Bill Dodds—a critically acclaimed poet and novelist from Seattle—has
written tons of funny poems for Oxford University Press and Meadowbrook Press anthologies and is the author
of My Sister Annie (Boyds Mills Press).
Bill leads a skills-oriented workshop that engages and inspires students to
write poetry and/or fiction. He'll custom design a program according to your
goals.
Basic Info
Home: Seattle,
Washington
Travels to: Bill travels anywhere he’s invited, especially the Pacific
Northwest.
Bill poem's appear in Miles of Smiles, Kids Pick the Funniest
Poems, A Bad Case of the Giggles, No More Homework! No More Tests! (Meadowbrook
Press) and are featured in Poems to Make Your Friends Laugh (Oxford
University Press).
A review in Booklist notes that "realistic characters
and believable situations" in his middle-grade novel, My Sister
Annie "make this an entertaining and useful novel, especially for those
who, like Charlie, have 'different' siblings."
Biography
Bill Dodds loves getting kids laughing as they learn (a skill the father of
three sharpened over many years during homework time). He's a full-time
freelance writer whose poems have been included in Meadowbrook's highly popular Kids
Pick the Funniest Poems, A Bad Case of the Giggles, and Miles of Smiles.
A national columnist and magazine editor, Bill is the author of more than two
dozen books, including the critically acclaimed middle-grade novel My
Sister Annie.
Event Description
Let this award-winning children's poet help your students' creativity soar
as he--what a sneaky guy!--promotes vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation. You
can work closely with Bill to create a fiction-based OR poetry-based lesson. He’ll
teach students about the importance of language skills during a highly engaging
event. Lessons may include a poetry performance, modeling, guided practice, and
individual practice.
He'll share the real story behind "Mrs. Stein" (his poem
that's become a standard at speech contests nationwide) and show how facts can
be twisted into hilarious fiction. As the author of some of Meadowbrook Press's
favorite poems--including "Big Mary" and "Could Have Been
Worse"--Bill knows what kids like, and he has a delightful time mixing it
with what kids need.
Here’s how a group of teachers described their experience: "After
reading some of his work, Bill got the children out of their seats and involved
them in an oral reading of one of his poems. The activity was well organized and
highly engaging for the children. By the time he left the classroom, the
children wanted to continue writing poems. He had inspired them! It was obvious
to us that Bill was able to adapt his presentation to quickly meet the need of
different groups. We were also impressed with how truly respectful Bill treated
the children. We highly recommend Bill Dodds."
-Patricia Gloth
-Lisa Vander Yacht
-Mary Miller
-Tim McCarthy
-Amy Branch
Evergreen Elementary School, Mountlake Terrace, Wash.
More Testimonials
"Bill Dodds came into my class and had my students laughing
and learning from the get-go. The presentation was quick-moving and
interspersed with audience participation, a sense of fun, and personal history
and knowledge of the learning process. Bill quickly picked up on students'
answers and worked them into the presentation. I liked the way he spoke of use
of language and vocabulary as an important tool. The more astute students were
nodding their heads in agreement and the more laid-back types were listening
because this guy obviously could be funny and smart, too."
-Arliss B. Moll
English Crossing Elementary School, Lakewood, Wash.
"Bill's presentation was both engaging and substantive. His rapport with
the students was excellent. With hilarious antics that made his message
memorable, he compared a limited vocabulary to the boring first level of a
video game. His visit to our classroom was delightful and practical. I highly
recommend his presentations to other teachers."
-Mary Johnson
St. Alphonsus School, Seattle, Wash.
"While Bill Dodds is an accomplished writer in many genres, he chose to
have my students work with poetry. His lesson included a set to capture their
interest, modeling, guided practice, and individual practice. Using a variety of
techniques to include the students, he demonstrated the writing process,
incorporating prewriting, drafting, proofreading, revising, and publishing. Bill
encouraged maximum participation for maximum success. His enthusiasm for
writing and children was obvious throughout the workshop. I highly
recommend Bill Dodds as a presenter at a young authors' conference."
-Helen Gamman
English Crossing Elementary School, Lakewood, Wash.
Rates
One-Day Visit: $750 plus travel
Two-Day Residency: $1,300 plus travel
One-Week Residency: $3,000 plus travel
Evening Event: $200 (available only when you book a school visit)
