"Matt’s visit brought so much energy and excitement!
We loved hosting Matt for the day and highly recommend
his programs to other elementary schools."
"A wonderful day and evening for our students and families!
I've had many positive messages come my way."
“Not just an inspiring author, but an inspiring human.
Matt was able to reach students who normally do not feel confident engaging in group events.”
"Your books are wonderful and your presentation was inspiring. Lots of fun!"
"Matt's visit was an amazing way to celebrate
the joy of reading. The advice he gave to inspire ideas
for blooming authors was priceless!"
"While I was very happy with Matt's presentations,
what is most important is how happy the kids and teachers
were with his residency. Highly recommend!
"Covid restrictions forced us into a virtual, rather than
in-person, visit but Matt made the visit engaging and exciting
for our students. We are so lucky to have him in our community!
"Matt's presentations for students are engaging, hilarious,
and help to remind us that we are all writers,
whether we are aware of that yet or not."
Author Visits
Author James Preller has said that authors don’t do school visits - schools do author visits. It's a great perspective, because it reinforces the notion that schools are anticipating something tangible and beneficial from the visit. An author cannot simply "show up" and expect a mere book reading to carry the day. If a school, library, or other organization is going to host me, I plan to make that visit as memorable and worthwhile as possible.
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing:
how to make reading & writing poetry fun, the importance of revision, and why imagination and creativity are so important.
How did this book come to be?
Why did the illustrator take a 2-week trip to the UK before beginning?
Does anyone care about syllables in haiku anymore?
Why do grownups need to apologize more often?
And what's the deal with the iguanadon's thumb, anyway??
These questions and more will be answered, in a lively, engaging way!
~~ Click the links below (in black) to view details of all my presentations! ~~
I tailor my presentations to fit the needs of the classroom/grade. One day I might be discussing the single-most important thing about writing poetry, and the next day I’ll be talking about dinosaurs, tree ferns, or origami sea turtles!
While I prefer to visit in person – nothing beats the energy of live interaction – I am also available for virtual visits via platforms like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meets. My rates for in-person school visits within 50 miles are as follows:
- Half-day (up to 3 presentations): $500
- Full-day (up to 5 presentations): $800 (inquire about a multi-day discount)
- Library/homeschool group visit (45-60 minutes): $150
(mileage expenses beyond 50 miles can be discussed upon booking)
- 30-minute virtual session: $75
- 45-minute virtual session: $125
- 20-minute virtual Q&A: Free, but limited availability
With any of the in-person options, I'm always happy to join students or teachers/staff for a lunchtime chat, as well. Contact me using the link below and let's plan something!
The next time you're considering hosting an author, I hope you'll think of me!
