Visits and Workshops
"You did a wonderful job as ‘science ambassador’ and you kept the attention of the whole K to 9 crowd. Quite a trick!" –– Carol Ansel, Pine Point School, Stonington, Connecticut
"The results of your wonderful presentation were nothing short of amazing." –– Caroline Ward, Coordinator of Youth Services, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, Connecticut
Beginning in July, 2010, I'll be offering two regular presentations:
1. Doodle on, Dude!
Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles is a brand–new book told in a brave new style: doodle–writing, in which drawings are integrated with writing to create a book with the feel of a journal and novel in one. This presentation uses Doodlebug as a springboard to quick workshop activities in which students experiment with the doodle–writing form.
Highlights:
- creative / publishing process
- building art confidence
- recognizing personal learning styles
- comic book techniques
- novel techniques: creating characters
- illustration techniques: creating characters, visualizing emotions
- lettering, fonts, and art techniques for creating letters
- optional: drawing sharks
Note: This workshop was piloted as part of the Draw On! program, a month–long celebration of drawing organized by The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. For more on Draw On, click here.
Go to the Doodlebug section of this site
See the Doodlebug Tutorial Video!
2. A Dive in the Ocean, A Break in the Ice
A dynamic, beautiful visual show including illustration, photographs, maps, and video, as well as hands–on (and nose–on) souvenirs from the ocean floor, this presentation draws on my work on books about the ocean and on three trips "to sea". My adventures include two month–long research cruises in the Pacific and Sea of Cortez aboard research vessel Atlantis, two dives in the submersible Alvin, and a three–week research cruise aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, an icebreaker in the Arctic.
Highlights:
- creative / publishing process
- the experiences of scientists
- plate tectonics and the extreme environment of the hydrothermal vents
- technology and transportation
3. Your Choice: Writing / Art Workshop
On request, I'll gladly create a writing / drawing workshop for a longer time frame and customize it to your group. I've taught creative people ages 6 to 90 (so far). I prefer that workshops involve no more than 25 people. They're best when they last 90 minutes to 3 hours. For example:
- Jumpstart! Connecticut Writing Project workshop for adult writers
- Workshop on Writing for Children: Western Connecticut State University Masters of Fine Arts residency
- Ferguson Library, Stamford: Doodle–Writing Workshop with Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles, grades 4 and up
Fees:
Please contact me to discuss your plans and we'll agree on a fee that works for your organization.
Find out more about the Draw On! program at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, in Ridgefield, Connecticut by clicking on the graphic below.
PLACES TO LOOK FOR ME:
- March 11, 2013 – Mount St. Mary College, Newburgh, New York – location to be announced.
- March 14, 2013 – Doodle Journal Workshop, 4:00 to 5:30, sponsored by Healing Newtown Book donations of Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles provided by Feiwel & Friends.
- March 19, 2013 – Karen celebrates the launch of Stuck in the Middle (Of Middle School) with area teachers at Byrd's Books, Bethel, Connecticut, 7 to 9pm. Click here for more information about her talk.
- April 7, 2013 – Book launch party for Stuck in the Middle (Of Middle School) – Byrd Books, bethel, CT.
- June 27 – July 2, 2013 – American Library Association, McCormack Place, Chicago, IL . Signing times to be announced.
PLACES I'VE BEEN:
- Byrd Books, Bethel, Connecticut, doodling event and book signing
- Southwestern Connecticut Youth Book Expo, Huntington Branch Library, Shelton, Connecticut
- Newtown Arts Festival, Newtown, Connecticut.
- Iona Grammar School, New Rochelle, New York.
- Post Road School Authors' Evening, Post Road School, White Plains, New York.
- International Reading Association annual meeting, Chicago.
- Western Connecticut State University Student Center in Danbury for World Book Night.
- Hammer School, Wethersfield, Connecticut.
- Children's Book Festival, Ferguson Public Library, Stamford, Connecticut.
- Connecticut Library Association Youth Adult Librarians meeting, Wallingford Public Library, Wallingford, Connecticut.
- Connecticut Book Awards ceremony, Hartford Public Library, Hartford, Connecticut.
- Quote International Luncheon, Candlewood Valley, Stony Hill Inn, Bethel, Connecticut.
- Black Rock Public Library, Bridgeport, Connecticut and Burroughs Public Library, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Doodlebug workshops.
- Warwick Children's Book Festival, Warwick, New York.
- Children's Books: Their Creators and Collectors, WHC–TV program featuring the Connecticut Book Festival. Host Billie Levy welcomes CBF director Kat Lyons, author Caragh O'Brien, and me.
- Books NJ 2011, Paramus Public Library, Paramus, New Jersey
- Connecticut Book Festival, University of Connecticut, Greater Hartford Campus. First ever Connecticut Book Festival and me.
- GRLS Doodling Workshops: Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, Jamaica Plain, MA and Faneuil Branch of the Boston Public Library, Brighton, MA
- Milford Public Library, Milford, Connecticut
- East Coast Vulture Festival, Wenonah, New Jersey
- New Milford High School, New Milford, Connecticut
- GRLS (Girls Reading Literature Society) program: Boston Public Libraries, in partnership with UMass Boston, has created this reading society for girls that features Doodlebug.
- Jumpstart Writing Workshop, Connecticut Writing Project, University of Connecticut, Storrs
- Hickory Stick Bookshop, Washington Depot, Connecticut
- Molten Java/Relay Bookhouse, Bethel, Connecticut
- Connecticut Writing Project awards program, 2010: Konover Auditorium, University of Connecticut, Storrs
- Lucy Robbins Welles Library, Newington, Connecticut
- SCBWI Shoreline
- Holland Hill Elementary School, Fairfield, Connecticut
- Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York
- Eight Cousins Bookstore, Falmouth, Massachusetts
- Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, Massachusetts
- Fish Tails, Tugs, and Sails Children's Festival, New London, Connecticut
- Mystic Seaport Book Store, Mystic, Connecticut
- New England Aquarium, Boston, Massachusetts
- Robbins Library, Arlington, Massachusetts
- Hartford Public Library, Hartford, Connecticut
- Western Connecticut State University MFA Residency, Danbury, Connecticut
- William B. Ward Elementary School, New Rochelle, New York
- George Mason Elementary School, Alexandria, Virginia
- Connecticut Library Association, 2008, Groton, Connecticut
- National Marine Educators Association Annual Conference, 2008, Savannah Georgia
- Bethlehem Public Library, Bethlehem, Connecticut
- Children's Book Day, Sunnyside, Irvington, New York
- John F. Kennedy School, Brewster, New York
- Garden Street School, Brewster, New York
- Johns Hopkins Discovery Day, The Maritime Aquarium, Norwalk, Connecticut
- Connecticut Writing Project Conference, University of Connecticut
- National Science Teachers Association annual conference, March, 2010, Philadelphia
- Draw On! Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, March 27 – April 10, 2010
- Children's Book Night, Post Road School, White Plains, New York
- Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Newtown, Connecticut
- Connecticut Library Association's showcases, 2010
- Stratford Public Library, Stratford
- Watertown Public Library, Watertown
- Portland Public Library, Portland
- New Milford Public Library, New Milford
- Greenwich Public Library, Greenwich
- Brainerd Library, Haddam
- Ferguson Public Library, Stamford
- Doodlebug Event and Signing, Curious George, Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass.
- Page Turners with Meg Collins, on Blog Talk Radio
- Pine Point School, Stonington, Connecticut
