Alongside editing and writing, I present to students at schools, libraries, bookstores, and writing workshops. I have taught creative writing programs in Canada and South Korea and at kids' writing camps such as the Youth Write Camp, sponsored by Raise-a-Reader, and the Vancouver Public Library Summer Bookcamp. I have presented publishing workshops to authors and illustrators through SCWBI and work in the school system via Learning Through the Arts. Please contact me directly for information concerning rates and scheduling.

Swimming Through Stories
This is my standard school presentation, and is designed to empower and inspire students of all grades to read and write their own stories. I will read from my book, The Melancholic Mermaid, and share the stories of how and why I was inspired to write this story and the unique experience I had in the design and production of the book, giving students an inside scoop of the publishing world. At the end of the presentation, I will lead the students in creating their own mythical creature through an activity called the “two-part-picture”.

The format is suitable for groups as small as 20 and as large as 250—though the smaller the group, the more interactive the presentation. Each presentation typically lasts between 60 to 75 minutes.

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Writing Workshops

Magical Animal Adoption Agency
Most of my work focuses on mythical animals. I love them, and students do, too! In this workshop, I present research I’ve done on mythical creatures. This helps students to see how much research is needed to create a fantasy story. Students then create their own mythical animals, by designing an advertisement for an animal in a Mythical Animals Adoption Agency. Who will come to adopt the crazy creature they create? The students’ stories grow (and growl) from there!

Costuming a Character
Clothes may not make a person, but they definitely do give hints about characters. In this workshop, students look at different characters and how their dress can indicate aspects of their personality, such as Tony and the Ring Mistress from The Melancholic Mermaid. Students then take a template character—a tiny mouse from the Ring Mistress’s circus—and create two different outfits for this character, ending with writing a story based on how this character transforms his or her dress. Students love to dream up the outfits of a mouse might wear and why!

The Exploring Dreamer
The magical, surrealistic images of Mr. M will inspire many stories in this workshop that focuses on the power of pictures to produce narrative. In this workshop, I discuss the unusual process of the creation of the book, Mr. M: the Exploring Dreamer, and how the images came before the words. Students then look at the images and create their own stories based on them. This workshop is especially great for older students.

Dream Workshop:
Weaving Creativity into Writing
This workshop is a four-month program based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is delivered through the Creative Writing for Children Society (CWC). In Dream Workshop, students learn the craft of creative writing through a series of 15 classes and by the end of the program produce their own desktop-published books. Enrollment in this program is limited and involves an application process. For more information, visit the CWC website.

Testimonials

“Kallie George is an incredible presenter; she has a great rapport with the Campers (11 to 16) at Vancouver Public Library’s Writing & Book Camp. Many Campers have asked for her lunch-time publishing workshops to be offered everyday for the full week of Camp. Kallie is a delight to work with, professional and prepared for any contingency. The kids love Kallie; her talks are so engaging and the Campers are thrilled to learn about the hard work of writing and getting published and the larger world of publishing from her."

"Kallie generously shared her time and expertise acting as a mentor for a young girl in creative writing. It was a highly successful mentorship and I appreciate the gift that Kallie gave to one of our elementary students.
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