Invite Marsha — Canada – Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Brantford ON, Writers’ Union Member. fiction & NF, 2X Silver Birch winner. Multi awards. All ages.

Virtual Visits: 20 to 60 minutes
Canada: $300 plus HST

For in-person visits:

Canadian venues: $400 plus HST for 1 session, $650 for 2, $900 for 3 and $1100 for 4, + travel (68 cents per kilometer, round-trip for SW ON).

Marsha is an experienced and passionate presenter who tailors each presentation to the group in front of her. She can do up to four presentations in the same school or area in a day. As the author of picture books, middle grade novels, narrative non-fiction and YA novels, she routinely presents to an entire school over the course of a day. She also loves speaking to adult groups, family literacy events and she loves loves loves giving writing workshops.

Presentations by grade

Marsha is an extremely flexible presenter. No two groups are ever the same and no two of her presentations are ever the same. She likes to have a conversation with the audience rather than stand up there like a talking head. For most presentations, she works in why she thought kids’ books were evil when she was a kid herself, and how she finally learned to read. Marsha talks about why she writes on topics that have been ignored by others and why she considers herself a librarian/detective.

Here is an example of her themes by grade:

JK to 2: two 30 minute storytelling sessions for the price of one full session ($400+HST) using When Mama Goes To Work.

Omnibus of Silver Birch/Red Cedar winner

2 to 4: 45 to 60 minutes: Storytelling session plus Q&A on Adrift at Sea and Too Young to Escape, the true stories of a 6 year old brother and a 4 year old sister. He escaped Vietnam with his mom, but she was too young, and had to stay behind for years before being reunited with her parents and siblings. This session is excellent in developing empathy and in giving young people a deeper understanding of the refugee crisis.

2-6: The true story of Tuyet, the oldest orphan on the last airlift out of Saigon to Canada, recounts the story of an 8 year old girl who braves her mother’s death, war and polio but ultimately finds a place in a new family and after many painful surgeries, is able to walk on her own. Originally published as Last Airlift and One Step at a Time, Tuyet’s story has been reissued in the omnibus edition entitled Sky of Bombs, Sky of Stars.

2-5: Aram’s Choice and Call Me Aram: A presentation on Marsha’s two chapter books about 50 orphaned Armenian boys who were rescued from the Armenian Genocide and brought to Canada on July 1, 1923 and raised on a farm in Georgetown Ontario. This was Canada’s first international relief effort.

4 to 8: The majority of Marsha’s books are for this age group. 45 to 60 minutes. Includes how she transformed herself from a non-reader into a writer, how she does research, historical background on the books of your choice. Writing tips and Q&A are worked in.

Marsha’s newest novel is Winterkill, set during the 1930s Holodomor when Stalin tried to erase the Ukrainian nation and culture by stealing Ukrainians’ food, sealing the borders, and shooting anyone who tried to escape. In this presentation, Marsha talks about the real people and history behind her book and how it relates to the current war.

Marsha’s newest WWII novel, Traitors Among Us, has received rave reviews in the Wall Street Journal and Kirkus, and completes the Don’t Tell the Nazis (Don’t Tell the Enemy) trilogy, following Maria and Krystia when they’re captured by the Soviets from an American refugee camp as suspected Nazi collaborators.

Marsha talks about the real people behind the story, how she does her research (and the new stuff she learned) and why it is important to tell the stories of real people who lived in the past.

Stolen Girl/Making Bombs For Hitler/The War Below: bullying, World War II, immigration, coming to Canada, slavery, racism. Living in the 1940s and 1950s.

Refugee presentation customized to your preference and grade level: Students need tools to develop empathy for those among us who have fled war, terror and prejudice. Marsha has two non-fiction books from the perspective of a real child escaping their homeland after war. Interviewing the real people behind these books had a profound effect on Marsha herself. Using her books Adrift at Sea and Too Young to Escape, Marsha can speak to students in an age appropriate way about this urgent issue. Sample grade ranges that work well for these presentations:

grades 1 – 2, grades 3 – 4, grades 6 and up.

In a pinch, Marsha can even speak to FDK on child refugees.

WWI, WWI internment operations in Canada, immigration, bullying, racism, living in 1914. Marsha has written three books on WWI internment and can speak to all age groups on the topic.

DanceOfTheBanished_HR_RGB1 — Geoffrey Bilson winner

Last Airlift/One Step At A Time: Vietnam war, fall of Saigon, orphans, polio, hospitals, living with a disability, English as a second language, immigration, racism, living in 1975.

7 to 12: Marsha has five YA novels, her Armenian Genocide trilogy, The Hunger/Nobody’s Child/Daughter of War, plus a stand-alone WWII novel, Hope’s War, and her WWI novel, Dance of the Banished.

Secondary and adult groups:

Young refugees and war survivors cope by keeping silent. But if we don’t hear their stories, how can we ensure that these injustices aren’t repeated? Over the years, many refugees and survivors have shared their experiences with Marsha, trusting her to tell the stories they find too painful to write themselves. Her scrupulously researched stories range from young refugees from both World Wars, the Vietnam War, the Armenian Genocide and Soviet terror.

In this session, Marsha discusses the real people and in-depth research behind her newest book, Don’t Tell the Enemy, inspired by the true story of a Ukrainian girl and her mother who hide three Jewish friends under their kitchen floor during the Holocaust. Marsha also talks about Tuan, the real boy who escaped Vietnam with his mother and sisters by rickety boat, and about Van, the youngest sister who had to be left behind for years.

Marsha talks about the delicate balance between memory and archival research. She also shares the effect her books have on the people and communities she writes about, as well as their effect on readers – and on herself.

Literacy events: interactive reading plus how a non-reader became an author. Turning failure into success with perseverance. Students are inspired by her anecdotes.

Maximum group sizes for presentations: 45 for JK to 3. 100+ for everyone else.

Writing Workshops work best with 16 or so participants

Writing Workshop Topics:

Teaching fun self-editing techniques to students in grades 4 to 12.
How to assist gifted student writers (of any age) without tearing your hair out in frustration.
Writing longer fiction, self-editing, developing characters/scenes.
Making great bad guys
WWI
WWII
literacy, bullying, eating disorders, multiculturalism, genocide, refugees
Techniques for punching through writer’s block.
Grade 12 Writers’ Craft