Talks, Workshops, Mentoring & Picture Book Retreats
Testimonials
“Your presentation was amazing. And I love the passion we share for picture books and the importance of them. I wish we could bottle you and your words, and share it around!” – Kate Adams, Senior Designer, OUP
“The residential course with Helen and Thomas at Tŷ Newydd made a HUGE difference to my work; it made me realise exactly what I needed to do and pushed me in the right direction. Since then, I’ve had interest in my work from a well-respected children’s publisher. I honestly can’t thank Helen and Thomas enough!” – Victoria Young
“Helen and Thomas’s course was incredibly useful to me in the development of my own craft. They have an excellent understanding of what makes a brilliant picture book and were able to break down and highlight the intricacies of picture book writing and share their wealth of experience in a fun, engaging, and very interesting course. I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in writing for young children grabs the opportunity to work with them!” – Kael Tudor, picture book author
“I’d always dreamed of being an author/illustrator but I didn’t feel confident. I’d never met an author in person before I attended a Picture Book workshop run by Helen, and her experience was an inspiration that made me believe more in myself. I’m now a published author/illustrator and I won the Apila Picture Book Award 2022” – Nuria Otte, author/illustrator
Talks
Invite me to talk on promoting reading, building a library and ideas for using books in the classroom
In my capacity as a children’s author with over 10 years’ experience of visiting schools as an author (and with many more years of teaching experience behind me), I am well placed to deliver talks, workshops and training sessions to Early Years and Key Stage 1 practitioners, and Literacy Coordinators.
I have delivered training to Literacy Coordinators in Swansea (through Swansea City Council), and also to the entire teaching staff in two primary schools, on promoting reading in the classroom.
The photo above was taken at an Early Years Conference on Reading (hosted by Lambeth Council), to which I was invited to give the keynote speech and deliver workshops.
My talk focused on the importance of reading a new book aloud every day, as key to inspiring a love of stories in children and motivating them to become readers themselves, when they are ready. I discussed how to select the best books for a classroom library, and diversity in picture books.
I also shared my bank of resources and read some of my own stories to the delegates.
95% of delegates, all Early Years or Foundation Phase practitioners, rated my keynote speech as ‘excellent.’
Here are some of their comments:
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“Fantastic input from author – the importance of reading aloud, shared reading, a book a day”
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“A lot of useful and practical ideas to take back to my school”
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“Very inspiring! Shared passion for reading. Lots of ideas!”
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“Loved the stories! Really inspirational”
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“Good reminder to read for fun too!”
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“Lovely to hear someone talking about the importance of reading to your class. With time pressures of fitting in so many other things, it’s good to hear not to let this go!”
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“This is something we will encourage at my school”
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“Wonderful and inspiring. Brilliant story sharing”
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“Lovely – so good to be read to!”
My workshops focused on practical ideas for using books in the classroom, and gave the practitioners the chance to work with one another to create plans for book-based topics.
If you would you like to discuss booking me to deliver a talk or training session for Early Years or Key Stage 1 practitioners, or a story-writing workshop, please use my Contact page to get in touch.
Workshops
I can offer story-writing workshops, on my own or in partnership with author and illustrator Thomas Docherty.
Follow the links below to explore some of the amazing stories that we have helped schoolchildren and young people to write:
I also offer Picture Book workshops for aspiring writers, like this one hosted by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Wales in Cardiff.
Here is some of the feedback from those attending my workshop:
“So many tips and ideas!”
“A great insight into writing picture books”
“Lots to think about and digest – very practical and useful”
“Not just inspiring but encouraging”
“Lots of good tips on plotting stories”
“Left me thinking about how I can edit my work”
“Excellent insight into the relationships between writer and agents / publishers.”
“I haven’t written for a long time and now I feel confident to keep going”
“Perfect workshop!”
Mentoring
I can offer mentoring on an individual basis to picture book authors who are getting started, and would benefit from help in developing their stories and honing their writing technique. Please contact me for prices and availability (which will vary according to the work I have on at the time).
Picture Book Retreats
In September 2024, Thomas Docherty and I hosted a Picture Book Retreat on Gower for published authors and illustrators. We hope to make this an annual event. Watch this space!
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