RENEGADES OF MIDDLE GRADE

JAMES

PONTI

James Ponti's school visits follow his unlikely journey from reluctant reader to Nickelodeon and Disney Channel scriptwriter to award-winning author. Equally humorous and heart-warming, inspirational and informational, his presentations discuss how growing up in an untraditional family helped him discover his unique creative voice and how students can do the same. To find out more, click his photo. 

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SUPRIYA 

KELKAR

Supriya Kelkar likes to use her years of experience watching old game shows as a kid to lead students in a short true or false game about finding out what's fact and what's fiction as she talks about the importance of research in writing on school visits. To find out more, click her photo.

BOOKI

VIVAT

Sometimes our best ideas can come from something as simple as a doodle. Booki Vivat explores the idea of finding creativity in everyday life through writing and drawing... not to mention the fact that, let's face it, sometimes being frazzled is part of the process. Her school visits include an interactive game, crowd-sourced live doodling, and lots of fun stories! To find out more about Booki's school visits click her picture. 

KARINA YAN GLASER

Karina Yan Glaser loves visiting readers and getting kids excited about books, writing, and her five pets. To find out how Karina can visit your school, just click the picture.

ELIZABETH EULBERG

Elizabeth Eulberg loves sharing with young readers her journey from a struggling reader with a learning disability to an author and exploring how she writes books in a lively, interactive, and fun presentation.

SARAH MLYNOWSKI

Sarah Mlynowski loves to share her stories and process with students of all ages and backgrounds! Sarah's presentations and workshops are always interactive and focus on empowering students to understand the steps involved in writing a story. She presents to grades K-12 and has spoken to over a hundred school groups across the United States and Canada. Sarah Mlynowski's hope is that every student walks away inspired.To find out more click her picture.

LIESL SHURTLIFF

A one-time reluctant reader who struggled to connect with books, Liesl is passionate not just about writing books kids will love, but also helping students grow confident in their own reading identity and writing skills. She's spoken in schools across the country, sharing her reading and writing journey, and leading the kids in creative writing workshops that reveal just how amazingly creative and intelligent they really are.

STUART

GIBBS

Stuart's presentation is a half hour of hilarious anecdotes about where he gets his ideas, plus lots of fun science facts.  He does a powerpoint presentation that often features lots of adorable animal photos.  He is always happy to do Q&A afterward or to do personal signings for students if time allows.  In addition, Stuart can sometimes be cajoled into teaching a class on writing.  His speciality is 'How to Get Started."

ERIN SODERBERG DOWNING

Erin Soderberg Downing LOVES visiting schools to talk about her writing process, the behind-the-scenes life of an author, the importance of reading in her life, and the TRUTH about revision. To find out how to bring Erin to your school, click her picture.

BETH McMULLEN

Beth McMullen loves to visit schools and talk about how little experiences or observations can lead to big ideas, like how her cat fell in the toilet and she ended up with the best story idea ever. (and a wet cat). For information on school visits please click her photo.

RENÉE 

WATSON

Renée loves to visit schools, libraries, and community centers. She is also available for lectures and specialized workshops for educators. Her visits include a reading, Q&A, and signing. For more information, click on her picture. 

WENDY

MASS

Wendy does many school visits each year, as well as speaking at conferences and libraries. A day-long school visit consists of two 50-minute large group presentations or smaller writing workshops, along with book signings. She prefers to stay within a two-hour drive from northwest NJ, but if it’s a few days in a row of schools she's open to talking about it. To find out more click on her picture. 

CHRISTINA SOONTORNVAT

Interacting with young readers is one of Christina's favorite things about being an author. She's also an educator with over a decade of experience, so speaking with students is something she's very passionate about! When she was a child she was taught that only “certain types” of people could become authors. She thought that writing was a talent, and you either had it or you didn’t. When she speaks to students, she tries to break down this myth. She wants them to leave her presentation knowing that writing is a craft, and with practice anyone can become a writer. To find out more about her visits, click on her picture. 

CHRISTINA DIAZ GONZALEZ

One of Christina's favorite things about being an author is connecting with her readers. Schools, libraries, conferences, and festivals can contact her to receive more information on arranging a traditional in-person author presentation or plan a virtual one via Skype. All presentations can be done in English, Spanish or in both languages. Just click on the picture to find out more. 

TAMARA IRELAND STONE

Tamara loves talking with students and their teachers about writing, and tries to keep her whole presentation fun and interactive. She tends to share personal stories about her writing process and my life as a teen, and always leaves a lot of time for Q&A. Her style is informal and personal, rarely scripted. She wants to get to know students, and for them to get to know her. 

ALICIA D. WILLIAMS

Alicia can captivate a large group or dazzle in an intimate setting. She can lead deep discussions based on the themes of her novel Genesis Begins Again, or as a Teaching Artist she can get students up and moving with her arts-integrated writing workshops. The teacher in her is highly adaptable and flexible with her school visits.

JAKE

BURT

Jake loves talking to kids so much that he went ahead and became a 5th grade teacher. That can make scheduling visits to other schools tricky...though not impossible. If Jake's school i s on break when you'd like him to visit, he can probably make the trip. As always, if you're using one of his novels in the classroom or library, Jake is happy to Skype with your kids. That's much easier to schedule and is totally free. Just click the picture to find out more.