School Visits
To schedule a visit, please email irene@irenelatham.com

For more information on joint visits with Irene Latham and Charles Waters (I & C Construction Co: Building Books One Word at a Time since 2015), please email lathamandwaters@gmail.com

Irene loves sharing her passion for books, poetry and writing at conferences, libraries and schools, including public, private and homeschool groups. Her presentations are inspiring, informative and FUN!

VIRTUAL VISITS

15 minute Q&A - free!
50 minute session - $500
(on Zoom, or other preferred platform)

for ALL AGES

Irene's Adventures in INK - presentation about the author life including growing up, where ideas come from, writing as a career, and tips for young writers

Fresh Delicious Book Club - Learn what's 1. Fresh, 2. Delicious, 3. Difficult about one particular book title that the group has read

For the Love of Cats and Syria - behind-the-book THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO

What Makes a Real-Life Hero - learn how to be a real-life hero through the story of Mohammed Alaa Aljaleel, THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO

Fresh, Delicious Poetry - writing workshop using a jeweler's loupe to create fresh, delicious metaphors for writing about food

Welcome to I & C Construction Co. - meet the team (Irene Latham & Charles Waters) behind the books CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? And DICTIONARY FOR BETTER WORLD, among others, and learn the ins and outs of the collaborative book construction process

We Are Syria: A Crash Course on the War, Culture, and Cats - presented by the author team behind THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO, Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha

The Music of Writing - Join Irene and her cello Lady Godiva for a workshop that shows how music is a building block of all writing

Elephants R Us - discover the wonder of elephants through Irene's poetry and books that feature elephants: DON'T FEED THE BOY, MEET MISS FANCY

#OctopusLove - meet Agnes, the giant Pacific octopus in LOVE, AGNES: POSTCARDS FROM AN OCTOPUS and celebrate learn amazing octopus science and research

for GRADES 3 and up

Poetry for a Better World - writing workshop to create a Dictionary entry modeled after entries in DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD

Animal Persona Poetry - writing workshop inspired by nature poetry books DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST and WHEN THE SUN SHINES ON ANTARCTICA

Alabama "Backyard" Stories - celebrate Alabama with books set in Alabama: LEAVING GEE'S BEND, MEET MISS FANCY, DON'T FEED THE BOY

Fall in Love with Alabama History - research process for LEAVING GEE'S BEND (Great Depression) and MEET MISS FANCY (Jim Crow era)

Math + Poetry = Nonets - learn how to write a nonet in this writing workshop based on NINE: A BOOK OF NONET POEMS

Write Like an Octopus - presentation for writers about 8 things writers can learn from octopuses

Be A Nestbuilder - explore the world through the poems in THIS POEM IS A NEST and learn how building poems is like birds building nests

Find Yourself in Found Poetry - found writing workshop based on THIS POEM IS A NEST

Poetry & Paint - writing workshop for poems inspired by art, using ARTSPEAK!, Irene's blog project since 2015

Metaphors Be With You - writing workshop on creating powerful analogies for poetry and any other writing

Plot is a Verb - writing workshop using picture books MEET MISS FANCY, THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO, LOVE, AGNES: POSTCARDS FROM AN OCTOPUS

I is for Identity - personal narrative writing workshop inspired by CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? And DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD

Fearless Revision - demystifying the revision process, using Irene's middle grade novels, with tips writers can employ right away

Stitching Our Stories - the history and inspiration of the famous Alabama Gee's Bend quilting community through LEAVING GEE'S BEND

for ADULTS

Writing Essential (Sensitive) Topics - presentation featuring my titles with ways to approach topics like death, war, domestic violence, social justice, and more

FREEBIES

Be A Bridge Pledge

Poem-Friends for WILD PEACE printable zine

D-39 Robodog Activity Sheet

Create your own D-39 Junk Journal

D-39 Invent Your Own Words Activity Sheet

Printable Poems for Found Poetry

"How to Catch a Poem" video performance

Peek Inside... THIS POEM IS A NEST video

This Poem is a Nest Calendar Poems printable Poster

Make your own NEST zine!

How to Find Nestlings handout [pdf]

video: 3 nestlings from NEST ("Mad Poem," "The Story of the Egg in Three Parts," "Last Poem")

Printable coloring sheets by Yuko Shimizu (THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO)

The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner featuring Irene Latham, Karim Shamsi-Basha, Yuko Shimizu (THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO)

NINE video "Beethoven's Ninth" + Irene playing "Ode to Joy" on cello

NINE video - readaloud: "Cloud Nine"

NINE printable "How to Write a Nonet"

Booklist Shelf Care interview with Irene Latham and Charles Waters (DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD)

ArtSpeak! Poems inspired by art on Padlet

ArtSpeak! Poems inspired by art on Soundcloud

ArtSpeak! Poems inspired by art on YouTube

A FRESH DELICIOUS Farmers' Market Scavenger Hunt (printable activity sheet)

NINE lesson plan by Kathleen Sololowski

Poetry Reading video by Irene Latham and Charles Waters from CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR?

Charles Waters performing poems from CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? And DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD

The Yarn with Travis Jonker, featuring Irene Latham and Charles Waters (CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR?)

The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner featuring Irene Latham and Charles Waters (CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR?)

The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner featuring Charles Waters (DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD)

LEAVING GEE'S BEND video book trailer

Behind the Book video - DON'T FEED THE BOY


African Town Discussion Guide
African Town Q & A
D-39: A Robodog's Journey Discussion Guide
D-39: A Robodog's Journey Q & A
Can I Touch Your Hair? Discussion Guide
DICTIONARY Discussion Guide
Don't Feed The Boy Discussion Guide
Don't Feed The Boy Activities
Don't Feed The Boy Q & A
Don't Feed The Boy Scavenger Hunt
Leaving Gee's Bend Discussion Guide
Leaving Gee's Bend Q & A
Leaving Gee's Bend Literature Circle Questions
Leaving Gee's Bend Activities


IN-PERSON VISITS

Irene is not booking in-person school visits at this time. However, she will consider requests from other groups. Contact irene@irenelatham.com for availability and fee requirements.

GET READY!

Author presentations work best when attendees are familiar with Irene and her work.

Book Sales/Autographing: Pre-event sales of books can be arranged through a local bookstore or directly from the publishers. Please see below for downloadable resources. Signed bookplates also available.

Resources:

How to Order Books for School Visits
Virtual Visit Book Pre-Order Form
Finding Funding for School Visits