The Authors - Part 3C

LEC: What does your presentation include?

ALISON LOHANS: Writing and storytelling have been parts of my life from my earliest childhood, on. I always begin my presentations by showing story manuscripts that my parents wrote - and which I illustrated at a very young age! - following up with little stories I wrote at ages 7-10, and my first published magazine story at age 12.


During a presentation I showcase two or three books that are a good fit for the ages of that audience, usually telling some of the behind-the-scenes stories of those books - the ideas that ended up driving the book; the research processes; challenges in writing them; ways in which my writing groups have helped these books grow; publishing processes, and the like.


I always invite children's questions during, and at the end of, each presentation.

KATHLEEN MCDONNELL:  Believe it or not, I like to show kids some of the messy, marked-up pages of my early drafts, because it's the best way I know to show them that "Good Writing is Rewriting".

GINA MCMURCHY-BARBER: While I'm touring schools and libraries I will share my interest and passion for archaeology, which is the main theme in my latest YA novel. The presentation will include a short power point, some archaeology tools and artifacts, perhaps some discussion about the various types of archaeology and a historical examination of capital punishment in Canada. I'll also have a short reading and give people an opportunity to ask questions.

CAROLINE PIGNAT: I have a few versions depending on the group. For those who are studying Egghead, I do a presentation about bullying awareness and talk about how the characters and multiple points of view evolved in my story. For my historical series presentation, I talk about my inspiration and research. I also have a writing workshop that explores brainstorming, writer's block, characterization and how to move a story forward. I use powerpoint for visuals and read from the novels to give the audience a sense of the final product.

JESSICA SCOTT KERRIN: I present a powerpoint that includes videos and a web cam.

RINA SINGH: I start with a visual introduction of myself as a writer, teacher, and photographer. I show some book trailers to introduce the audience to my work. This is followed by storytelling of Hoja Tales from Nearly Nonsense and reading of an excerpt from my latest book- Guru Nanak, The First Sikh Guru. An inspirational talk about the writing process- the journey of the idea to the making of the book and all the challenges it comes with is followed by a drama activity that gives insight into the creative process. I conclude with a creative writing activity and a Q & A session.

ANDREA SPALDING: Obviously I present at least one, maybe two books, but I also incorporate the audiences questions and answers throughout my time with them, plus I usually tell an participatory story too, so everyone can feel part of the event. If I share a picture book story I project the illustrations so everyone can see.