Joanne Rocklin

The following is a chatty, informal description of my school visits, but I'd be glad to personalize my presentations to your needs if need be:

I love school visits, and tend to channel my former elementary school teacher self! My presentation is entitled "Everything I know About Writing I've Learned from my Cats!" Really. I use a hand puppet (yes, even with the older grades), tell personal stories about my writing childhood, and use a computer with my own projector to show a pretty jazzy slideshow (if I must say so myself) with music and video as well. I reveal the Ten Secrets of Every Writer, focusing on idea-gathering, the use of memory and sensory detail and research, and how the book develops from manuscript page through editing to printed copy. With younger children I have developed a humorous and interactive presentation in which they help me read my early readers.

Separate, shorter Writing Workshops may include writing exercises in which students gather stories from their memories by drawing maps of their own neighborhood. Or Fish for Inspiration for story ideas. Or use their senses to enrich their writing.

My talks for adults focus on similar themes, and I also love expounding on my ideas related to the various genres of children's literature and their relation to children's developmental needs. (In this regard I channel my former clinical psychologist self. Please see my interview with Michelle Markel on the Home page of this website...)

I have also been thoroughly enjoying my Skype visits.

Hope to see you in person soon!

What some have said:

"IT WAS SO WONDERFUL TO WATCH YOU TAILOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS TO CLASSES OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS. THANKS FOR MAKING SUCH A DIFFERENCE!"

"YOU REALLY INCLUDED AS MANY KIDS AS POSSIBLE. NOT ONLY DID THEY LEARN ABOUT YOUR BOOKS, THE WRITING PROCESS AND PUBLISHING, BUT LEARNED THAT WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT TALENTS AND THAT EVERYONE CAN WRITE."