This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on February 10th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
It's not often that authors get to observe other authors' school visits.
Yes, we watch each other give speeches and lead workshops at conferences and industry events. And yes, we can attend seminars on how to give effective school presentations, led by authors who are known for their school visit skills. But as for actually being a fly on the wall in a room with an author, their slideshow, and dozens (or even hundreds) of actual kids? If you're not also a teacher or librarian, that's rare.
When I joined the Visiting Author Committee at my daughter's elementary school in the fall, I was thinking mostly about what I, an author with a number of connections in the publishing industry, could bring to the school community. (I also wanted to learn more about pitching myself as a presenter!) What I didn't consider at the time was the value of being in the room to watch other authors share their presentations.
Yesterday, I got to watch author/illustrator Rina Deshpande talk to the kindergarteners about her debut picture book, Yoga Nidra Lullaby. I didn't know Rina before this; she was recommended by another person on the Visiting Author Committee. But I ended up in charge of Rina's author visit, which meant meeting her and getting her checked into the school, helping her set up in the auditorium, introducing her to the kids and teachers, and getting her books distributed to the classrooms and the school library.
I also got to watch her present, and it was such a treat.
Rina used to be an educator herself, and she now leads workshops for educators. For 35 minutes, I watched as she calmly and capably wrapped 150+ five-year-olds around her little finger. She read a few pages from the book. She talked about where her idea for her story came from, and how she made the artwork. She did yoga and breathing exercises with the kids to keep them engaged physically. She let them share with their neighbors. She took questions—most of which were actually comments. ("I have a stuffed cat at home." "I have a real cat! His name is..." "Why do you love your cat so much?") Watching her was a little like taking a master class in school visit management. I'm very glad I got to be there!
I have a few more in-person school visits on the horizon this spring and even into the fall, and at least one of them involves speaking to kindergarteners. (All of my in-person school visits so far have been for grades 2 and 3.) My daughter is in kindergarten, so I do understand how to interact on her level...but I've never tried to keep the attention of 150 five-year-olds at once!
From Rina, yesterday, I saw about how much content it's actually possible to get through in half an hour. I saw how she paced her presentation. I saw how she included moments for the kids to talk amongst themselves, moments for them to move their bodies, and moments for them to sit still and listen. Not everything she did is relevant to me and my books, but it was still incredibly helpful to see her in action.
Maybe I'll never be one of those authors that goes on the road for weeks at a time, visiting school after school after school, but I do want school presentations to be a part of my author career going forward. Making this a focus of my career means striving to get better at it. I'm so grateful that, in volunteering my time at my daughter's school, I inadvertently found a learning opportunity for myself.
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: My Thirteenth Circle coauthor, MarcyKate Connolly, is very prolific, and this past week, I read one of her books, The Star Shepherd. It's a middle-grade fantasy about a boy and his father who are tasked with rescuing fallen stars and catapulting them back into the sky. When it seems like someone is cutting down the stars, the boy goes on a journey to fight back the looming darkness. MarcyKate has such an incredible imagination. (It's one of the reasons I asked her to write a book with me!) If you are a fantasy fan, definitely check out her books!
Watching: "Fleishman is in Trouble" on Hulu. This series was AMAZING. So moving and thought-provoking. A meditation on middle-age, relationships, friendships, motherhood... But! Be warned, there is a depiction of a traumatic birth experience. If that is something that would be hard for you to see, maybe save this series (and the book its based on) for another time.
Eating: A box of dark chocolate Godiva truffles my husband got me as an early Valentine's Day gift. Yum!
Loving: My daughter's school is doing a Readathon this month! We already read a lot in this house, but we've been making an extra effort (and logging our minutes) since the Readathon kicked off a week ago. With a kindergartener, we do a mix of reading to her and sitting with her while she works through one of her learning-to-read books. Last night, she read Go, Otto, Go! by David Milgrim all by herself! (She only needed help on one word: "nowhere.") What a joy.