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Sofi Papamarko

Photo: Jennifer Rowsom

Sofi Papamarko is a former regular columnist for The Toronto Star, Sun Media Newspapers and Metro Canada. She’s also written for The Globe & Mail, Chatelaine, Flare, CBC, Reader’s Digest, Salon, Exclaim! and many other publications, both living and dead. Her short stories have appeared in Taddle Creek, Maisonneuve, Room and The Toronto Star. She lives in Toronto with her partner and their children.

City:
Toronto
Province:
Ontario

Publications

Radium Girl. Buckrider Books, 2021
Links:
Radium Girl
http://www.sofipapamarko.com
Eligible for National Public Readings Program:
Yes

WITS

Presentation Description

I delight in working with elementary, middle and high school students to give them a crash course in either short story writing OR personal essay writing. Sessions are designed to be age-appropriate and inclusive. Teachers are welcome to be in touch prior to the session/s to discuss student needs in some detail so I can further tailor the session to accommodate student needs.

We begin with group brainstorming sessions to gather ideas like butterflies and then work as individuals on building a "scene" in-class. Students will then use that scene as a jumping off point to craft to rest of their short story or personal essay, for which I will have given them a roadmap/blueprint and a few famous examples.

Presentation Length:
30 minutes + 60 minute workshop
Genre:
Fiction (short story writing), Non-Fiction (personal essay writing)
Grades:
6 - 12
Audience Size:
5 - 500
Workshop Description:

Students will spend 20 minutes writing a paragraph or two of either their short story scene or personal essay scene, incorporating things learned during my presentation. They also have the option to work on a detailed character description for a short story. Once complete, I ask for brave volunteers to share and offer feedback. From there, we will discuss next steps. It's optional, but the teacher can assign these short stories or essays be completed as a class assignment. I'm happy to come back for a subsequent session to hear their completed work and offer further feedback and even suggest publishing options.