Member Profile

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Heather McLeod

Heather McLeod

Photo: Arno Kalbus

Heather lives with her family on an old homestead on the edge of town overlooking Lake Superior. She studied music in University and paid for her education working as a busker and jazz singer. Upon graduation she launched her first career as a singer/songwriter. It kept her on the road for up to two hundred days a year and saw the release of six albums. In 2002 she left Montreal (where she had lived for a dozen years) and moved to Thunder Bay to co-host CBC radio's regional daily current affairs program. She won the RTNDA Dave Rogers award twice while at CBC Thunder Bay. In 2008 while on maternity leave her first book was published: Kiss Me! (I’m a Prince!). Then by vote of hundreds of thousands of Ontario kids it was named a 2012 Blue Spruce honour book - which was fabulous. Since then Heather has visited many dozens of schools across Canada talking about writing and leading workshops. She continues to write both music and prose, and has a one-woman weekly podcast Something Different This Way Comes (as well as a day-job as a certified financial planner).

Email:
c/o Writers' Union of Canada
City:
Thunder Bay
Province:
Ontario
I write professionally in the following language(s):
English

Publications

Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!). 2010, Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Awards

Blue Spruce Honour Book for Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!), 2012
Links:
Website
http://www.authorsbooking.com/2043/authors/Heather_McLeod.html
,
Heather reads Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!)
http://vimeo.com/31178893
,
Eligible for National Public Readings Program:
Yes

WITS

Are you available for public presentations and/or workshops:
Yes
Presentation Description

The story of idea, research, drafts and review, editing, publication and printing. Lots of fascinating facts about frogs with puppets, songs and interactive activities. Illustrates the journey and achievability from dreams to accomplishments, the power of unplugged time to flesh out ideas and the power of science to inspire imagination and help spot the wonder all around us.

Presentation Length:
30 - 60 minutes depending on host goals
Genre:
children's literature
Grades:
children, parents and their educators, toddlers to teens (tailored to suit audience)
Audience Size:
10+
Presenation:
$150+ depending on time and preparation required, plus travel expenses.
Workshop Description:

Exercises and examples to broaden writers tool-box of idea-generators, editing-options, framework and focus. Drawing on and contrasting the disciplines of writing for radio documentaries, narrative song, illustrated children's literature, and performed storytelling. For shorter workshops a lyric is composed by the group. For longer workshops participants create and edit several short pieces and have the opportunity to share them. I share my personal journey to publication and mediate a discussion of publication options if welcome. Workshop tailored to goals of host and participants.

Workshop Length:
90 min to weekend
Workshop Intended Audience:
teen to adult learners
Workshop Audience Size:
10+
Workshop Fee:
$300+ plus travel, depending on preparation and time required
Are you available for school visits?:
Yes
School Presentation Description:

See performance and workshop descriptions above - tailored to suit school goals and groups. Activity sheets for Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!) can be provided before or after visit as added value. 

School Presentation Length:
45 - 90 minutes
School Intended Audience:
preschool to high school
School Audience Size:
20+
School Presentation Fee:
$150+ plus travel, depending on time and preparation required.
Interested in participating in the Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program:
Yes
Interested in participating in the Northern Ontario WITS program:
Yes