Member Profile

Lisa Dalrymple

Photo: Nadine Graham 2012

Lisa Dalrymple won The Writers’ Union of Canada’s Writing for Children Competition (2011) for her picture book story Skink on the Brink, which was later published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Skink on the Brink also won the 2014 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada, and it has been nominated as a finalist in the Rainforest of Reading (Grenada, St. Lucia, Montserrat.) Lisa's other titles include A Moose Goes a-Mummering, Bubbly Troubly Polar Bear and If It’s No Trouble... A Big Polar Bear (Tuckamore Books.)

Lisa earned her Honors BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Western Ontario (1996) and her MA in Literature with a Creative Writing specialization from the University of Guelph (2000).

She has worked in Newspaper Writing, Reviewing, and Teaching ESL/EFL at the KG-G6 level. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband and three highly energetic children – the inspiration for, if not co-creators of, many of her stories.

E-mail: lisa@lisadalrymple.com
Phone number:
c/o Writers' Union of Canada

Publications

If It's No Trouble... A Big Polar Bear. Tuckamore Books, 2012
Skink on the Brink. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2013
Bubbly Troubly Polar Bear. Tuckamore Books, 2013
A Moose Goes a-Mummering. Tuckamore Books, 2014
Be the Change in the World. Crabtree, 2015
Explore with Francisco Pizarro. Crabtree, 2015
Explore with James Cook. Crabtree, 2015
Double Trouble at The Rooms. Tuckamore Books, 2016
Cultural Traditions in South Korea. Crabtree, 2016

Awards

SCBWI Crystal Kite Award (Canada) for Skink on the Brink, 2014
TWUC's Writing for Children Award for Skink on the Brink, 2011
Links:
http://www.lisadalrymple.com
http://www.lisadalrymple.com
,
http://www.facebook.com/LisaDalrympleBooks
http://www.facebook.com/LisaDalrympleBooks
,
https://twitter.com/DalrympleWrites
https://twitter.com/DalrympleWrites
Eligible for National Public Readings Program :
Yes

WITS

Presentation Description

Lisa travels all over Canada and as far south as Grenada and St. Lucia, presenting to students from pre-school to grade eight. She was recently selected to tour British Columbia with TD Canada’s Children’s Book Week. Lisa enjoys using performance, visuals, and audience interaction tailored to the circumstances of each presentation to create a fun and interactive event.

Presentations often include an element of visual story-telling and/or songs which draw out the themes in Lisa’s books. They are structured but informal and Lisa welcomes and encourages audience participation.

Venue: flexible - classroom, library or auditorium. 

Requirements: It is often the most fun if there is available a flip chart; a projector and screen (for larger audiences); a black or white board (for workshops only)

Themes for presentations vary but may include:

“Home Home Habitat” (Environment Presentations - Earth Day is April 22)

Skink on the Brink; any of the polar bear books

Centered around an endangered resident of Ontario, the Common Five-lined Skink, these presentations explore issues of habitat protection, endangered species and environmental conservation.

“The Story Behind My Stories”

Skink on the Brink and Jungle Jitters

Lisa’s road to becoming an author required a lot of perseverance, research and luck. It actually began when she was 8! This presentation addresses how authors “find” ideas; the role of research in fiction and non-fiction writing; and the challenges and rewards of work as an author.

“The Creation of a Picture Book”

Skink on the Brink and Double Trouble at The Rooms

Picture books are a unique marriage of words and art, each with a carefully selected medium, and many with additional stories told by the illustrations. This presentation works well should the school wish to expand upon Lisa’s visit with a self-directed art day. Directional support is available upon request.

Lisa also offers..

For Aspiring Adult Writers: Breaking In (Without Breaking Down) - Publishing for Beginners

From developing your craft to submitting your manuscripts, from learning from rejection to celebrating sweet victory, this presentation will offer strategies to help build your writing career. Lisa will share tools and tips based on her own experiences "breaking into" the Canadian publishing industry. This presentation covers everything from researching publishers to writing a query/cover letter to negotiating a contract.

Presentation Length:
60min (For JK-G1 two 30-minute sessions may be substituted for one 1-hour)
Genre:
Picture Books, Middle Grade Books, Habitat Protection, Early Writing Workshops, Aspiring Authors
Grades:
K-8
Audience size:
100+ (Max. 30 for writers' workshop)
Workshop Description:

Writer’s Workshop (Grades 6-8)

A discussion of where ideas come from, how to find them and how to flesh them out into the concept for an entire story. This presentation highlights Character, Setting and Plot and is followed by a workshop component that further addresses the shape of a story.

Northern OAC WITS:
Yes
Two sessions:
$450
Three sessions:
$650
Four sessions:
$750
GST:
GST not applicable