For Teachers

School visits, virtual visits, contact details, teachers’ notes and other resources

1. School visits:

I’m currently offering the following four live workshops and one author talk. With a bit of notice, I am also happy to tailor a workshop to your requirements.

Whispers in the Dark: how to build your own fantasy world
Particularly suitable for children interested in fantasy and/or children interested in writing, but also works well for a general class.
Year 3 – adult, preferred max 30 students. Length: 60 – 90 minutes.

The Imagination Olympics
A fast moving workshop where teams compete against each other to build a story. Particularly suitable for a general class of mixed abilities.
Year 3 – 7, preferred max 35 students. Length: 90 minutes minimum.

Someone else’s shoes
When you write a story, you can be anyone you like. A warrior princess. An alien. A chook. This workshop guides children through the process of writing themselves into someone else’s shoes. Or paws. Or claws.
Year 3 – 7, preferred max 35 students. Length: 60 – 90 minutes.

Writing masterclass
A workshop for keen writers, exploring the advice ‘show don’t tell’.
Years 3 – 12, preferred max 35 students. Length: 60 – 120 minutes.

Author talk
Storytelling, audience participation, and writing secrets that will inspire both reluctant and enthusiastic writers.
Years 3 – adult, preferred max 150. Length: 50 minutes plus question time.

Feedback on workshops/talks:

The boys all clamoured to borrow your back catalogue as well as the current series, once the session was over. The whole year level was buzzing after the visit, with many students coming to me at lunch the next day with more plot twists.
Sue Osborne, Head of Library Services, Haileybury College, Victoria

You truly inspired all the students in your writing workshop. The process you took them through was wonderful and what you shared about your own process as a writer, your tips and advice, were so informative and affirming.
Nadine Frick, The Friends’ School, Hobart

2. Virtual visits:

Like nearly everyone else in these strange times, I’ve been learning to do online school visits. I’m currently offering live online talks and workshops, as well as prerecorded sessions tailored to your school, with answers to student questions sent in beforehand. Given that I live in Tasmania, it’s a good solution to the distance problem.

3. Contact details:

For mainland Australian schools/festivals/libraries wanting to enquire about an in-the-flesh or online visit, please contact:

For NSW/ACT: The Children’s Bookshop Speakers’ Agency
Phone: 0407 414 261 or 02 9481 8811
Email: staff@thechildrensbookshop.com.au
Website: http://thechildrensbookshopspeakersagency.com.au/

For Victoria: Creative Net Speakers’ Agency
Phone: 03 9416 4062
Email: paul@creativenetspeakers.com
Website: https://creativenetspeakers.com/

For Queensland/Northern NSW: Speakers Ink
Phone: 1300 979 465 or 0428 111 155
Email: sandie@speakers-ink.com.au
Website: https://www.speakers-ink.com.au/

For South Australia: Becky’s Literary Bookings
Phone: 0424 584 697
Email: becky@beckysliterary.com.au
Website: http://www.beckysliterary.com.au/

For all other matters, including Tasmanian and international live and virtual visits, you can contact me through my literary agent, Margaret Connolly:
Phone: 02 9449 6342
Email: mconnollyagency@gmail.com

OR my Australian publisher, Allen & Unwin:
83 Alexander Street, Crows Nest, NSW, Australia 2065
Email: publicity@allenandunwin.com

OR message me via my author facebook page.

OR leave a message on my blog. It won’t appear until I’ve approved it, so if you don’t want it made public, just say so.