I would love to visit your school, library or conference! For more information regarding fees and availability, please contact me at:
info@marinacohen.com
Presentation Details
What lies in the Shadows (grades 4+)
Using humour, audience participation, and thought-provoking questions, I talk about several inspirations for my novel SHADOW GRAVE, including the practically indestructible creatures—tardigrades, Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken, Natalie Babbitt’s novel, Tuck Everlasting, H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos, and the real ghost town and setting for the novel, Livermore.
Behind the Mask (grades 4+)
Masks have been part of the human experience for thousands of years and have been used for a variety of reasons. Masks can transform. They can also be frightening. What is the science behind this? How does it all relate to the tone, mood, and “feel” of a story and how are masks used in my novels, A BOX OF BONES, and SHADOW GRAVE? Full of facts, fun, and audience participation, this engaging presentation will keep audiences wondering what’s really behind my mask…
My Path To Publication (grades 4+)
Exciting, engaging, and interactive, I take students along on my bumpy road toward publication. The ultimate message is one of perseverance. Using audience participation and drama, I include a mini-workshop demonstrating four techniques young writers can use to build suspenseful scenes.
The Facts in my Fiction (grades 7+)
Using my novel, Mind Gap, I demonstrate the writing process from conception to publication—a process which began as a creepy incident in Europe twenty years earlier and developed through various forms and genres including a short story, a French play, and ultimately a YA novel. With audience participation, I include a mini-workshop on Voice.
Plot: What is it and where can I get one? (grades 4+)
Plots are like skeletons keeping stories straight and strong. Some say there are 7 types of plot—others claim only 2. If this is true, how do writers continue to create fresh works of fiction? Using my novels as well as other popular works of fiction, plus a touch of drama and a dash of humor, I reveal the various types of plot and how writers might use these basic structures to craft their own new and exciting stories.
7 Keys and 7 Secrets of THE INN BETWEEN (grades 4+)
This presentation is exclusively for groups who are familiar with The Inn Between. The 7 secrets include some fun and shocking facts as well as major plot changes (and spoilers!) that occurred during various rounds of editing. The ultimate message? Edit, edit, edit. And when you’re done, edit some more.
Other available Workshops:
- The Plot, Pace, and Pourquoi of Paranormal Writing
- Getting Published 101: 10 DOs and DON’Ts for emerging writers
- Parent workshop: Encouraging Literacy at Home
- Bullying: Who has the power to stop it? (Marina uses her novel Chasing the White Witch as well as her personal experience published in the anthology DEAR BULLY: Seventy Authors tell their stories)
“Marina Cohen is a captivating speaker who is able to capture the attention of children and youth during her presentations, while simultaneously giving them the confidence which undoubtedly helps inspire them to pursue their own dreams of writing professionally.”
James Murchison,
Senior Branch Head – York Woods Branch.
Toronto Public Library
For a FREE 30 minute Q&A with four stellar spooky middle-grade authors–visit the SPOOKY MIDDLE GRADE website and book your visit today!
La Salle P.S.
The students loved Marina’s presentation. They were thoroughly engaged and interested. She taught them a wonderful lesson on suspenseful writing and they were so intrigued that I don’t even think they realized that it was a lesson! We’d love to have her back anytime!
Susan Mayville – Vice-Principal, LaSalle Public School
Hugh Beaton P. S.
Grade 5 students at Hugh Beaton P. S. wear their Sherman Shields!