Brief Bio:

Sarah Darer Littman is the author of the middle-grade novel, Confessions of a Closet Catholic, which won the Sidney Taylor Award, along with the young adult novels, Purge and Life, After. Her latest novel is Want to Go Private?
Sarah offers the following presentations that are sure to entertain and spark your middle-grade and high school students. sarahdarerlittman.com

Presentation Details:

Suggested audience: 6-12th grades

3 Presentations per day Maximum

Sarah's basic school presentation is about how she always wanted to be a writer but was encouraged to go into a more lucrative career. It wasn't until she was coming up to 40 that she knew she had to at least try to follow her dream, even if she failed. Sarah talks about how being a good writer is important no matter what career you choose and covers what helps to make you a good writer. She also speaks to kids about trying to find a way to make a living out of their passion.

Writing Workshops:

Sarah has given numerous writing workshops for middle school and high school students for the Connecticut Writing Project. After discussing voice, setting, motivation and conflict, plot, and dialogue students are encouraged to embark on a story of their own.

Using her book Life, After, Sarah takes students through the entire process of creating a published work, from the spark of inspiration through first draft through the many stages of revision to finally seeing the book on the shelves. She brings in manuscripts in various stages of revision and reads from different opening paragraphs so students and the editorial notes, so students can see how editors and authors work together to create the best possible book. 

Virtual Visits

Set up a videochat with Sarah using SKYPE or iChat. Sarah's only requirement is a trial run prior to the time of the virtual visit to ensure the technology is running smoothly at both ends. She will participate in a free 20-minute Q&A with book groups and library groups that have read at least one of her books. SkypeAnAuthor.com

Conferences & Workshops:

Past discussion topics Sarah has tackled include: "OMG! Like, How to I get my book published? -- Channeling your Inner Tween";  "Writing Characters Who Make Your Readers Laugh and Cry"; "10 Rules of Writing and Publishing and When and Why To Break them"; and "Conquering Writer's Block."

A recovered bulimic, Sarah can speak to growing up with a distorted sense of body image and low self-esteem. She discusses the unconscious messages we transmit to our children about weight and appearance and how important it is to help kids focus on who they are and what they are passionate about rather than how they look. Sarah talks about how finally pursuing her dream of being a writer was integral to her recovery from bulimia.

Honorarium:

$1000 per day plus expenses, $1500 per day plus expenses when travel involved

Ordering Books:

Schools and libraries may pre-order books at a discounted rate by visiting the Scholastic Teacher Store or by calling 1-800-SCHOLASTIC.