For Educators

Discussion Guides

In-Person Visits

I’d love to talk to your teens and tweens about writing, and middle grade and young adult literature! Like my novels my presentations are geared toward young readers in grades 4 through 12. However, I’m also available to speak to adult groups of teachers, librarians, and writers. Presentations are about an hour long, but can be made longer or shorter to meet the needs of your group.

MarcyKate prepared and facilitated a fabulous presentation about the writing process and character development, and answered all of the students’ questions. She was warm, friendly, patient, and sent a powerful message about grit when she told them about how much hard work and persistence it takes to “make it” in the published author’s world. We would welcome her back anytime!

Techla McElligott

7th Grade ELA Teacher, Susan B. Anthony Middle School

Articles about My Visits

Education & Background

BA in Literature and Music

Hampshire College, Amherst, MA. Composed an opera and wrote libretto by “quilting” together various lines from Shakespeare’s plays into an original plot.

MS in Arts Administration

Boston University, Boston, MA. Focus on performing arts.

Presentations

The Long Winding Road to Bookshelves

An inspirational talk on the path to publication and the importance of never giving up, along with show and tell of the various stages of the publishing process.

The Writing Process

A presentation on the evolution of a novel from the initial idea to drafting and the revision process.

Fairy Tales & Retellings

A  presentation on fairy tales and how they’ve evolved in modern literature.

The Method in the Magic

This presentation looks at examples of magic systems and how they work.

Discovering Your Character

A presentation about finding inspiration for your characters (or reverse engineering) and developing them throughout your story.

NaNoWriMo

If your students will be participating in NaNoWriMo, this presentation will provide them with practical tips and tricks to survive the month and reach their goals.

Informal Q&A

If your students just want to chat with an author or have read one of my books and want to talk about them, this might be a good fit.

Topic of Your Choice!

I’d be happy to customize a program for your group!

Virtual Visits

Technology is a beautiful thing, and Skype/Zoom/Google Meet etc allow me to chat with students from across the country and around the globe. Virtual visits usually last 20-30 minutes and center around Q&A. If you’d like, I can do a brief 5-10 minute talk at the beginning on a topic of your choice. Please note that virtual visits do need to be booked a few weeks in advance.

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Fees

Please note that fees are always negotiable. 

School Visits

Typically range from $300-600 for half-day/full-day school visits.

Library Visits

$100/hour for library visits.

Skype Visits

20-30 minutes sessions are $50. If you’re interested in a longer virtual session, please contact me for pricing and availability.

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