Author Visits
I'm available for in-person and virtual school and library visits. Below are the presentations I currently offer, which can be tailored for your audience. I also offer presentations for educators.
Discover MANATEE SUMMER (Grades 3-8)
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I share how MANATEE SUMMER grew from a poem to a short story to a novel, demonstrating how we never know where a piece of writing might lead us. I also explore how memories can be shaped into fiction, inviting kids to see their own lives as wells of inspiration.​ Includes a reading (with writing advice on using sensory details), a peek at the adventures and joys of researching animals, and a manatee trivia game!
STRANGE WONDERS Await! (Grades 3-8)
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Welcome to the forest! I explore the environmental science that inspired THE STRANGE WONDERS OF ROOTS—the incredible ways that trees connect and communicate with each other. Through an interactive reading, students see how real science found its way onto the page while also learning about theme in stories. Includes a tree trivia game.
Dive Into SECRETS OF THE SEA (K-5)
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I read my nonfiction picture book SECRETS OF THE SEA to students, then explore the incredible true story behind the book: How a revolutionary seamstress-turned-marine-biologist took the scientific world by storm in the 19th century by inventing aquariums and solving a mystery that had baffled scientists for ages! Includes an octopus trivia game and lots of sea creature fun.
Story Settings: A Writing Workshop (Adaptable for Grades 3-12)
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Through guided prompts, with time for sharing and discussion, students develop two settings they can use in their own stories—one that is based on a place they know from real life, and one that is entirely fictional. Along the way, I offer examples from my novels MANATEE SUMMER and THE STRANGE WONDERS OF ROOTS. Highly interactive. Perfect for aspiring writers!
Curiouser and Curiouser: The Power of Curiosity for Readers, Writers, and Educators (Professional Development / Keynote)
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Celebrate the power of curiosity! In this interactive presentation that can be adapted for educator professional development or a general audience, I discuss my writing journey, process, stories, and teaching—all through the lens of curiosity.​ Learn why curiosity is so vital to the creative and teaching life, plus strategies for cultivating it.
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Inquire About Author Visits
For school visits and other speaking engagements, contact Authors Unbound at requests@authorsunbound.com or via my speaking profile.
Educators seeking funding for author visits: Check out this fantastic blog post by author Donna Janell Bowman. Educators in the Austin, TX area: You may be able to receive funding through Project WISE, a Writers’ League of Texas program.