Author Visits
School Visits
Interacting with children at schools, libraries or film centers is an exciting perk of being a children’s author. Despite the fun, I know a lot of planning goes into putting on a successful author’s visit. With that in mind, the following information will hopefully serve to answer questions and provide an overview of the programs I offer. Please feel free to contact me with additional questions.
What Julie Offers
Programs
Books We Love to Watch;
Movies We Love to Read
Students love to watch movies, especially ones based on their favorite books. Sometimes, they forget that all movies start with a written script. By weaving in examples from books and movies and her own video filmmaking tips, Julie leads students on a high-energy, interactive exploration of the writing process. She offers advice on brainstorming story ideas and eliminating fear of failure from the creative process, and highlights the importance of character, plot, conflict, and resolution in both stories and screenplays.
The Big Build
Writing Workshop
Where do story ideas come from? How do you take an idea and shape it into a written story? Using creative exercises, Julie demonstrates how to build a story from the ground up. She leads a fun, fast-paced brainstorming session and discusses the important building blocks of narrative writing, allowing time for students to construct their own stories. She hammers home the importance of revision in crafting a strong piece.
From Educators
What People Are Saying
“Bringing in an author, published by Disney-Hyperion, with a book about a young girl making movies was a winning combination for us. Julie Mata was a gracious guest, a wonderful speaker, good communicator, and showed up on time for everything — so professional, and approachable to students.”
Julie Anderson Friesen
Founder & Programmer, Cinema Falls
“Author Julie Mata presented a wonderful writing workshop during the Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival. The children really enjoyed the interactive participation and were excited to begin their individual works. By the end of the hour, each child had made a good start on a story.”
Karin Menzer
Co-chair, Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival
“I highly recommend having Julie Mata come and speak to your students! Her presentation fits perfectly with the Language Arts Common Core standards on writing — quite enjoyable and informative, and it gives students a renewed eagerness for writing!”
Heather Hansen
Library Media Specialist
“Julie Mata inspired students with video clips, excerpts from her book, and walked them through the process of editing and revising. Following her presentation, principals and teachers shared how students were all discussing ideas for their own next book.”
Michelle Doman
Literacy Coach and Specialist
“Julie Mata artfully wove her experiences as a writer into an interactive workshop that had kids thinking, talking and writing about ideas, characters, plot, conflict and satisfying endings. Mata’s visit was the perfect way to launch my sixth-graders into the world of fiction writing.”
Kathy Horejs
6th Grade Reading & Language Arts Teacher