Author Visits
Hi, teachers, educators, and book lovers of all kinds! I’m a Minnesota children’s author and former teacher. I love helping kids (and educators) see that they ARE readers and writers and creators. For one-day and single-session visits, I’m primarily virtual. (Check out the video and brochure for some advantages of virtual visits!) If you have something special going on and want to check on an in-person visit, just get in touch and we’ll chat!
Programs
Here are some of the programs I offer. I’m happy to create programs based on your group’s particular needs.
- Poetry Time! Reading and writing poetry. (Assorted titles)
- Kids + Creativity = Equation Poems: A writing workshop. (Snowman-Cold=Puddle)
- Loon-a-Palooza! Loons, anatomy, adaptations, and interspecies families. (Secrets of the Loon and/or Finding Family)
- The Ups and Downs of School: Friendship skills, sensory overwhelm, and school survival. (Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten)
- What’s the Weather? Thunderstorms and puddles. (Zap! Clap! Boom! and Puddle Song)
- We All Belong: Celebrate how we’re alike—and different! (We Belong and/or Meet My Family)
- Rocks Rock: Explore the fabulous world of rocks. (A Rock Can Be)
- Ready for Winter? Animal adaptations and 3 approaches for winter survival. (Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle!)
- You Are a Creator: The elements of creativity, plus the value of failure. (If You Want to Knit Some Mittens)
- The Unknown: Nature vs. nurture and getting comfortable with unanswerable questions. (Finding Family)
- BookSpeak! The stories behind the poems. (BookSpeak!)
- Good Night: Explore the moon and space. (If You Were the Moon)
- Ask a Writer Anything: A Q&A session
Fees
Virtual Visits — $600 per day
In Person Visits — $1200 per day within a 60-mile drive of Laura’s St. Paul home
Please get in touch if you’re interested in out-of-town, multi-day, multi-school, or half-day programs. Or if you’re interested in a different kind of program, such as an evening family literacy celebration. Thanks!
A Typical Schedule
A single-day author visit includes three sessions, grouped by grade (such as K‑1, 2–3, and 4–5) or by classroom (if I’m doing writing workshops, for example, with each 4th-grade class).
I’d love a full hour with 2–3 and 4–5, and 45 minutes with K‑1, if possible.
Please schedule at least 15 minutes in between sessions in order to reset, get water, etc.
I’m happy to eat lunch with teachers or students, and I’m always delighted to sign books at any time during the day.
Ordering Books
Offering books for sale is never a requirement for an author visit! Some schools embrace book sales, and others are uncomfortable with them. If you’d like to make books available for sale, here are two options:
1. Work with a Bookseller
This is your best option if you want to offer a variety of books with a range of topics/prices.
Work with your local indie bookseller to order books to sell (the day of or in advance) to your students. You’ll get a hefty discount, which you can pass along to families. Or you can charge the cover price and use the difference to help fund the event.
For Minnesota events, if you order through Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, I can pick up the books ONE WEEK before my visit. I’ll bring them home and sign them, and bring them with me to your school. For this option, please make sure to chat with me about which books make sense for your event.
2. Order Directly from the Publishers
This is a good option if you’re thinking of buying copies of a single title for all your students, or if you’re happy to offer just a few choices.
You can order many of my most popular books directly from the publishers. You’ll get a great discount to either pass along to your students or use profits to offset the cost of my visit.
Bloomsbury (Zap! Clap! Boom!)
[email protected]
Lerner Books (Finding Family; We Belong; Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle; Lion of the Sky, Meet My Family, If You Were the Moon, A Leaf Can Be…, Water Can Be…, and A Rock Can Be…)
800–328-4929
Houghton Mifflin (BookSpeak! Poems About Books)
800–225-3362
Penguin Random House (Boyds Mills Press/Wordsong’s In the Middle of the Night and If You Want to Knit Some Mittens and Charlesbridge’s Snowman-Cold=Puddle)
[email protected] or 800–733-3000
Creative Editions (Puddle Song)
800–445-6209
Amazon/Two Lions (Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten)
Minnesota Historical Society Press (Secrets of the Loon and Oskar’s Voyage)
https://www.mnhs.org/mnhspress/order
Either way, you might want to order a few extra copies of each title. There are always some students who don’t care about getting a book until the author presents and the kids get all excited about having their own copy!
Get in Touch with Laura
Interested in a visit? Have any questions? Just fill out this online form, and I’ll get back to you soon!
