ hour drive. Available: April - June 2012. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, folklore, families and cultures, helping children collect and write their own family stories.
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Deannie's treasure box, full of “story catchers,” inspires collecting and re-telling family, community and/or cultural stories. Deannie explores the multi-faceted values and techniques of interviewing and historical research. She shows the children how to tell or write their own family and/or community stories and how the process relates to the curriculum that they are experiencing in school. Deannie holds ½ or full day family/cultural writing or presentation workshops* with grade 3-5’s who have previously conducted their own familial/cultural/historical research. Note: prior to the Family or Cultural workshops, Deannie provides information sheets to the teachers to aid the children in collecting their own family stories, pictures and/or cultural/historical research.
Deannie prefers working with groups of 20-30 students.
About the Author: Deannie’s works are inspired byher own family stories! Her picture book, Johnny and the Gipsy Moth, retells the most thrilling event of her young father’s life. Making Tracks, a song from her family musical, Times Shadows, was recorded for Sesame Street and starred her daughter, Maryanna. In the works, Johnny’s adventures continue in Johnny and Guard Go to School, as Johnny’s first days at school are enlivened by surprise visits from his amazing dog, Guard; Between the Winds is the first draft of her young adult novel inspired by her grandfather’s stow-away adventure to tropical Brazil. Deannie is currently writing her Master’s thesis, “Plants, Poultices, Patent Medicine and Pills: the Home Medicine of Rose Blanche, Newfoundland.”
Will travel: within HRM, Chignecto-Central, Annapolis Valley and the South Shore Is available for visits: Jan - Dec. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Black history, fiction writing, history & folklore, journalism, non-fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Jon offers a range of presentations or workshops, or a combination of the two. His talks cover the Halifax Explosion through his novel, Black Snow, Africville through his biography The Hermit of Africville, and writing in general through his career as a writer and journalist. The workshop section gets students started on historical fiction by showing a scene from a documentary and having the kids imagine themselves into it.
Photographs and a short film accompany the presentation, so speakers and a projector connectable to a laptop or thumbdrive are required. For preparation, it is helpful if the students are offered a brief refresher in the Halifax Explosion and Africville before the presentation and asked to think about questions.
About the Author: Jon Tattrie is a journalist and author based in Halifax. He writes for the Chronicle-Herald, Metro Canada, CBC.ca and numerous other publications. He has written two Chronicle-Herald best-sellers: Black Snow, a novel set in the Halifax Explosion, and The Hermit of Africville, a biography of 40-year Africville protester Eddie Carvery.
In 2009, Jon spent Christmas at the Airport, a live writing project that captured national attention, including front-page articles on the Globe and Mail and the Chronicle Herald.
After graduating from Dalhousie University in 1999, Jon got on a plane for Europe, where he spent the next seven years. Mostly based in Scotland, he travelled across the continent and into Asia and Africa, working in an emergency shelter for homeless men in Ireland, as a shrine-cleaner in a Buddhist monastery in England and as the only vegetarian cook on the Isle of Iona.
Since moving home, he’s sweated in a Mi’kmaq lodge, sailed a tall ship and squared up with the Maritime’s Toughest Man. He survived, and is happy to talk about the experience. www.jontattrie.ca
Will travel: within 100 km drive of Halifax Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Picture books, Illustration, black history, history & folklore, natural history & the sciences, non-fiction writing
Presentation style/workshop ideas:I am an illustrator and writer of picture books: I am the co-creator of picture books…imagine a picture book without pictures!
Research is a crucial part of my work. Every word in the manuscript requires thoughtful interpretation. I visually create the characters, settings, and emotions, telling the story in a way that words alone cannot.
Visual literacy is important to understanding the world around us…we are surrounded by images through media and our every day lives. From the ancient cave paintings in France to modern graphic novels, understanding visual symbols and their importance in communication is basic to perceiving our world.
Through audio-visual presentation, I will explain how my picture books are created, and work with the teachers to tailor my presentation to the individual needs of the classroom. During my talk we will visit through photographs and paintings the real life places that inspired the illustrations, and we will meet the models and see how their work helped me to created my illustrations. I will speak to the students about the research necessary to create pictures that authentically reflect the locations of the book.
If students are currently working on their own stories, I will answer questions regarding their own work.
Please note: I would like to have an lcd projector available, with extension cords, screen, and a dedicated room which can be darkened so students can see the projections. I do not want to travel between classrooms due to all of the visuals I bring with me.
About the Author/Illustrator: From Boston to Fogo Island to Sable Island I have found the settings for my illustrations: icebergs, puffins, whales and wild horses, bustling cities, quiet villages and dramatic landscapes. A Fiddle for Angus and Full Moon Rising are explorations of our musical and farming heritage. On Sable Island (Free as the Wind), I found the story of saving the island’s wild horses. In Newfoundland I found images for Brave Jack and the Unicorn. In New Brunswick with F is for Fiddlehead I discovered more wonderful people and places. Up Home was published in May of 2008 and was a double winner at the Atlantic Book Awards in April, (the Best Published Book Award and the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Illustration). B is for Bluenose: A Nova Scotia Alphabet is my first book that I both wrote and illustrated. It gave me the opportunity to celebrate a number of the wonderful, remarkable things about our province.
I have worked with amazing writers including Budge Wilson, Joanne Taylor, Janet McNaughton and Shauntay Grant and am the creator of nine picture books. www.susantooke.com
Works with grades: P - 12 Will travel: throughout NS Available: Jan - June, Sept, Nov, Dec, Tuesdays & Thursdays preferred.
Areas of Expertise: Journalism, freelance writing, broadcast journalism (radio and television), political reporting
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Megan believes in tailoring her workshop to the specific needs of the classroom. Her aim is to help kids understand the basics of news writing
and reporting. Whether she is working with elementary schools kids on the basics of understanding a newspaper or working with a high school newspaper on research skills and getting to the heart of a story, she finds issues that are relevant to the kids and helps them craft their own stories. Megan’s workshops can cover topics like: understanding a newspaper, basic
news writing (what makes a story newsworthy, writing a headline, writing a good lead line, interviewing skills), advanced news writing (getting to the heart of a story, interview techniques, getting a good quote), research skills, basic broadcast journalism, telling a story, and journalism as a career choice (what a career in journalism looks like, the changing face of media, differences between print and broadcast, staff position versus freelancing). Megan is also happy to work with school newspaper and yearbook staff, as well as journalism classes, to revitalize and existing publication or start a new one.
About the Author: Ever looked at the reporters on TV and wondered how they got there? Megan
Venner did. Now, after 15 years reporting for radio, television and magazines, she
can tell you. Megan turned her natural curiosity in to a nose for news and has spent
countless hours reporting on everyone from athletes to musicians to politicians and
even the Queen. She has worked in newsrooms all over the country and now writes
freelance from her Annapolis Valley home.
Works with grades: 2-12 Will travel: to most areas of NS (driver must be arranged)
Available: Sept - June
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, storytelling, history and folklore
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Steve has been telling his stories and writing fiction for nearly twenty years, and is used to working with many age groups. As a rule, he uses his storytelling techniques and high energy presentation to teach children about the basics of writing and storytelling. His sessions demonstrate the story arc, the writer’s voice and point of view, descriptive techniques, and simple imaginative hands-on workshop skills. Steve likes to entertain, educate and leave students with a groundwork of practical information they can use to tell stories, write papers, write fiction and enjoy the good old-fashioned art of communication. At the end of one of Steve’s workshops, the students all want to write.
For Steve's presentations, he will need something to write on (flip chart or blackboard) and enough room to move around as he tells his stories. He’s not what you’d describe as a sedate storyteller.
About the Author: Born in the woods of the North Canadian Shield and living in Nova Scotia for the last 35 years, Steve Vernon learned the story telling tradition from his grandfather. He has read on CBC radio, Breakfast Television, Global Noon and at schools and libraries across Nova Scotia. Steve's high voltage storytelling production, Word of Mouth, was written under the auspices of the now dissolved Nova Scotia Arts Council and presented two years running at the Halifax Fringe Festival.
Steve is Nova Scotia’s most entertaining writer and collector of ghost stories – and I guarantee that even the most relaxed student is going to sit up and listen when they find out that a writer of ghost stories and horror fiction is in the classroom. Steve's energetic and down-to-earth approach towards teaching storytelling and writing reaches school kids from grades 2 to 12. They listen and enjoy and ultimately learn from his entertaining presentations.
Steve has written several ghost story collections for regional publisher Nimbus – including the bestselling Halifax Haunts: Exploring the City’s Spookiest Spaces – as well as a very popular novel for young readers Sinking Deeper and a children’s picture book Maritime Monsters. Steve has a brand new ghost story collection coming out in the fall of 2011 entitled The Lunenburg Werewolf And Other Stories of the Supernatural.
Home Region: HRM Will travel: throughout Nova Scotia
Available: Sept - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, non-fiction, writing for children
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Alice's workshops are a mixture of discussion and hands-on writing. She will talk about finding ideas and show how ideas and real life experiences can be transformed into fictional stories. She will discuss how to create unique and unforgettable characters and their importance to the story. She will also explore the elements that make up a picture book, short story or novel.A white board or flip chart will be necessary for Alice's presentation.
About the Author: Alice Walsh writers fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Her published work includes eight books for children and young adults. Most of her work has won or has been nominated for literary awards, including Pomiuk; Prince of the North (Beach Holme), which won the 2005 Ann Connor Brimer award. Her books have been translated into French, German and Braille. Alice's most recent book, A Gift of Music, was published in 2010. Her mystery novel, Analyzing Sylvia Plath will be released in the spring of 2012.
Alice has degrees in English and criminology, and a master's degree in children's literature. She has taught creative writing through continuing education in Halifax schools and Mount Saint Vincent University. She has participated in various festivals, including the Labrador Creative Arts Festival and the Newfoundland Winter set in Summer Festival. In 2007, she was writer in residence at Terra Nova National Park. She lives in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Works with grades: 3-12 Will travel: throughout NS
Areas of Expertise: Journalism, freelance writing, magazine writing, theatre and book reviewing
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Everybody can write. Kate really believes this and she wants young people to believe this about themselves. She has followed a somewhat non-traditional route to her present role as theatre critic, columnist and reporter at several of HRM's weekly papers, and will share some of the tricks of the trade she's learned along the way. She will spend some time describing effective interview techniques, and give students a chance to try them out on a partner. She'll also answer questions about breaking into the freelance writing industry. Paper and writing materials are necessary for Kate's presentation.
About the Author: Kate Watson is a freelance writer. She is the theatre critic for Halifax's alternative weekly newspaper The Coast. She is also a columnist and reporter for the Dartmouth/Cole Harbour and Halifax/Clayton Park weeklies.
She has written pieces for Our Children, Rural Delivery, Our Times, and Halifax Magazine, among others. She frequently does book reviews for Atlantic Books Today.
Kate also writes poetry and fiction, and has had her poems published in Ascent Aspirations and Regina Weese. She has a short story coming out in A Maritime Christmas being published by Nimbus in the fall of 2008.
Home Region: Annapolis Valley/Tri-County and Chignecto-Central in May & June
Available: Sept - June. Half day visits only, afternoons only.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction, journalism, playwriting and screenwriting, poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Drawing on his experience teaching English and creative writing at various universities, Darryl’s workshops combine readings with demonstrations on writing dialogue, character and metaphor. His screenwriting sessions involve clips from a variety of movies, online writing links and writing challenges/assignments. With fiction and drama sessions, he capitalizes on his books of fiction, discussing fundamental narrative lessons: What is a story? What are the ingredients of a story? His past experience with New Media have also led him to create a session that focuses on narrative – from comic books to fiction to screenwriting – and the creation of school-specific blogs with helpful writing links. Darryl will need a monitor, DVD play and working counter/chapter navigator for his workshop.
Teachers must remain in the classroom and maintain discipline. Please make sure there is paper and a digital projector on hand.
About the Author: Darryl Whetter is the author of two books of fiction. His collection of stories, A Sharp Tooth in the Fur, was named to The Globe and Mail's Top 100 Books of 2003. His debut novel, The Push & the Pull, was released in Spring 2008. He has published fifteen stories in journals and anthologies, including Best Canadian Stories, The Fiddlehead, PRISM, Prairie Fire, The New Quarterly and Coming Attractions. Darryl holds a PhD in English and has published or presented papers on contemporary literature in France, Sweden, Canada, Germany, the United States, India and Iceland. Nearly 100 of his commissioned book reviews have appeared in venues such as The Toronto Star, The National Post, The Vancouver Sun, The Montreal Gazette, The Globe and Mail, Detroit's Metro Times and Amazon.ca. Darryl Whetter has been a professor of English and creative writing at various universities in Canada. He contributes regularly to CBC Radio's Talking Books and has a piece forthcoming in the McSweeney's magazine The Believer. www.darrylwhetter.ca
Works with grades: P-6 Will travel: Anywhere in NS, except for December when she will visit HRM schools only and when weather and road conditions permit. Private overnight accommodations will be required if a school is located 200+ kilometers from home in Portuguese Cove.
Available: Sept - Dec, April - June. Full and half day visits (prefers mornings for half days).
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing for children, Picture books, Poetry, Illustration
Presentation style/workshop ideas: My classroom sessions are one hour in length. A full day consists of three sessions and a half day consists of two sessions. I prefer that half days be done in the morning.
In each session, the content is adjusted to take into consideration the ages and interest levels of the children attending. All sessions, however will include:
- interactive discussion
-storytelling segment
- visual displays
- readings from the works
- question and answer session
There is no special preparation required by teachers in advance of my visit. I prefer to introduce the books to the children myself. Post presentaton, teachers often find that the children wish to discuss what they have seen and heard, and they are often inspired to create and illustrate stories of their own as a result.
Regarding equipment, my needs are simple. I require a bottle of water and two sturdy tables on which to displat some of the original art from the books and other visual aids.
About the Author: Frances Wolfe is a native of Nova Scotia. She lives in a house, which she and her husband have built, on a piece of shoreline that has been in her family for more than one hundred years. It is, therefore, no surprise that her first two books Where I Live (published by Tundra Books in 2001 and winner of the Emilia Frances Howard Gibbon Award for illustration and the Ann Connor Brimer Award for children's literature) and One Wish (published by Tundra Books in 2004 and winner of the Mayor's Award for Excellence in Illustration) give praise to the quiet joys that the young, and young at heart, experience during a summer by the sea. Her third book, The Little Toy Shop (published by Tundra Books in 2008) is a tale of love lost and found again at the most magical time of Christmas.
Frances is a self-taught artist and illustrator and worked for thirty-two years at the Halifax Public Library, thirty of which were spent working in the Youth Services department. During her time at the library, she did a great deal of children's programming - craft programs, puppet making, puppet performances, mural painting and story telling. She very much enjoys working and speaking with children.
Will travel: throughout NS except for the South Shore and Strait regions. Available: April - June. Full and half day visits.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, fiction for middle grades and young adult (YA)
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Discussions about writing, with emphasis on setting, and how to “write what you know”, with tips students can use in their own writing projects. Q&A includes how a book is published (from the initial idea to the bookstore), where ideas come from, and how to overcome writing obstacles. Jo Ann has several items in her interactive presentation (photos, fossils, manuscripts) that spark lively discussions with students. Also included, if applicable, is a reading from The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines and/or Lost on Brier Island.
Suggestions for teachers:
Jo Ann requests that the class be familiar with her books. At least half-way through one book is best. When teachers take this time with preparation, the results are amazing. To maximize the benefits to you and your class, here are some additional elements you can incorporate:
Students have different personalities and styles – some are spontaneous, while others prefer time to reflect prior to a discussion. By encouraging the students to take the time to think of questions or comments on any aspect of writing in advance of the visit, you will see their engagement skyrocket.
If you have fossils and/or marine life in your curriculum, consider scheduling these units prior to the visit as there are many facts on whales and fossils in Jo Ann’s books, which can reinforce these teaching points.
Consider a fossil field trip to Blue Beach, Joggins, Parrsboro, the Cape Breton Fossil Centre or to the Museum of Natural History’s marine and fossil exhibits in advance of the visit.
Please note: 1 class (30 students maximum) for each session of 45-60 minutes (2 sessions in ½ day, 4 sessions in a full day). JoAnn has fossils and other items and requests that a table be available for display.
“We really enjoyed your presentation…the fossils were great and allowed them to interact with you...I also think the pictures and the tips you had to offer about using the pictures to describe your story were fantastic. Overall, it was the best presentation I think we had this year.” - Natasha Page, Library Support Specialist, Seaside Elementary
“Your presentation was excellent and you had some really great advice for the kids.” - Lauren MacDonald Grade 4 - St. Margaret's Bay Elementary
“It was so great having you! The students were so excited. I really enjoyed how you spoke to them about exaggerating normal details of your life to create interesting stories. What a great segue into creative writing, using their own lives as a springboard!. This is sure to help them with their writing.” - Erika Babinec, École BLT School
About the Author: Jo Ann grew up addicted to Nancy Drew mysteries and cryptoquotes. As an avid lover of beachcombing and playing tourist, she draws on local inspiration for her story settings – from fossil hunting to whale watching. Jo Ann lives in Halifax with her husband, James, where she writes mysteries and other stories on her yellow laptop, Bumble Bee. Her first novel, The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines, is a Canadian bestseller and is on both The Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens 2011 and Resource Link’s Year’s Best 2010 lists. Her latest novel, Lost on Brier Island, was released in May of 2011. View more information on Jo Ann and her books at:
Home Region: Chignecto-Central Will travel: throughout NS. Full day visits only.
Areas of Expertise: Fiction writing, non-fiction writing, playwriting & screenwriting, poetry
Presentation style/workshop ideas: Paul's presentation is sneakily educational and definitely entertaining for students and teachers alike.
Grades P-6/7: Paul reads and shows overheads of his children's books, The Weirdest Class, The Aussie Six in Canada, The Aussie Six in Australia, and The Aussie Six in Spain. The latter three illustrated novels describe the humorous adventures of seven(!) Australian animals, including a kangaroo, koala, and platypus. Paul highlights the writing cycle and publishing process, and several lively activities exercise students' imaginations.
Grades 7/8-12: Paul demystifies the writing and reading of poetry, using examples from his own book of poetry.
About the Author: Paul is a versatile author - adult novel: A Real Son of a 'Vitch; children's books: The Aussie Six in Canada, The Aussie Six in Australia, The Aussie Six in Spain, and The Weirdest Class; satirical essays: You've Gotta be Kidding!; plays: Strike! and The Parasites; poetry book: Crouching at the Keyhole; numerous poems and stories in Canadian, U.S., Australian, and Spanish journals. For more on Paul's Aussie Six series visit: www.borealispress.com
Works with grades: 6 - 12
About the Author: Chris Benjamin is a novelist, journalist, and environmentalist. He has been a market analyst in Waterloo, a forestry officer in St. Lucia, a farm worker in British Columbia, a researcher in Indonesia, a hitchhiker across North America, an advocate for new immigrants in Toronto, a reclusive writer in Finland, a train traveler in Russia, Mongolia, China and Japan, a journalist in Ghana, and an environmental lobbyist in Nova Scotia. He has also written magazine articles about his travels in America and Mongolia. A few things that Chris loves but doesn’t write about are his little boy Dylan, his wife Miia, his two cats, music and basketball. He loves visiting schools because he always learns about the latest pop stars from eager students. For more info you can follow Chris on 
Works with grades: 2 - 6
discusses the process of writing and publishing and gives students a chance to ask questions about her work and the business. She also offers writing workshops on various topics - poetry, overcoming writing blocks and historical fiction/Atelier de poésie, Atelier intitulé comment surmonter les pannes d’idées, Atelier de fiction historique. She prefers to offer these sessions as a complement to her readings whenever time permits (two periods with the same group). Writing workshops will be conducted in the students' first language even if they are in French immersion. 
MONICA GRAHAM
About the Author: Vicki Grant has been called “a superb storyteller” (The Canadian Children’s Book Centre) with “a wonderful sense of comedy” (CM Magazine). She began her career creating award-winning ads for agencies such as Chiat-Day and McCann-Erickson. After the birth of her third child, she moved on to writing TV scripts for numerous series including Theodore Tugboat, Big Comfy Couch and her own Gemini Award–winning preschool comedy, Scoop & Doozie. Her comic legal thriller Quid Pro Quo was described as “John Grisham for the skateboard set.” It won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Crime Fiction and was nominated for a slew of prizes, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year. Her YA mystery Not Suitable for Family Viewing won the Red Maple Award and was nominated for the Stellar, Snow Willow, CLA and Manitoba Readers Choice awards. Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret, a comic coming-of-age novel, will be out this fall.
up being story-telling sessions with Q&A and have worked quite well with both Junior High and High School groups, with as few as 20 and as many as 120 participants. 
A.J.B.
(JOHN) JOHNSTON
JOHN
C. KENNEDY
MARK OAKLEY
