School Visits & Appearances


Now booking for 2010-11 school year!

Irene loves sharing her passion for books, poetry and writing with public, private and homeschool groups. She is especially excited about the programs she has planned in conjunction with her debut historical midgrade LEAVING GEE'S BEND.

Schools may schedule up to three events per day, including any combination of the following:

*School Assembly (30-50 minutes)
*Classroom/library presentation (30-50 minutes)
*Breakout sessions/workshops (30-50 minutes)

Irene tailors her school visits to the needs/requests of the school on topics such as:

A Day in the Life: 1932 Gee's Bend
You Might Be a Writer If...
Imagination: Writing what you DON'T Know
The Little Engine that Could (Get a Book Published)
Believe it or Not: Behind the Scenes of LEAVING GEE'S BEND
What If? Your Story Starts HERE

Suggested audience: grades 3-8

Author's Honorarium: $400 per day plus travel expenses (flight and lodging). For visits within driving distance, the travel expense will be mileage calculated at the IRS standard rate (55 cents per mile as of 1-1-09). If the driving distance is over 2 hours, overnight lodging may be required.

Shelby County, Alabama - 20% discount

How to Fund School Visits

Irene would love to have a special lunch with students who have read LEAVING GEE'S BEND, or do an interview with your school newspaper. Book signings, casual breakfast, lunch or dinner get-togethers, and press interviews - student or professional - are not considered events. Feel free to add these special events to your schedule at no additional charge.

School visits, particularly classroom presentations, work best when the students are familiar with Irene and her work. Teachers and librarians are encouraged to make copies of LEAVING GEE'S BEND available to students in advance of any school visit. Pre-event sales of LEAVING GEE'S BEND can be arranged through a local bookstore or directly from G.P. Putnam's Sons.





Downloads: School Visit Flyer | Gee's Bend Discussion Guide
Literature Circle Questions | Activities | Alabama Course of Study Standards | Student Letter to Author Template


» How to order books for school visits



» Contact Irene to schedule an appearance.

"Irene's presentation was outstanding and inspirational. Her explanation of the writing process was very informative. The laying of the historical background to the book prompted many thoughtful questions from students and teachers."
- Kevin Moore, Principal, Underwood Elementary

» Find out what others are saying!


VIRTUAL VISITS

To celebrate the release of LEAVING GEE'S BEND, Irene will be available for FREE virtual visits, via Skype, for all of 2010. This is a 30 minute program in which teacher and students prepare questions ahead of time for Irene to answer. This is also great for book clubs!

* Requires a computer, a webcam with microphone, speakers, a large projection screen and an account with Skype.

WRITING WORKSHOPS AND OTHER GROUPS

As a poet and novelist, Irene has a wide variety of writing and publishing experience to share with writers of all levels. Please email her to discuss honoraria and travel expenses.

Possible topics include:

Beyond Crayons: Bring your Writing to Life

Geography of the Heart: Writing about Place

Good is the Enemy of Great: How to Revise

The Writing Life: Charting Your Course in the Big, Bad Publishing World

Irene is also available for panel discussions.


STUDENT POEMS FROM IRENE'S PRIVATE EYE WORKSHOPS: 


Pinestraw

Squiggly wiggly
octopus legs.
The spiky back
 of a porcupine.
Pretty colored
tree branches.
Grass as gooey
as my sweat.
It looks like
a pencil point
or a horse's tail.

- Youra C., age 8

Sweet Gum Ball

Like a planet I have never been to
just floating around in space
with a bunch of craters on it.
The surface is filled with tiny holes
that look like a bee hive
 overflowing with honey.

- Eric L. and Michael A., age 9

Walnut Shell

Your inside is like a deep gorge,
a pool full of fresh water
I would like to jump into.
Like reptile skin, smooth
and rough like a cozy bed,
a cradle ready to hold my brother.
You're like delicious chocolate
and the beak of a bird.

- Emery L., age 9

Pine Pollen

Like a juicy apple
that's saying hello
to the morning
and I say good morning back.

- Linda L., age 8