Jan Andrews writes for children and young adults because it is their stories which come into her head. She is also a traditional storyteller, with a passion for epic and myth. She has told portions of The Iliad and The Odyssey and believes these tellings inform her work. Although she lives on a lake in Ontario in a setting she is certain comes close to paradise, she delights in travelling for readings and workshops. The Canadian landscape is her love. It compels her books and she is fairly convinced that if she had not come here from England she might never have become a writer at all. Her interests include canoeing, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, talking and thinking about children's books, engaging in discussions about oral traditons, and -- most importantly -- living life.
PUBLICATIONS:
The Stories at the Door. illus. Francis Blake. Tundra Books, 2007
The Twelve Days of Summer. illus. Susan Rennick Jolliffe. Orca Books, 2005
Winter of Peril. The Newfoundland Diary of Sophie Loveridge, 1720. Scholastic Canada, 2005
I select one of my books appropriate to the age group. I read from it and talk about how it came to be. With younger children and smaller groups, we can work together with The Twelve Days of Summer to create a class poem. I solicit lots of questions, especially about students' own writing difficulties. Through my answers I give tips on character, plot and setting, beginnings, middles and ends. In discussing Winter of Peril, I inevitably introduce the topic of historical research. I am also a storyteller and may tell the stories from Out of the Everywhere and Stories at the Door, introducing students to that skill as well. My biggest gift is my ability to connect with students' feelings and demonstrate my faith in young people's own strength. I believe that books are there to touch us in mind and heart and to support us all our lives.
Workshop Description:
Strategies for Improving Students' Writing Skills. This one is for teachers and comes out of the hundreds of workshops I have done with students at all levels. Through these workshops, I developed techniques and vocabulary which truly opened doors both for reluctant writers and those to whom writing brings pleasure. I share my experiences, demonstrate with exercises and provide teachers with new means to deal with creative writing in the classroom.
First Steps in Storytelling. This is for anyone interested in taking on storytelling as an art. I offer basic techniques for learning a story and making it come alive for audiences young and old.
