School Visits

Below are descriptions of a typical school visit, but I am more than happy to design a visit that works specifically for your school and student/teacher needs. My books are written for a huge variety of audiences and ages – I’d love to work with you and your students!

Elementary

In this lively half-hour to hour-long session, the students and I will talk about where ideas come from, collaborating with illustrators, and the physical process of making a picture book, followed by the children’s questions. 

Middle

I can design a 45 to 60-minute workshop or program about any aspect of the writing and creative process specifically for your middle school students. The presentation can include any genre, from poetry to fiction or memoir. I can also focus specifically on one of my many middle-grades novels, including the Julia Gillian series, Pablo and Birdy, Firefly Hollow, Maybe a Fox, and Dear Sister if you wish.

High School

I have written three novels for young adults, What I Leave Behind, Where We Are, and All Rivers Flow to the Sea, and my adult novels Shadow Baby and Falling Boy are frequently taught in high schools as well. I’d love to design a workshop or program for your high school that covers any aspect of the writing process. I’m also open to collaborative work.

Fee:
$3000 total per day (U.S. and Canada; please inquire for international rates). This fee includes all travel expenses (I will handle travel arrangements), for up to four presentations, plus book signings, per day. (Fee is reduced to $2500 for schools within three hours’ driving distance of both Minneapolis and portions of southern California.) If you are a Title One school, please contact me for rates specifically created for your school. For more information or to schedule a visit, please email me at alisonmcghee @ gmail dot com. 

Workshops and Lectures

I am available as a keynote speaker at conferences for writers, librarians, and teachers. I usually cover topics related to the life of a working artist, and I am also happy to create a specific lecture on a writing topic of interest to you. As a professor emerita of Metropolitan State University creative writing program, which offers both a B.A. and a minor in Creative Writing, and a former faculty member of Vermont College’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program and Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, I have long experience in teaching creative writing and leading creative writing workshops. One-day creative writing workshops can be designed around the topic of your choice, from the art of developing characters, writing in a child’s voice, writing from the body, my best tips for creative writing teachers, or a specific topic of your choosing.

Fee: $3000 total per day (U.S. and Canada; please inquire for international rates). This includes all travel expenses (I handle travel arrangements), one lecture and up to two or three other presentations, breakout sessions or mini-workshops, plus book signings, per day. (Note: Fee is reduced to $2500 for schools, universities and conferences within three hours’ driving distance of Minneapolis or portions of southern California.)

For more information, please email me at alisonmcghee @ gmail dot com. 

Online Visits

I would be happy to arrange a virtual visit with your school. Many of my lectures and presentations are easily adapted for online visits. This is a fun and economical way to connect “face to face.”

Fee:
$300 per online hour. If you’re interested, please email me at alisonmcghee @ gmail dot com. 

 

Haiku for You

Send me a photo, and I will write a haiku just for you. I’ll mail it to you, signed and handwritten on a sheet of cardstock, either centered on the page or at the bottom, your choice. Editions are limited to 1/1. This is a perfect gift for birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays. All proceeds from Haiku for You are donated to Life and Hope Haiti, a school I help to support.

Haiku for You – $30 (includes shipping and handling).