SCHOOL VISITS AND TALKS

I am available to perform a variety of talks for schools, libraries, reading clubs and book festivals. 

1. Stories in Pictures. For younger children (nursery to Year Two) - with my cartooning hat on, I will begin with a reading from one of my stories for younger children then lead the children in a drawing activity.

2. Under the Weather (for Year Three to Six) - a talk about Climate Change, illustrated with a Powerpoint presentation. Ends with a reading from my short story How to Build the Perfect Sandcastle which is featured in the Under the Weather climate change anthology. Warning: there will be images from the recent floods in the Philippines

3. What's the Big Idea? (for Year Six and up) "Where do you get your ideas?" I am told it's the most common question children ask authors. My talk will explore how the tiniest inklings of ideas blossom into full blown novels. Alongside an evocative photographic slide show, I will tell stories of my adventures as a journalist in the Far East, and how I combine the folklore of both my native Philippines and my adopted home England in my novels. There can be a discussion of how ideas from the children themselves can evolve into stories. I will then read an excerpt from Tall Story.

4. Who's Afraid of the Worldwide Web? (adult audiences) Over the past 20 years I have been a journalist, a magazine editor, a web designer and a blogger and I have witnessed an extraordinary revolution. This presentation will explore the implications of this brave new digital world to the old world of snail mail, non-portability and books as objects. 

If you are interested in inviting me to speak, please send me a message via the form below, making sure to include your contact details. My presentations can be tailored to other audiences. Please get in touch to discuss your needs.