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Contact Information: I enjoy doing a number of author visits each year. I am in central Massachusetts during the late spring, summer, and early fall, and in Arizona during the late fall, winter, and early spring. Please e-mail me about availability. Books for author visits may be ordered from a local vendor or by e-mailing Peachtree Publishers.
Current Rates: For student audiences, I will do up to three presentations in any one day. Rates are negotiable, depending on a variety of circumstances, including required travel.
For kids:
Intended for Grades 5-9. Length of talk: One hour. Online "Loss and Grief" handouts, including a Student Loss Inventory for adults and a Wordfind and Crossword Puzzle for kids, are available here. NEW! For adults:
Intended for adult audiences--teachers, bereavement counselors and volunteers, librarians, parents.
Recommendations:
"Sheri
spoke today at our Sisterhood Opening Program and all of our guests felt
enriched by listening to her personal journey and what she learned along the
way. Her talk was superb; she educated us thoughtfully on proper ways to
discuss death with children, never an easy topic for anyone. Everyone who
attended today truly enjoyed listening to and learning from all that Sheri
shared. Her Power Point presentation was well thought out, full of useful
information, and afterwards our guests were eager to buy her books. Working with
Sheri to plan this event was wonderful. She was extremely helpful each step of
the way. Her timeliness, attention to details, knowledge of publicity, and
helpful suggestions made the planning process so easy. Unfortunately,
all of us have to deal with death along the way. We realized we aren't alone,
and that we share these same fears, questions, and concerns. Sheri gave us the
tools for having this difficult conversation, and showed respect for different
religious beliefs about the afterlife. Many people shy away from talking about
death, but Sheri handled this with grace." Lisa Rosenstock, Sisterhood President Temple
Beth El, Madison, WI "I felt Sheri Sinykin's program to be very educational. It's too late for me with my kids, but I plan on using the things I learned with my grandchildren. My parents never discussed death, and when I lost a close friend at a young age, I did not know how to deal with it or his family, so I avoided them and my own feelings. To this day I regret that. Had I had the knowledge that it is best to be up front and open regarding your feelings, I would feel a lot better about it today." Steve
Willens "Sheri
Sinykin provided an engaging presentation of how she came to write Zayde
Comes to Live, and a stimulating reading. Also, and very importantly, she
created a safe and encouraging environment in which to share personal stories
of grief. She gently invited audience participation on a topic that is rarely
discussed in a group setting, but, judging from the overwhelmingly positive
response she received, is of much interest. I felt that our listeners came
away with more than they expected from a children's book reading. On a
personal note, my elderly mother is soon to move in with my family. When I
explained this, a little nervously, to my seventeen-year-old daughter, who had
attended Sheri's talk, she smiled, nodded, and said, "Ah, Zayde Comes to
Live"!" --Sue Stern, Sisterhood
President, B'nai Shalom of Putnam, CT "I was privileged to be at Sheri's book launch last night at the Corbin (Webster, MA) Public Library. Her presentation for adults on talking with children about the death of a loved one is terrific - she shares her own losses as the impetus for the book and offers wonderfully child-sensitive approaches to the often uncomfortable topic of death. As good and helpful as is her presentation, the star of the show is her book - Zayde Comes to Live. The illustrations perfectly suit the gentle, loving text, remarkable for its particularly Jewish response to the topic. Kudos, Sheri!" Sarah Lamstein
"Sheri's Power Point presentation begins with a beautiful parable depicting the cycle of life. She then shares with the audience how she became a hospice volunteer, faced the death of her parents, and came to write this books. She continues with a section that instructs adults how to help the children they love deal with the prospect of a loved one's death. With her reading of ZAYDE COMES TO LIVE, I looked about the room and saw that healing tears were shed by many. I truly feel this gorgeous book transcends Jewish audiences. These words will resonate with me for a long time to come: "Breathing in, breathing out, together, for as long as we can." If every parent sat with their child and read ZAYDE COME TO LIVE, both parent and child would be enriched by its content and exquisite illustrations by Kristina Swarner. As a former educator, I highly recommend Sheri's Power Point presentation, "GOOD GRIEF: How to Talk to Your Child about Death." Susan Chlapowski, former third grade teacher, Massachusetts.
Other Programs:
Students star in an impromptu drama--using props and costumes--where they create two characters that "bump into each other." The resulting scene draws all students into a lively question-and-answer session that models and reinforces such writing terms as character, motivation, point of view, conflict, sensory details, back story, and "show don't tell." Also stresses tips for writing the first draft and for revision, as well as the power of rejection and holding on to one's dreams. Length of talk: 45-60 minutes, with questions. Recommended for 3rd through 5th graders. Click here to see what teachers say about WRITING A SCENE: LIVE!
For Kids and Teachers: Click here to see a handout on "How to Write A Scene" as well as the "Reader's Report" that I use in teaching peer editing.
Using a variety of colorful visual aids and transparencies, I will speak to large groups of children--preferably in grades 3-7--about my new book, the writing process, and where I "get my ideas," including specific and useful tips for young writers. Length of talk: 45-60 minutes, with questions.
For a class-sized group or fewer motivated young writers In "Fueling Fiction with Emotion," I use visual imagery to create scenes that have emotion at their core. The concept of "show don't tell" is introduced, as well as the idea of writing in vivid scenes. The importance of feeling one's feelings--both in life and in one's writing--is stressed. Participants have time to write and read their work. In "Characters Make Your Story," I lead the class in a group exercise, creating a character on the overhead projector. All students join in the discussion, which prompts ideas about "what the story is" and where it might begin. Students can then write opening scenes, using the newly created character. Length of workshop: 60-90 minutes (depending on whether writing time is included)
I enjoy working with teachers on ways to help students write fiction--a true creative problem solving discipline. Topics might include generating ideas, creating characters, writing in scenes, writing dialogue, and revising first drafts.
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