LET’S DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY FOR YOUR STUDENTS

A former classroom teacher and award-winning presenter, John knows how to ignite your students’ excitement for writing and reading. Bring him in this year for an unforgettable author visit.

Whether you want a large assembly presentation, small group writing workshops, or a combination of both, John will work with you to create a plan that fits your teachers’ needs.

When John comes to your school, he likes to stay busy and make the most of your day together with presentations as well as lunch with the students and signing books. It’s going to be loads of fun!

For prices and more information about scheduling a visit:

PROGRAM OPTIONS

IGNITING WRITING
Grades: 3 – 12
Audience size: up to 500
Length: 45 minutes
John shares about his books and how reading, learning, and developing personal passions have ignited his love for writing. Learn more about his creative process and what authors do to dream up exciting stories. A dynamic and interactive program that will leave students inspired to read and write!

WRITING WORKSHOPS            
Grades: 3—12
Audience size: up to 50
Length: 45—60 minutes
Through John’s engaging lessons, students will learn the process writers follow to create interesting stories. John leads the students through exciting exercises that will help young writers come up with ideas and get stories started.  He shares how he uses story maps, the importance of revising, and what to do when you get writer’s block.  John is happy to adapt his workshops to support the lessons of classroom teachers.

DEEP DIVE Q & A
Grades: 3—12
Audience size: up to 100
Length: 45—60 minutes
John always make time at the end of all his programs for students to ask questions, but sometimes students learn the most by driving the discussion. With this program, students have the opportunity in a more informal setting to ask questions: about John's process as a writer, about specifics in one of his books, how he comes up with ideas, the nuts and bolts of getting published. . . anything the kids want to know. This program is especially great when a group has read one of his books and wants a real "behind the scenes" look at how the story was created.

WEEK-LONG WRITING RESIDENCY
Grades: 4—12
Audience size: three groups up to 40 students each
Length: 45-60 minutes per group for five days
John loves leading a more intensive writing residency where students get to build their skills through different lessons and activities across the week. John knows how to get even the most reluctant writers to discover the joy of using their imaginations to put words on the page. By helping students build confidence in creative storytelling, he’s seen how this translates to making them more confident writers in general.

TESTIMONIALS

“John brought his books and aspects of folklore alive for our students with a lively and entertaining program and did what has become increasingly difficult in our video age, inspired them to read!” ~ Dr. Rhonda Zayas-Palmer, media specialist

“A masterful job of sharing his love of literature and writing. But John also succeeded beautifully in presenting the concept of living a creative life - of how to find your passion and share it with others. That’s got to be a 21st century success skill” ~ Cris Crissman, PhD, NC State University

“I continue to see and hear the impact of Mr. Bemis’ visit with our students and teachers.” ~ Donna Cook, principal at Rea View Elementary

“John’s perspective helped my kids make so many connections with their reading and writing!” ~ Bethany Baker, teacher at Burlington Day School

"Innovative and compelling teaching." ~ Bill McDiarmid, Dean of UNC Chapel Hill's School of Education