School Visits & Events

I love connecting with readers! I offer free 20-30 minute virtual visits that include a short reading and Q&A. I also offer longer presentations (currently virtual only, on the videoconferencing platform of your choice) for which I charge a fee or require book purchases. Please contact me at lauriemorrisonwrites [at] gmail [dot] com to inquire about cost and availability. I hope we can set something up!

Presentation Options (all 40-60 minutes and ideal for grades 5-8):

The Story of Saint Ivy: From a Flash of Inspiration in 2011 to a Published Book in 2021

This presentation chronicles my journey as an author—from a kid who loved to read novels but didn’t think I was creative enough to write them to an adult who found the courage and inspiration to try. I share my experiences of persevering through many, many rejections and disappointments before my first book sold. I then show the initial page of a story I wrote in 2011, which had several key elements in common with Saint Ivy, and take them through the false starts and different versions I tried out before I got the story right. I also share a behind-the-scenes look at the editing and publishing process for the book.

Rejection, Resilience, and Recycling Ideas: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Up for Air

This presentation chronicles my journey as an author—from a kid who loved to read novels but didn’t think I was creative enough to write them to an adult who found the courage and inspiration to try. I share my experiences of persevering through many, many rejections and disappointments before my first book sold, and I walk students through the story of Up for Air, which spun off from a different novel I’d written, in which Annabelle was a secondary character. I emphasize the power of resilience and flexibility as I show kids how I “recycled” characters and ideas I believed in when I let go of a book that hadn’t sold and crafted something new. I also share a behind-the-scenes look at the editing and publishing process for the book.

Writing Workshop:  Crafting an Intriguing Beginning

Before the workshop, students will read my first draft of the first chapter of Up for Air (provided as a PDF) alongside the first chapter of the published book. During the workshop, we will discuss the editorial comments that led me to write a new beginning, and we’ll consider what makes the revised first chapter stronger than my first draft. I will share intriguing beginnings from other novels as well, and together we will come up with a list of techniques for crafting an effective opening to a story or novel. We will then create a character and situation together, and students will have a chance to write story beginnings.