When her schedule permits, Robin is available for festivals, conference keynotes, writing workshops and panels. She also offers school and library presentations, both in-person and virtual.
Please contact her through her agent Amy Tompkins: amy@transatlanticagency.com or her publisher: orca@orcabook.com
School and Library Presentations
Robin is a Vancouver Island author who loves visiting schools and libraries. With more than thirty published books for young readers of all ages, she has presentations for all grade levels, ranging from story times for the youngest readers, to inspiring book talks for elementary schools, to talks on fiction, history and activism for middle school students and teens. She also offers creative writing workshops for people of all ages.
Robin has Pride-themed story times and presentations about LGBTQ+ history that are a great fit for October’s LGBTQ history month events, Spirit Day, and National Coming Out day, as well as February’s Pink Shirt Day, April’s International Day of Pink, and of course June’s Pride celebrations!
Robin is happy to plan a session that fits the needs of your group. She is flexible about group size but requests a maximum of three grade levels for a single presentation, as this allows her to tailor the session for the students more effectively.
Presentations, by suggested grade level, could include:
A Hug on the Wind (K- grade 2): Robin’s newest picture book explores how we stay connected to people we love, even when we are apart. Robin will also talk about how words and pictures work together to tell a story, and will guide the students in making up new stories together.
Pride Puppy Storytime (K-grade 2): Join Robin for an interactive reading of the picture book Pride Puppy, a rhyming alphabet book offers a joyful glimpse of a Pride parade.
Ghost’s Journey: A Refugee Story (grade 2-5): Ghost’s Journey tells the true story of how a cat named Ghost and his two dads found safety in Canada. An introduction to human rights, LGBTQ+ rights and refugee issues. Robin’s speaker fees for virtual presentations about this book go to LGBTQ+ refugee sponsorship.
Your Voice Matters: Kid Legends (grades 3-7): Drawing on her six books in Kid Legends series, Robin will tell stories about activists throughout and encourages kids to think about how they use their own voices to speak up about issues that matter to them.
Becoming a Writer: Finding & Telling Your Stories (grades 4-8): In this engaging and inspiring presentation, Robin talks about the joys and challenges of being an author. She share her creative process, leads students in a creative writing brainstorming exercise, and encourages them to write their own stories.
Pride and Queer History (grades 5-12): Drawing on her books Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle and Queer History A-Z, Robin discusses the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the challenges still faced by LGBTQ+ people and communities today, and the important work being done by activists to carry Pride forward into the future.
Rates
Robin’s rates for both virtual visits and in-person school visits are as follows: $400 for one session, $700 for two sessions or for a half-day, and $1250 plus any applicable taxes for a full school day (maximum four sessions), plus travel if applicable.
For conference keynotes, workshop sessions and panels, Pro D events, and other speaking engagements, please contact Robin to discuss her schedule and fees. You can reach her through her agent at amy@transatlanticagency.com or her publisher at orca@orcabook.com.
*Robin is a member of the Writers’ Union. Canadian libraries and Ontario schools may be eligible for funded visits or subsidies. If you are in British Columbia, funding for artist-in-residence programs may available to your school through ArtStarts: schools can apply for grants to bring an artist into the classroom to work with students over a period of weeks or months.