Looking to inspire young readers and writers?
Steve Swinburne brings energy, expertise, and a deep love for storytelling and music to every visit. With decades of experience engaging students in grades K–8, Steve offers dynamic writing workshops and interactive assemblies tailored to a variety of age groups and learning styles.
From sparking creativity in young writers to sharing behind-the-scenes stories of wildlife research and book creation, Steve’s visits are educational, entertaining, and unforgettable. Programs can be customized to fit your curriculum goals and range from single-day events to multi-day residencies.
Whether in-person or virtual, Steve would be thrilled to collaborate with your school or classroom. Book a visit and ignite a lifelong love of reading, writing, and smiling in your students.
His assemblies run 45min - to an hour, depending on school scheduling time constraints. He brings his ukulele and always performs an original song based on one of his books. The following gives you an idea of his presentations:
“Μy assembly presentations center around informational writing. I share how I get my ideas, the power of staying curious, the joy and challenges of research and the process of getting a good first draft. I highlight my writing mantra: Strong Verbs and Cool Details are Your Friend and Don't Forget to HOOK the reader!
I show students how my passion for monarch butterflies, tide pools, sea turtles and giraffes, and other creatures all led to writing projects. I also share what I'm working on. For example, I'm writing a book called GUESS WHOSE MOUTH It is a photo-illustrated expository nonfiction book for 1st – 3rd grade. The book shows the reader a portion of the animal’s mouth on each right-hand page. The reader must guess what the animal is. Turn the page and discover the answer. Did you guess the right animal?
This is a STEM book about animal adaptations but it is also interactive and really FUN. Kids love to guess what things are. You’ll read cool science facts about WHY the animal has that amazing mouth.”