I’m a children’s author and with three books available and several more on the way. My middle grade novel, Just Watch Me, is a laugh-out-loud book about social media and video games (Common Deer Press, October 2020). It also deals with serious topics like divorce and bullying. What Kids Did: Stories of Kindness and Invention in the Time of COVID-19 (Second Story Press on October 27) is about the ways kids around the world helped others during the pandemic. Proud to Play: Canadian LGBTQ+ athletes who made history (Lorimer, January 2021), is a non-fiction book about the experience of Canadian LGBTQ athletes in professional sports. I have been writing professionally for nearly 20 years. My work has appeared in everything from The Washington Post and Globe and Mail to Harper’s Bazaar and Good Housekeeping. I have a postgraduate journalism degree and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction. I’m a member of CANSCAIP, SCBWI, IBBY and TWUC. I offer virtual author visits and I'm represented by Hilary McMahon. Visit me online at erinsilver.ca.
In this presentation, perfect for families and children in grades 1 to five, we'll talk about how kids around the world helped others during the pandemic. At a time when even adults were scared, kids took action. This interactive virtual presentation focuses on my picture book, What Kids Did, and talks to kids about how they can make a difference, even if they're small. The presentation includes a discussion, a reading and a Q and A. It also includes a slide show with photos that describes how I wrote the book and found the kids in it. There are also free downloadable activities on my website for children. I've delivered this presentation to audiences of 20 to 500 and have had wonderful feedback.
This presentation focuses on my book Proud to Play. I've presented this workshop to a range of audiences, including classrooms and adults. It focuses on the concept of homophobia in professional sports;. We look at how the experience of athletes varied over time and from sport to sport. We also look at where we are today and what else we can all do going forward to make sports a more welcoming place for everyone. After all, if you can play, you can play. A slide show featuring athletes individual stories, followed by a Q and A and a reading is one option. I also offer this as a panel presentation that includes athletes from the book who can share their personal experiences to help audiences understand what it's like to be discriminated against in sport.
This interactive workshop about writing nonfiction is perfect for students in grades 5 to 7 who are learning how to write, organize and present nonfiction work. I've developed a slideshow presentation to discuss the differences between fiction and nonfiction, elements of nonfiction, the process of writing and organizing a work of nonfiction, and how to make nonfiction writing sound more like fiction.
