Author Visits for Students, Teachers and Writers Groups
2017 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS WRITERS CONFERENCE SLIDESHOW:
Click here to see a brief slideshow highlighting my work at the 2017 International Schools Writers Conference held at the American International School of Chennai (India).
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF BOMBAY AUTHOR VISIT VIDEO:
Click here to see a video of my author visit at the American School of Bombay.
AUTHOR VISIT SLIDESHOW:
Click here to see a brief slideshow of presentations I've made at the schools I've visited.
PRESENTATION RESPONSES:
“Ken Derby visited the American School of Bombay in April of 2017. We at the American School like our visiting authors to connect their writing workshops based on the Literacy Units our students are currently engaged in. Ken was flexible, patient and worked to meet the needs of different literacy units from Kindergarten to Grade 5. His mini-workshops inspired students at each grade level in a variety of ways. At the school wide assembly, students laughed, cheered and felt inspired to write stories that are funny. Our EAL students were in awe and all students were encouraged to download his ebooks from Amazon that he graciously shared with our community for 72 hours.”-Ms. Heeru Bhojwani, Head Librarian/Information Curator and Coach, The American School of Bombay, Mumbai, India (2017)
"Ken was one of three authors we brought to our International School Writers Conference this year. This is a conference for middle school students from five international schools where authors work with expert groups over the course of two days. Ken led our expert group on novel writing and his participants' love for him as a workshop leader was unanimous! He got rave reviews from all 19 students in his group! Student comments regarding his workshop, which totaled 8 hours, include:
“It was a pleasure having Ken Derby with us at the Overseas School of Colombo, Sri Lanka in March of 2017. Ken conducted a series of engaging writing workshops for OSC’s middle school students. His presentations about his life and writing inspirations were well received by our students and teachers. His fun and interactive sessions built up the writing skills of our students. It was easy working with Ken from the planning stage to the end. He was easy going, flexible and enthusiastic. It was a bonus for students to be given free access to Ken’s books for 24 hours!”-Raina Lockwood, Secondary Librarian, The Overseas School of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2017)
“We invited Ken to work with KG through grade 5 in our primary school and with grades 6 through 8 in the middle school. In our primary school, he connected with students across all grade levels, sharing his journey as an author and about his life. He presented his books with ease to an audience that ranged in age from 6 years to 10 years old. His opening presentation about himself was spot on at all age levels, and he grabbed the attention of the students. The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School was an instant hit with grades 3 - 5. He also coupled with the grade five exhibition unit and supported the students in their exploration related to “passion and who they want to be.” I personally was very interested in his picture book The Mischief of the Stuffed Animals, which he read to the younger grades. There is an interesting background to the story that would be very meaningful to students in upper primary grades or in middle school. It relates to Ken’s experience with censorship and conditions that prevail in Turkmenistan that limit people's access to information. It is a month after his visit, and the kids are still coming to the library asking for his books. It was a pleasure to have worked with Ken, who is also an international educator . . . well . . . uh . . . monkey trainer.”-Sureshnie Dissanayake, Primary School Librarian, The Overseas School of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2017)
“The students were hooked the minute he started! Ken Derby has a way of captivating the students, hooking them to the story and the writing process. Ken’s use of his personal stories - and pictures, lots of humor, and his hilarious but real response to 'Where do you get your ideas?' kept them listening the entire time. The kids raced to the library to get the books! Thank you so much for taking time to present to our classes!”-Karen Genest, Librarian, American School of Doha, Doha, Qatar (2014)
“Eastwood College would like to thank Ken Derby for his lively presentation to the students at our Mansourieh campus and our Kafarshima campus. His presentation was filled with humor, thoughtful questions, and tips for students when writing. We all enjoyed listening to The Mystery of the Stuffed Animals and hearing about Ken's visits to Turkmenistan and his efforts to bring increased literacy to the children there. The children are still talking about our good fortune to have a real author come and visit our school.”-Adele Hutchison, Early Years and Elementary Principal (Mansourieh Campus), Eastwood College, Beirut, Lebanon (2014)
“I am so thankful Mr. Derby was able to talk with our students. I am a fifth grade teacher at AIS, but I also have 3 children in the school. I thoroughly enjoyed watching my son's facial expressions as Mr. Derby spoke about being an author and read his fabulous books to us. My son writes, and the enthusiasm with which Mr. Derby talked about his craft only heightened my son's desire to write more. He looks forward to reading more Ken Derby in the future, as do all my fifth graders! Come back again next year, Ken!”-Melissa Stalker, Teacher, Ashgabat International School, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (2013)
“Ken's energy and enthusiasm for the topic of writing captivated my students. They grasped the idea of a 'hook' and I have noticed them beginning to use hooks in their creative stories. When we returned to school from Ken's presentation, students literally raced each other to the library to check out his book.”
-Debbie Downes, Teacher, Ashgabat International School, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (2010)
“When Ken Derby told me that he could entertain all of our grade 3, 4, and 5 students at once, I was skeptical. That’s over 220 students! And then he said he could do it at the end of the school day in a room without chairs and I was even more incredulous. But he pulled it off without a hitch. He pulled all of the students into his talk by using humor, personal stories, and good solid information about his writing process and creative inspirations. Most impressive to me, was the way he addressed the difficult question all writers hear: Where do you get your ideas? He showed us how writing about what we know, drawing from the people and experiences in our own lives, can become the most funny and true-to-life stories. I recommend Mr. Derby’s author talk without hesitation for his preparation, flawless execution, easy charm with students, and drop-dead funny material.”
-Sarah Ducharme, Librarian, American International School of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary (2010)
“It was a pleasure to have Ken Derby in our school ! We haven’t had any author visitor for years, and all the students were excited about meeting him. The day turned out to be a huge success: our grade 3-6 students still talk about his sessions that were very inspiring, humorous and a lot of fun. He also gave great ideas on story writing, and many of our students (even boys!) have started to plan their own stories. Ken had such a warm and strong presence and he really respected his audience; he welcomed all kinds of questions and gave clear informative responses. Our school warmly recommends his author sessions!”
-Inga-Britt Jäske, Librarian, International School of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (2009)
"Each of our third, fourth and fifth grade classes had the benefit of seeing Ken’s gig, and each group came away enthused and excited! One student commented, ‘I kinda got to hear how an author thinks when he’s writing.’ That statement hit on the hidden value of what our CAC students experienced during their time with Ken: they got a glimpse of the writing process and came out the other side realizing that the things their teachers have been telling them about writing are what are being used by the authors of the books they are reading. The predominant observation from teachers was the appreciation of how ‘engaged’ their students were during Ken’s appearance. We are so glad here at CAC, that Ken came to spend the day with us. Everyone’s new favorite character is Tony Baloney!"
-Ann Coster, Librarian, Cairo American College, Cairo, Egypt (2009)
“I am determined as a librarian to reach them all (students that is) with books. Books should be cool, cooler, and coolest! So when a cadre of sixth grade boys raced toward the checkout desk the morning Ken Derby came to our school they explained that the author had been sited and he looked very cool. 'Cooler, Coolest,' I thought. Later, he kept the students’ attention throughout his various presentations as their hands went up with questions, his celebrity respected. We had a real author in our midst and the excitement was palpable. On top of this, Ken Derby, with a teacher’s know-how, organized all and seamlessly fit his plans into our day. I recommend a Ken Derby visit to those who want to reach them all, students that is; books and authors should be cool!”
-Lorna Flynn, Librarian, American International School of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus (2008)
"Ken brought an exciting dimension to our Literacy Week with his engaging presentation and writer's workshops. Our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with this teacher-author. I would recommend him to any school looking to "hook" this age group on literacy!”
-Alan Scott, Director, American International School of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus (2008)
“I was really impressed that you kept all the children engaged for almost an hour! Our children have many visitors and our deputy principal is an excellent performer so the children can be hard to impress . . . but you were fabulous and so many of the children who were not my most avid readers are loving your book. My library volunteers have commented on the fact their children are really enjoying The Top Ten Ways and how engaged their children are - you may have turned a few Kellett children into David Letterman fans also.”
-Amanda Gough, Librarian, Kellett British International School, Hong Kong, China (2007)
"I did catch one of your presentations and I could tell that the kids were loving it and more importantly getting it. Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. I hope that you enjoyed your stay in Dubai."
-Bruce McWilliams, Elementary Principal, American School of Dubai, Dubai, UAE (2007)
PRESENTATION GOAL:
While making a presentation my aim is to be entertaining and fun (yeah, there's a bit of stand-up comedian in me), but my most important goal is to inspire students and adults to read, read, read and to write, write, write!
MY LARGE GROUP STUDENT PRESENTATION:
Students will view a PowerPoint presentation based on a passage (that I will read aloud) from of my books. During the presentation, I will make several connections to reading and writing and will also pepper my talk with humor . . . to keep everyone awake! :-) I will also specifically address questions children always eagerly ask, such as:
Where does a writer get his/her ideas from?
How does a writer get started?
How are books made/published?
How important is rewriting?
Do authors and artists collaborate?
Any tips for beginning authors?
Why do you have earrings?
Does it hurt to get tattoos?
SMALL GROUP STUDENT PRESENTATIONS:
I am also available for classroom visits, writer's fun-shops (Let's take the "work" out of workshops!), book signings, etc.
BONUS:
I will provide a bookmark to each student that participates in one of my presentations. I will also donate a signed copy of each of my books to the school library.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
LCD projector and screen
SCHEDULING:
My school visit fee is 1,000.00 USD per day. This is the standard fee that a semi-famous author, with two books published (and one of them an award winner) can expect to receive. However, my fee is negotiable if you are really nice and promise to provide me with chocolate chip cookies (with no nuts) during my presentations. Semi-famous authors also can expect to receive travel expenses (airfare, train, rental car, gasoline, taxi, meals, hotel, if necessary). My fee includes two 45-minute large group presentations, time for classroom visits, small group presentations, and book signings, etc. What a bargain!
I also offer a presentation to teachers and writers' groups entitled Writing For Kids: The Top Ten Things A Beginning Author Should Do To Increase The Odds Of Publication. Please contact me for pricing information.
Please click here to contact me for further information.
THE TOP TEN TIPS TO PREPARE FOR A SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR VISIT:
1. Share my books (all two of them . . . ha! ha!) with teachers, librarians and students in a variety of settings in the weeks prior to my visit.
2. After researching my website, have students write additional questions they would like me to answer (especially about tattoos, earrings, and such interesting things).
3. Plan projects or activities centered on my books. Encourage students to create their own stories.
4. At least three weeks before the visit please send me directions, accommodations, a schedule of the day's events, etc.
5. Place book orders with publishers or local booksellers several weeks before the visit.
6. Post signs and flyers around the school to spread the word that I am coming.
7. Have a "Meet-the-Author" breakfast with your staff on the day of the event.
8. Take pictures during the visit so that a bulletin board can be created after my visit is over.
9. Send a press release to your local paper announcing the event and invite them to come.
10. Expect to have fun . . . and provide me with an ample supply of homemade chocolate chip cookies (with no nuts) to be hastily consumed between presentations. :-)
Please feel free to download these three PDF documents. They give many additional ideas about how to prepare for a successful author visit.
Author Visits With Ken Derby
How to Ensure a Terrific Visit
The Author's Wish List
Click here to see a brief slideshow highlighting my work at the 2017 International Schools Writers Conference held at the American International School of Chennai (India).
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF BOMBAY AUTHOR VISIT VIDEO:
Click here to see a video of my author visit at the American School of Bombay.
AUTHOR VISIT SLIDESHOW:
Click here to see a brief slideshow of presentations I've made at the schools I've visited.
PRESENTATION RESPONSES:
“Ken Derby visited the American School of Bombay in April of 2017. We at the American School like our visiting authors to connect their writing workshops based on the Literacy Units our students are currently engaged in. Ken was flexible, patient and worked to meet the needs of different literacy units from Kindergarten to Grade 5. His mini-workshops inspired students at each grade level in a variety of ways. At the school wide assembly, students laughed, cheered and felt inspired to write stories that are funny. Our EAL students were in awe and all students were encouraged to download his ebooks from Amazon that he graciously shared with our community for 72 hours.”-Ms. Heeru Bhojwani, Head Librarian/Information Curator and Coach, The American School of Bombay, Mumbai, India (2017)
"Ken was one of three authors we brought to our International School Writers Conference this year. This is a conference for middle school students from five international schools where authors work with expert groups over the course of two days. Ken led our expert group on novel writing and his participants' love for him as a workshop leader was unanimous! He got rave reviews from all 19 students in his group! Student comments regarding his workshop, which totaled 8 hours, include:
- "It really inspired me."
- "It improved me as a writer because I learned new ways to write my stories."
- "It made my view of writing more positive."
- "I loved the fact that we got to learn so many interesting things about how to write novels and what kind of tips we could use to write our stories."
- "I found out ways to develop my story and to always have a good storyline so you can attach the bits and pieces slowly to make a perfect tale!"
- "I am able to look and analyze my writing from a different view and I also feel like I have a clearer view of the things you would need in order to write a book."
“It was a pleasure having Ken Derby with us at the Overseas School of Colombo, Sri Lanka in March of 2017. Ken conducted a series of engaging writing workshops for OSC’s middle school students. His presentations about his life and writing inspirations were well received by our students and teachers. His fun and interactive sessions built up the writing skills of our students. It was easy working with Ken from the planning stage to the end. He was easy going, flexible and enthusiastic. It was a bonus for students to be given free access to Ken’s books for 24 hours!”-Raina Lockwood, Secondary Librarian, The Overseas School of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2017)
“We invited Ken to work with KG through grade 5 in our primary school and with grades 6 through 8 in the middle school. In our primary school, he connected with students across all grade levels, sharing his journey as an author and about his life. He presented his books with ease to an audience that ranged in age from 6 years to 10 years old. His opening presentation about himself was spot on at all age levels, and he grabbed the attention of the students. The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School was an instant hit with grades 3 - 5. He also coupled with the grade five exhibition unit and supported the students in their exploration related to “passion and who they want to be.” I personally was very interested in his picture book The Mischief of the Stuffed Animals, which he read to the younger grades. There is an interesting background to the story that would be very meaningful to students in upper primary grades or in middle school. It relates to Ken’s experience with censorship and conditions that prevail in Turkmenistan that limit people's access to information. It is a month after his visit, and the kids are still coming to the library asking for his books. It was a pleasure to have worked with Ken, who is also an international educator . . . well . . . uh . . . monkey trainer.”-Sureshnie Dissanayake, Primary School Librarian, The Overseas School of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2017)
“The students were hooked the minute he started! Ken Derby has a way of captivating the students, hooking them to the story and the writing process. Ken’s use of his personal stories - and pictures, lots of humor, and his hilarious but real response to 'Where do you get your ideas?' kept them listening the entire time. The kids raced to the library to get the books! Thank you so much for taking time to present to our classes!”-Karen Genest, Librarian, American School of Doha, Doha, Qatar (2014)
“Eastwood College would like to thank Ken Derby for his lively presentation to the students at our Mansourieh campus and our Kafarshima campus. His presentation was filled with humor, thoughtful questions, and tips for students when writing. We all enjoyed listening to The Mystery of the Stuffed Animals and hearing about Ken's visits to Turkmenistan and his efforts to bring increased literacy to the children there. The children are still talking about our good fortune to have a real author come and visit our school.”-Adele Hutchison, Early Years and Elementary Principal (Mansourieh Campus), Eastwood College, Beirut, Lebanon (2014)
“I am so thankful Mr. Derby was able to talk with our students. I am a fifth grade teacher at AIS, but I also have 3 children in the school. I thoroughly enjoyed watching my son's facial expressions as Mr. Derby spoke about being an author and read his fabulous books to us. My son writes, and the enthusiasm with which Mr. Derby talked about his craft only heightened my son's desire to write more. He looks forward to reading more Ken Derby in the future, as do all my fifth graders! Come back again next year, Ken!”-Melissa Stalker, Teacher, Ashgabat International School, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (2013)
“Ken's energy and enthusiasm for the topic of writing captivated my students. They grasped the idea of a 'hook' and I have noticed them beginning to use hooks in their creative stories. When we returned to school from Ken's presentation, students literally raced each other to the library to check out his book.”
-Debbie Downes, Teacher, Ashgabat International School, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (2010)
“When Ken Derby told me that he could entertain all of our grade 3, 4, and 5 students at once, I was skeptical. That’s over 220 students! And then he said he could do it at the end of the school day in a room without chairs and I was even more incredulous. But he pulled it off without a hitch. He pulled all of the students into his talk by using humor, personal stories, and good solid information about his writing process and creative inspirations. Most impressive to me, was the way he addressed the difficult question all writers hear: Where do you get your ideas? He showed us how writing about what we know, drawing from the people and experiences in our own lives, can become the most funny and true-to-life stories. I recommend Mr. Derby’s author talk without hesitation for his preparation, flawless execution, easy charm with students, and drop-dead funny material.”
-Sarah Ducharme, Librarian, American International School of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary (2010)
“It was a pleasure to have Ken Derby in our school ! We haven’t had any author visitor for years, and all the students were excited about meeting him. The day turned out to be a huge success: our grade 3-6 students still talk about his sessions that were very inspiring, humorous and a lot of fun. He also gave great ideas on story writing, and many of our students (even boys!) have started to plan their own stories. Ken had such a warm and strong presence and he really respected his audience; he welcomed all kinds of questions and gave clear informative responses. Our school warmly recommends his author sessions!”
-Inga-Britt Jäske, Librarian, International School of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (2009)
"Each of our third, fourth and fifth grade classes had the benefit of seeing Ken’s gig, and each group came away enthused and excited! One student commented, ‘I kinda got to hear how an author thinks when he’s writing.’ That statement hit on the hidden value of what our CAC students experienced during their time with Ken: they got a glimpse of the writing process and came out the other side realizing that the things their teachers have been telling them about writing are what are being used by the authors of the books they are reading. The predominant observation from teachers was the appreciation of how ‘engaged’ their students were during Ken’s appearance. We are so glad here at CAC, that Ken came to spend the day with us. Everyone’s new favorite character is Tony Baloney!"
-Ann Coster, Librarian, Cairo American College, Cairo, Egypt (2009)
“I am determined as a librarian to reach them all (students that is) with books. Books should be cool, cooler, and coolest! So when a cadre of sixth grade boys raced toward the checkout desk the morning Ken Derby came to our school they explained that the author had been sited and he looked very cool. 'Cooler, Coolest,' I thought. Later, he kept the students’ attention throughout his various presentations as their hands went up with questions, his celebrity respected. We had a real author in our midst and the excitement was palpable. On top of this, Ken Derby, with a teacher’s know-how, organized all and seamlessly fit his plans into our day. I recommend a Ken Derby visit to those who want to reach them all, students that is; books and authors should be cool!”
-Lorna Flynn, Librarian, American International School of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus (2008)
"Ken brought an exciting dimension to our Literacy Week with his engaging presentation and writer's workshops. Our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with this teacher-author. I would recommend him to any school looking to "hook" this age group on literacy!”
-Alan Scott, Director, American International School of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus (2008)
“I was really impressed that you kept all the children engaged for almost an hour! Our children have many visitors and our deputy principal is an excellent performer so the children can be hard to impress . . . but you were fabulous and so many of the children who were not my most avid readers are loving your book. My library volunteers have commented on the fact their children are really enjoying The Top Ten Ways and how engaged their children are - you may have turned a few Kellett children into David Letterman fans also.”
-Amanda Gough, Librarian, Kellett British International School, Hong Kong, China (2007)
"I did catch one of your presentations and I could tell that the kids were loving it and more importantly getting it. Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. I hope that you enjoyed your stay in Dubai."
-Bruce McWilliams, Elementary Principal, American School of Dubai, Dubai, UAE (2007)
PRESENTATION GOAL:
While making a presentation my aim is to be entertaining and fun (yeah, there's a bit of stand-up comedian in me), but my most important goal is to inspire students and adults to read, read, read and to write, write, write!
MY LARGE GROUP STUDENT PRESENTATION:
Students will view a PowerPoint presentation based on a passage (that I will read aloud) from of my books. During the presentation, I will make several connections to reading and writing and will also pepper my talk with humor . . . to keep everyone awake! :-) I will also specifically address questions children always eagerly ask, such as:
Where does a writer get his/her ideas from?
How does a writer get started?
How are books made/published?
How important is rewriting?
Do authors and artists collaborate?
Any tips for beginning authors?
Why do you have earrings?
Does it hurt to get tattoos?
SMALL GROUP STUDENT PRESENTATIONS:
I am also available for classroom visits, writer's fun-shops (Let's take the "work" out of workshops!), book signings, etc.
BONUS:
I will provide a bookmark to each student that participates in one of my presentations. I will also donate a signed copy of each of my books to the school library.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
LCD projector and screen
SCHEDULING:
My school visit fee is 1,000.00 USD per day. This is the standard fee that a semi-famous author, with two books published (and one of them an award winner) can expect to receive. However, my fee is negotiable if you are really nice and promise to provide me with chocolate chip cookies (with no nuts) during my presentations. Semi-famous authors also can expect to receive travel expenses (airfare, train, rental car, gasoline, taxi, meals, hotel, if necessary). My fee includes two 45-minute large group presentations, time for classroom visits, small group presentations, and book signings, etc. What a bargain!
I also offer a presentation to teachers and writers' groups entitled Writing For Kids: The Top Ten Things A Beginning Author Should Do To Increase The Odds Of Publication. Please contact me for pricing information.
Please click here to contact me for further information.
THE TOP TEN TIPS TO PREPARE FOR A SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR VISIT:
1. Share my books (all two of them . . . ha! ha!) with teachers, librarians and students in a variety of settings in the weeks prior to my visit.
2. After researching my website, have students write additional questions they would like me to answer (especially about tattoos, earrings, and such interesting things).
3. Plan projects or activities centered on my books. Encourage students to create their own stories.
4. At least three weeks before the visit please send me directions, accommodations, a schedule of the day's events, etc.
5. Place book orders with publishers or local booksellers several weeks before the visit.
6. Post signs and flyers around the school to spread the word that I am coming.
7. Have a "Meet-the-Author" breakfast with your staff on the day of the event.
8. Take pictures during the visit so that a bulletin board can be created after my visit is over.
9. Send a press release to your local paper announcing the event and invite them to come.
10. Expect to have fun . . . and provide me with an ample supply of homemade chocolate chip cookies (with no nuts) to be hastily consumed between presentations. :-)
Please feel free to download these three PDF documents. They give many additional ideas about how to prepare for a successful author visit.
Author Visits With Ken Derby
How to Ensure a Terrific Visit
The Author's Wish List