Since I'm kind of busy right now and it's hard for me to find the time to constantly put new material on the blog, I decided to pull up my journal entry of a past Young Author's presentation...
Went VERY well. Great audience, in the hundreds. Appreciative and generous. Thank goodness I don't get nerves speaking in front of large crowds, because I was NOT expecting such a large audience.
Turned out it was a city-wide event, which means I was performing for teachers from a whole bunch of schools instead of just one. Yeah! A potential source of future author school visits.
FORGOT MY BOOKMARKS!! Really wished I had them since there was a freebie table for all these hundreds of people to peruse while they munched cookies after the presentation.
Learned I'd better have a few extra lapel buttons for my Silly Sign War performers, since I somehow ended up with 6 readers instead of 5. I only had 5 buttons left in my entire inventory. (Note to self: contact Meadowbrook for some more buttons. 2nd note to self: buy some more books from Meadowbrook. I realized mid-afternoon that I didn't have a single copy of the book in my house. The library couldn't find the copy I'd donated, either. Sheesh.)
FORGOT TO READ THE POEM IN ROLLING IN THE AISLES. And that's after going to the trouble to borrow the darned thing from Doris Rea, since I'd sold all my copies.
Thoughts about reader's theater:
Come up with a few places where the whole audience can chime in together. I did this tonight by asking the audience to shout "Do not slap worms" to get my (2) boys reading for "Grumpy Sign #1" in the mood to be grumpy.
After my presentation, I was touched by the writings of an amazing young man, Collin's age, who is an exchange student from Iraq. What a brave, impressive young man. He got a standing ovation... and deserved it.
Was flattered that they had filled the entire left side of the program with my bio, opposite the agenda. Looked like I was somebody! Listed my credits as poet and illustrator as well as my books.
Walked up to a man with a camera whom I assumed was a parent. I'd heard his name mentioned so I told him I had a nephew by that name. Seemed like an amiable young man. He asked me some questions and started scribbling, at which point I realized he was a reporter. So maybe I'll be quoted in the Suffolk News Herald. We'll see. I'm not as interesting as the young Iraqi. (Note after the fact: I was quoted, although I never got to see a copy of the paper, since we don't subscribe to the Herald.)
Was introduced to some very nice women -- reading specialists and/or teachers, I presume -- who were VERY complimentary after the program. One said she liked it so much she'd like to hire me for a teacher workshop. Told her I'd be delighted, and I would! Another encouraged me to put together a proposal for the Virginia State Reading Association -- which I have, since then. What an impressive, vibrant organization!
Kim Norman
2 comments:
Hi Kim, Will you be at Virginia State Reading Association Conference this year? I'll be there with bells on! Marcie Atkins
Hi Marcie! Yup, I'll be there, although not doing a regular presentation. I messed up and missed the deadline for proposals, then lucked out when Narnia Books contacted me to see if I wanted to be on their panel. I'll be on it with Doris Gwaltney and Mary Batten, both from Smithfield, and I'm sure some other Virginia authors. It's at 2:20 on Thusday. It'll be a busy week. The next day we all have the CNU writer's conference.
Hope to see you at VSRA!
Kim
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