
Available for virtual visits in : Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland & Labrador and Ontario
Home Province: Manitoba/Quebec
Craft: Author-Poet
Genre: Picture Books
Target Audience: Ages 6 – 10
Cost for School and Public Virtual Presentation with CCBC subsidy: $200.00
Website : www.gilliansze.com
Virtual Workshop Information:
1 . Delicious Love Letters (Two half-hour sessions)
In this two-part workshop, young participants will have a chance to bring together their favourite foods and the love they have for their favourite person.
In the first half-hour session, I will begin by reading my book, My Love for You Is Always. The book centres on sensual analogy: what does love look, smell, sound, taste, and feel like? While the story focuses on Asian cuisine and ingredients, the book is a great starting place for readers to think about food that is particular to their own culture and family. I will then provide instructions for students to write a love letter to someone they love, describing their affection in their own unique way.
In the second half-hour session, we will have a reading where students can share their finished love letters in a warm and supportive setting.
2. Moon & Stars: Poetry Workshop (Two half-hour sessions)
In this two-part workshop, young participants will have a chance to write a poem inspired by sleep.
In the first half-hour session, I will begin by reading The Night Is Deep and Wide, a bedtime poem written in the villanelle form. (Ambitious listeners might want to try out the form themselves!) I will then guide participants to write a collaborate poem, each child contributing a night time image. The class may be divided into small groups for this activity. Resulting poems may be wonderfully soothing or unexpectedly silly. Younger children can also draw a picture inspired by the night imagery found in the book.
In the second half-hour session, we will have a reading where each group can share their collaborative poem in a warm and supportive setting.
Book List
My Love for You is Always, written by Gillian Sze, illustrated by Michelle Lee (Philomel Books, 2021)
The Night is Deep and Wide, written by Gillian Sze, illustrated by Sue Todd (Orca Book Publishers, 2021)