Overview
With more than 20 years of teaching experience, including 10 years teaching a middle school creative writing course, I offer 45- to 60-minute author talks and school visits, and 45- to 90-minute creative-writing workshops for classes of up to 25 students, as well as creative-writing workshops for students in Grades 8–12, schools, libraries, and adult audiences. All sessions are available in person or online and can be warmly tailored to the needs of your group, setting, and schedule.
As a Canadian living in Belgium, I am able to hold online sessions for North American audiences throughout the year. I have some availability for in-person visits for those in Southern Ontario and if our schedules align, I would be especially delighted to visit schools and libraries in the Hamilton and Toronto area.
I am also available for in-person school visits in the Benelux area and surrounding regions.
At a Glance
- Audiences: Students in Grades 8–12, libraries, and adult audiences
- Formats: In-person or online
- Talk length: 45–60 minutes
- Workshop length: 45–90 minutes
- Workshop size: Up to 25 students
- Daily capacity: Maximum of three sessions per day
- Topic areas: Memoir and personal essay, fiction from life, building a writing routine, plotting and “dreamstorming,” and finding your story
Author Talk
For a larger school assembly, I offer a 45- to 60-minute talk about my journey to becoming an author, with a focus on the perseverance and resilience needed to build a career in the arts. I also discuss how real life informed the characters and plot of Broke Girls Can’t Quit.
These sessions can include a short reading, a Q&A, and a guided build-a-character or write-from-life activity, and can be adjusted as needed to suit your audience.
Workshops
Memoir and Nonfiction Essays
Grades 8–12 — A workshop on developing and drafting short personal essays and memoirs. Sessions can be tailored to focus on any combination of the following:
- How to use craft and form as vehicles for content
- Using models as inspiration
- Experimentation to express emotional truths
- Moving beyond the self to develop themes
Remixing: Writing Fiction from Life
Grades 8–12 — A workshop on using real-life experiences as the basis for fiction. Sessions can be tailored to focus on any combination of the following:
- Worldbuilding from what you know
- Mix and match characters: how to write about the people you know without them knowing
Building a Writing Routine
Grades 10–12 — A workshop for students who want to build a lasting writing life. The session focuses on:
- Scheduling time for writing
- Small habit hacks that add up
- Pushing through doubt and crappy first drafts
Dreamstorming
Grades 8-12 Drawing from Robert Olen Butler’s book From Where You Dream, I lead students through the basics of plotting versus pantsing, then introduce the technique of “dreamstorming,” which helps bridge the two approaches to storytelling. Through a guided dreamstorming session, students develop the key pillars of an outline in a short time.
The Story That Needs to Be Told
Grades 8–12 — Every writer has a story only they can offer the world. In this workshop, students explore how the issues and ideas that matter most to them can become stories in any genre, considering how their own point of view and voice can lead them to the story that only they can tell.
Booking Information
Sessions can be held in person or online and are easily adaptable to your audience and setting, whether you are planning for students in Grades 8–12, a school community, a library program, or an adult group.
Whether you’re planning a school assembly, a library event, or a workshop for your community, I would love to hear from you. Talks and workshops are priced individually rather than according to a single posted fee, and I provide a quote based on your location, audience size, preferred format, dates, session length, and number of sessions. Get in touch to start the conversation.