School and Library Presentations by Katherine Kirkpatrick
Length: 40–45 minutes$200/ one presentation; $500–$600/day
Special discounts available to schools in the Seattle area!
For more information, email Katherine or her publisher.
The Making of The Snow Baby
In my new PowerPoint presentation, participants glimpse at the fascinating world of early 20th century exploration in Arctic Greenland. I show how I used both secondary and original research, such as letters, diaries, and unpublished photos, to create The Snow Baby. I present many interesting photos that didn’t make it into the final design of the book. Through examples of my work in various stages of corrections, I discuss the writing and editing process. The audience will also come with me on a photo tour of the Peary family’s house on Eagle Island in Maine. For small groups, I’ll bring along my own collection of seafaring and Inuit artifacts. Grades 3-8.
Writing Historical Fiction
Students are often surprised that each of my novels took me three years to research and write. While play–acting and introducing historical documents, I show students how enjoyable researching can be. I tell them that a story does not have to be perfect the first time. Revision is an important part of writing. Writing can be hard work, but it’s also a lot of fun! Grades 4–8.
How a Picture Book is Created
In this companion slide show program to Redcoats and Petticoats, I take students on a journey by boat to see the story’s real–life settings. While talking about the history behind the story, I show pictures of the characters’ grave stones. Students compare illustrator Ronald Himler’s sketches to his finished art. They see my own marked–up drafts (complete with spelling mistakes), and visit an editor at a New York City publishing company. Grades 3–8.
Living in a Lighthouse
The companion slide show program to Keeping the Good Light features an in–depth look at writing historical fiction. Using the topic of what it was like for a child to grow up in a lighthouse in the 1800s and early 1900s, I show how I used original research to write my story. Grades 4–8.
Uncovering Our Algonkian Past
This slide show, based on the work of the late archaeologist Dr. Herbert C. Kraft, introduces a group of Algonkian Indians known as the Lenape or Delaware Indians who lived in southeastern New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware. The lecture presents Native American artifacts and illustrates how they were used in everyday life. The contrasting lifestyle of the Puritan settlers is also included. Grades 3–8.
Seattle in the 1860s
Meet Asa Mercer and other real–life characters featured in The Voyage of the Continental. Take a voyage by steamship and experience frontier and Native American life in the Pacific Northwest. In this presentation, I show how I used original research to write my story; and I also discuss how I departed from this research and why. Techniques of fiction writing and revising are presented. Grades 4–8.