School Visits
I’ve developed two presentations for school visits, one for a general student population and one specifically for student writers (if, say, you’re a school of the arts with a writing program, or if you’re teaching a creative writing class.)
Both are geared toward high school students, as the book contains some material that might not be suitable for younger readers.
You can contact me at contact@AuthorFreeman.com about coming to your school.
The General Talk
My general presentation to young readers involves a review of the history of Chinese immigration through Angel Island (e.g. the Chinese Exclusion Act, the paper stories, the self-governing association, the riots, the suicides, etc.) supplemented by corresponding readings from the book.
Here’s a sample powerpoint for that talk. The notes to each slide will explain what I’d talk about and what I’d read from the book for that slide.
Because the talk includes a section on the Angel Island wall poems that I can optionally spend more or less time on, it can last anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes, not counting time for Q&A.
The Talk to Writers
My talk to writers focuses more on the story of how the book was written: how I got the idea, the surprises I encountered along the way that turned into important elements in the final book, and the revision process with my critique group, my agent, and my editors. I also set aside time to give feedback to the students on their own writing. (e.g. a 30-35 minute talk followed by 10-15 minutes of critiquing student work, and then Q&A.)
Here’s the powerpoint I created for a specific appearance I made in September, 2024, where I spoke with about 50 students in the writing program at the Marin School of the Arts (Novato High School, Novato, California). It includes the student writing that I commented on so you can see the kinds of feedback I might give your writers.
Rebecca Pollack (RPOLLACK@nusd.org), the head of the creative writing program for the school, will be happy to answer any questions about my appearance there.