If you would like me to visit your community . . .

I’ve been talking to readers at literary festivals, schools, libraries and in smaller book club settings for years. Depending on the request, I can gear my talk to a specific book or I can broaden out. Readers and young students are often interested in where my ideas come from, how I write that important first draft, and why revising is important. Older students sometimes want more detail about re-writing, submitting for publication, and the publication process.

In an educational or special interest setting, specific books are often the focus. As an example, reluctant teen readers are often drawn in by In Plain Sight or Last Ride. Older creative writing students are often intrigued by complex, issue-oriented stories like The Art of Getting Stared At. Teachers sometimes ask me to focus on Lesia’s Dream and the subjects of racism and Ukrainian immigration to Canada just prior to World War One. An Alzheimer’s support group will want me to focus on how I came to write Mile High Apple Pie, which is a picture book about a little girl coming to terms with her grandmother’s memory loss. Talks run 30 – 70 minutes, depending on the time available and, in the case of schools, the age of students. I generally allow time for a short reading as well as a question and answer session.

I’m also skilled in leading writing workshops for middle grade and high school students. These programs generally run a minimum of two hours, but can (and often do) go longer.
The best audiences are prepared. Students will get significantly more out of my presentations or workshops if they’ve read one of my novels or picture books ahead of time.

If you’d like information on fees and availability, please drop me an email.