Lisa Ann Sandell has written two novels in verse-one contemporary, the other historical. With humor, visuals, and personal anecdotes, Lisa will begin her presentations to middle school and high school groups by talking about how she became an author, how she develops plotlines and characters, her writing process, writing in verse, and how universal themes or characters can be translated across genre and time, and a reading will follow.

In talking about her most recent book, Song of the Sparrow, which is a historical novel about the characters from Arthurian mythology, Lisa will use multimedia to demonstrate Arthur's continued popularity, present the relatively cloudy history, talk about the timeless themes and characters that have survived so many centuries, and examine the way female characters are treated in the classic legends.

Lisa is happy to tailor her programs to mesh with what students are learning in class. Discussions and exercises can include thinking about quests Arthur and his knights might take today, focusing on a favorite character from literature and re-imagining his or her story, developing original characters, using poetry to write narrative, and when possible, Lisa can work with students in miniature writing workshops.

Lisa Ann Sandell invites you to visit her website: www.lisaannsandell.com.

Author's home: New York City
Suggested audience: Grades 6-12
Maximum number of presentations per day: negotiable
Honorarium: negotiable