Author Visits
"Shari Simpson is a master at her craft! Having a published author and screenwriter speak to the students about her highs and lows was truly an inspiring experience. She emboldened the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders all to find the story within themselves during our assemblies and during her sixth-grade residency, she guided the students through the skill of developing a character. Any school would be lucky to have her spend a week with their students!"
-- Laura Garrison, Black River Middle School
"Shari led an amazing interactive virtual workshop for educators at the Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools, and her creative and engaging presentation was invaluable to teachers who want to help their students find their voice and harness their creative ideas. If you're a kid listening to Shari, you are mesmerized by her energy, spontaneity and belly-laugh-inducing humor. If you are an adult, you are moved by her down-to-earth authenticity, warmth and innovative thinking. And of course, you're laughing, too! She's a queen of comedy! And yet, this woman has soul, and it's easy to pick up on how much she cares about her messaging, and how it serves to empower kids, teachers, and learners of all kinds to run with ideas and realize their potential."
-- Summer Sharobeem, Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools
"Thank you to the amazing Shari Simpson for her virtual visit with my 5th grade Language Arts class. I was impressed by how enthusiastic the students were about reading and writing after hearing Shari's inspiring story. Her books are filled with fun ideas for children of all ages!"
-- Michelle Palmieri, Woodridge Elementary School
"Shari Simpson brought humor, passion and truth to her experiences navigating the film business. From the highlights of selling scripts to the nitty-gritty about how to prepare for a pitch with an executive, Shari is the real deal."
-- George Lavoo, School of Visual Arts
I've taught playwriting, creative writing, and screenwriting to all ages, from elementary to university students. I worked for four years with the DreamYard project, taught and created children's educational theater for the organization Hope for Kids, led a screenwriting seminar for high school students at HFK Performing Arts Camp, and made numerous author/writer visits to schools, ranging in age from 4th grade to college. I also taught improvisation and comedy writing classes to adults, which confirmed my theory that kids are way more fun to teach than grown people.
Everyone Has a Story:
The Art & Fun of Storytelling
A 3-day writer's workshop, packed with improvisation, sensory games, and visual props, to teach students to discover and write the stories within themselves.
'The Book/Movie Was Better': Writing for Page or Screen
An entertaining 45-minute workshop using examples from popular books and movies to teach students the difference between the visual storytelling of a film and the descriptive prose of books.
A "Butterfly Net" of Ideas:
The Writer's Notebook
A fun and interactive 45-minute workshop on how to develop and use a Writer's Notebook to "catch" ideas and use them for amazing story starters.
Workshop Topics
Choose from workshops above or a workshop can be developed based on your school's specific needs/literacy curriculum. All presentations adjusted for grade level, following Common Core State Standards.
FEES:
Full Day Visit: $600. Includes 4 individual classroom/library workshops and one full school assembly.
Half Day Visit: $400. Includes 2 individual classroom/library workshops and one full school assembly.
Virtual Visit: $300. Includes 4 individual classroom/library "visits" with virtual workshops.
Virtual Individual Visit: $100. Includes one 45-minute "visit"/workshop.
* I offer a limited number of free 15-minute virtual visits, prioritizing Title 1 schools.
CUSTOMARY TRAVEL EXPENSES:
Under 30 miles from New York City: include mileage and meals.
More than 30 miles from New York City: include mileage, meals, and hotel.
More than 50 miles from New York City: include mileage/airfare, meals, and hotel.
You may coordinate with other schools to split costs.
To schedule an author visit, please email sharisimpsonwrites@gmail.com