I have been a self-supporting writer and artist for twenty-five years. I've done all sorts of programs for libraries, community organizations, garden clubs, art associations, museum organizations, nature centers, bookstore signings and more. My favorites presentations are to schools and educators. To schedule a program at your organization or school, contact me here.

I've written many easy-to-read books, as well as stories for readersin major reading series. Children in this age group enjoy hearing meread them. I have stories appropriate to each grade level, as I havewritten for all of them. Most of these books are now out of print butchildren still love to hear stories from the author. I usually dress upcolorfully for these occasions. I want to appear magical.

Last year I visited several schools in Michigan with a programrelated to my book on Great Lakes beaches: What's On the Beach? Ibrought rolls of 45-inch paper which could be made as long as there wasroom for. In Millington, we did a twenty-foot mural because thegymnasium had room for this. In Mayfield we did a shorter version inthe smaller library space. Both were fabulous. At the Ann Arbor BookFair we did an even shorter version which was so packed with bright artthat a circuit court judge hung it in her downtown Detroit courtroom.

This program combines reading and art, and the size of the muralallows many children to work on it together. Some chaos ensues, but Ihave never found it to get out of hand. Children love doing this andseeing the wonderful results, which I leave at the school for display.

I speak to science classes about Great Lakes Nature, published byUniversity of Michigan Press, the process and importance of learningthe names of species in our Great Lakes environment, logging,journaling, exploring.

 I speak to English classes about writing, rewriting, finding your own true voice, my life as a writer and artist.

 

This coming year I plan to visit teacher conferences with mymaterials which adapt beautifully for any age group. What's On theBeach? and my book in progress, What's in the Woods? are written at fourth grade level, but work well in junior high, evenwith special education classes as high interest low vocabulary material.

Presently I am scheduled for the Michigan Reading Association conference meeting in Gaylord, Michigan, July 27-29, 2005.

My experience with many kinds ofpublishing has been a topic of presentations to Delta College studentsof Mass Media classes. I have extensive experience with textbook and other educational publishers, such as Addison-Wesley, Harcourt-Brace, Hampton-Brown and others; New York publishers like Viking Penguin, Penguin USA, Simon & Schuster, Little Brown, Bantam, and Prentice-Hall;  small publishers like Children's Press; university publishers like University of Michigan Press; internet publishes like iUniverse; and the whole new world of desktop independent publishing like Beaver Island Arts.

This range of experience is unusual and I enjoy sharing the joys and horrors of each one.