- How can we contact you about a school visit?
- How much advance notice do we need to give you?
- Why do we need an author visit at our school?
- How do we promote your visit before you arrive?
- What should we tell the students about you before you arrive?
- What equipment do you need for your visit?
- What will happen on the day of your visit?
1. How can we contact you about a school visit?
You can contact me via phone (501-455-1498), email (kurylane@gmail.com), or you can write me at the address at the bottom of the page.
2. How much advance notice do we need to give you?
Anywhere from a few days to several months can work, depending on my schedule. In order to properly publicize the event and prepare the students, a few weeks would be great.
3. Why do we need an author visit at our school?
Author visits can provide an inspiration for students to be more enthusiastic readers and writers. They can connect with the author on a personal level and hear first-hand what it takes to write and publish a book. My visit is intended to inspire them not only about reading and writing, but about habitat conservation and a love for birds, other animals, and the great outdoors.
4. How do we promote your visit before you arrive?
You can:
- put posters around the school
- write an article for the school's newspaper and/or webpage
- send a reminder note home with the students - give the students a couple days to bring back forms for book purchases so we don't have any disappointed students on book-signing day
- remind students via the intercom
5. What should we tell the students about you before you arrive?
You can display Big Woods Bird in the library along with other information that I will send. You can have the teachers talk about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker rediscovery (read more about it at www.ivorybill.org or birds.cornell.edu/ivory). You can have the children think of questions that they would like to ask me when I visit.
6. What equipment do you need for your visit?
I will need a screen to show part of my presentation. I will bring a laptop and can also bring a projector if you do not have one. I will also need a table to display some of the items that I use during my talk. It works best if I am left in one place and the children come to me. If I have to move things around, we waste a lot of time and have the potential for more problems.
7. What will happen on the day of your visit?
I will arrive at least 30 minutes before my first scheduled talk. Things run most smoothly when there is a staff member available to show me around and help me get things set up.
Each session will last about 30-45 minutes, depending on the age group and the level of interest. Scheduling should permit about 15 minutes between groups to insure an orderly transition. Group sizes of 50-100 give the students a chance to interact best, but I can talk to as many as you want at a time.
If I am doing a full day, you could have a "lunch with the author" for 10 or so students that you pre-select. This gives an incentive for students that are particularly interested in writing or nature. It allows them to learn a little more about the subject and allows me to learn some things from them as well.
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