Karin Adams is a children’s author and creative writing instructor. She is the author of five humorous novels for middle-grade readers, including the acclaimed Frostbite Hotel.
I’m very excited to announce that I will be offering a creative writing workshop for young people ages 9-12 through the Winnipeg Public Library!
The fun workshop is called “Make Your Writing Shine!”. It is one hour long, and I will be sharing my FAVOURITE tips and tricks for turning good writing into GREAT writing! (If you’ve written something that you want to transform from marvelous into absolutely magical, bring a 1-2 page sample with you to work on!).
There will be three workshop sessions taking place during spring break at the following branch locations:
Westwood Library – 986-4747
Saturday, March 26 @ 11 a.m.
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St. Vital Library – 986-5632
Monday, March 28 @ 2 p.m.
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Fort Garry Library – 986-4919
Thursday, March 31 @ 6:30 p.m.
**To register, please call or visit the hosting branch.**
To read about my workshops in the library newsletter, please click here.
Plan a 5 day or more artist’s residency at your school with Karin Adams …
Plan An Artist Residency with Author Karin Adams
The Manitoba Arts Council’s Artists in the Schools Program brings together Manitoba artists and schools for 1 to 10 week residencies. Karin Adams is taking bookings now for literary arts residencies, offering her exciting creative writing program “From Spark to Finish!” for grades 3-8 (learn more about the program here).
An artist residency with Karin is a great way to get your students excited about the creative writing process and a wonderful complement to your ELA program. Karin has worked with hundreds of students in various schools throughout Manitoba,with wonderful feedback from students and teachers alike. Writing and working with young writers are for Karin personal passions that go hand in hand – she’d love to come to your school next!
Book a Creative Writing Workshop With Author Karin Adams!
I LOVE to visit Winnipeg-area classrooms to offer my fun and interactive workshop, “Make Your Writing Shine!”. Together, we’ll review my three essential tips for revising your creative writing, making good writing GREAT writing! I have some fun activities planned, and together we’ll learn just how important – and fun – re-writing can be (it may be the most important step of all!).
To book a workshop, please use my contact page to get in touch!
To read about my workshop experiences, check out my Blog. (I’ve met a TON of awesome young writers…I’d love to meet YOU!) Looking forward to hearing from you! 🙂
——————————————————————————– The song is here!
Lights! Curtains! Cows! now has a totally original, totally fun theme song! It’s called “The Legend of Cow Valley” and you’ll find the link to download it below.
Get out your cowboy hat and get ready to MOOOOO along with the chorus!
To save this file to your computer, simply right click on it and choose “Save As” (or “Download Linked File” if you’re using a Mac). I recommend you save it in your “My Music” folder (it’s inside your “My Documents” folder).
Once it has finished downloading, go to your “My Music” folder and double click on it to listen!
Here are the lyrics so that you can moo right along!
The Legend of Cow Valley Music and production: Paul Shrofel Lyrics: Karin Adams
In a town called Ellis Not too far from here There’s a legend that lives on ‘Bout the great stampedin’ steer
Every summer the townsfolk Come from near and far To see the legend live on On the Derksen farm.
Chorus
And the cows go Moooooo-oooo! And the kids go Woooooo-ahhh! The cows go Moooooo-oooo! That’s how the legend lives on
When the cows go runnin’ And the whole town’s buzzin’ As it did in days long ago
Each summer in Ellis The legend lives on!
Now Becky Kowalski Is a kid with one desire To play the hero of the legend Full of spirit, spark and fire
Now Becky has some good friends, Four guys and another gal There’s Leonard, Sam, Sarah and Mike And there’s Greg, her best pal
Chorus
Now it happened one day There were new folks in town And they thought it’d be a great thing To bring the old legend down
Them city folk brought a new show That they thought was fine and true Young Becky Kowalski Said “this’ll never do!”
Chorus
So if you’re ever down in Ellis And you’ve got some time to spare Remember Cow Valley It’s a legend beyond compare
And be sure that you stop by Old Mr. Derksen’s farm Where the cows’ll be stampedin’ And the legend lives on!
In my opinion, you can never have enough bookmarks! I’ve made a fun set of bookmarks for you that you can download, print out on your printer, cut out, and use in your favourite books.
For best results, you will probably want to print your bookmarks on a thicker-than-usual paper. Regular paper will work, but the bookmarks won’t be as sturdy as if you use something thicker, like card stock.
I had so much fun visiting Prairie Rose School on Wednesday, February 16! (Did you know that this school was built on the site of what was once Prairie Rose Dairy Farm? How cool is that – and the perfect backdrop for a discussion about “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” 🙂 )
First of all, I would like to thank the teachers and librarians who organized the visit, the two students who showed me around the school and made sure that I got to the appropriate classrooms, and of course all the amazing students and teachers who invited me to read and chat with them! The school even presented me with a lovely thank you gift full of tasty treats – well, THANK YOU!
What can I say about the impressive students at Prairie Rose? First of all, they had GREAT ideas! In each class, before reading Chapter One of “No TV? No Fair!”, I asked them what they thought the book was about and what might happen in it. I heard so many different and creative ideas, I thought “wow – they could all write their own books, and they would be fantastic!”. I was thrilled to hear that many of the students actually do have an interest in creative writing, and maybe even being published. We talked a lot about how important it is to edit, edit, edit and make sure that our writing is the best it can be – students had great ideas about how to do this, and I was happy to share some of my tips, too. To all you budding writers, I say: Follow your dreams, work hard, be patient, and always remember to write for the love of telling a great story!
Speaking of great stories, when I asked students what they liked to do instead of watching TV and playing on the computer, students couldn’t wait to share all of their hobbies and pastimes – reading, basketball, snow angels, snow forts, playing with brothers and sisters, drawing, music – the list goes on and on. This is obviously a very talented bunch with a lot of energy…way to go!
In each class, we shared many laughs as we read “No TV? No Fair!” and imagined what Chloe would do without her TV and computer for a whole month (yikes!). In one class, we also talked about how there is also a serious side to consider whenever we’re using the computer. Being safe is “key”, of course . Also, we talked about how being kind and thoughtful to others is just as important online as it is offline. Excellent points – thanks for a great discussion!
Thanks again for a super visit. It’s always inspiring to meet young readers, and makes my job of writing books even more fun. I hope we meet again soon…enjoy the rest of I Love To Read week, Prairie Rose – and have a good year!
On February 8, I visited Arthur E. Wright school – this makes visit number 3 – woo-hoo! I always feel welcomed here, and this time there wasn’t even a fire drill! (the students from last year know what I mean!) – and thank goodness for that as it was AT LEAST -40 out there – yeesh!!
This was a super fun visit, with a cool twist. I’ve been having an awesome time introducing my latest book (“No TV? No Fair!”) to students at various schools, but this time I got to read a couple of the later chapters of “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” with a class that’s almost finished the book…I don’t often get to read these chapters, so that was super fun! I’m glad you are enjoying the story (and think that Mike’s costume in the chapter “Dress Rehearsal Disaster” is as funny as I do – that’s one of my favourite scenes in the whole book!).
This class definitely has a sense of humour! I loved your questions, and the funny stories that you shared. I also loved hearing about your favourite books and authors – it’s so cool to hear how much you love to read!
I’m so glad we had time to chat after the reading. It was really nice to get to know each of you a little bit better. Sounds like I’ll be back in a couple of months to read from “No TV?”…I’m already looking forward to it!!
Keep on reading throughout I Love To Read Month (and after that, of course!).
Imagine my surprise when I stepped through the doors to Greenway School, and there stood a funky, colorful, flashing sign saying “Welcome, Karin Adams!”. This school certainly knows how to welcome its guests – thank you to teacher organizers and hosts, and all you fantastic students for instantly making me feel at home! (Student volunteers who led me from class to class also made sure I didn’t get lost in this beautiful two-storey building – thank you! 😉 ). This was my second visit to the very awesome Greenway School, and it was just a superb as the first.
One thing that I noticed right away in the classrooms I visited was this amazing, positive energy – a real passion for learning and trying new things! From grade one to grade six, I was met by class after class of attentive listeners who were also bursting with ideas and questions to share when we chatted. It was also super cool to see posters in many of the classrooms with tips about observing, writing, and editing one’s creative writing work. I know that you had questions for me, but I learned a lot from you, too!
I also noticed a passion for creative expression. I loved how many students “mimed” Chloe’s facial expressions and body language as I read from “No TV? No Fair!”. Not only does this tell me you were “into” the story, I could tell that there is a huge love for drama and acting at this school – which is very, very cool (I adored acting and putting on shows with my friends at school – I actually still take theatre classes, and as you know, “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” is all about a super fun show). Also, there was gorgeous artwork all over the halls and classroom walls (keep reading “No TV? No Fair!’ and you’ll see that Chloe would LOVE Greenway!)
Thanks once again for having me at Greenway – till we meet again!
Happy National Family Literacy Day on Thursday January 27, 2011! A great day to curl up together with a great new book or an old favorite, and let your imaginations soar! (Of course, January in Manitoba has many perfect days to stay in with a book – ha ha!).
I will be at Chapters (Polo Park location in Winnipeg) from 4pm-8pm along with several other local authors (I’m not sure who yet – I’m excited as you to find out!). We’ll be celebrating this special day with some word-related activities, and of course we’ll all be surrounded by books! Come on out, meet some local writers, check out some books (even get signed copies!) and share your love for reading with us!
Hello Winnipeg and Manitoba Readers (and folks I met from out of town, too!).
Just a big HELLO to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting at Chapters Polo Park last Sunday. It was exciting to be a part of the hustle and bustle as people prepare for Christmas. There was a beautiful Christmas tree, live music, the wonderful smell of coffee filling the air, and hundreds of people looking for books! It’s great to see that the love of books is alive and well in Winnipeg!
I chatted with so many people throughout the afternoon, and my six hour visit absolutely flew by! I met young readers, parents and grandparents, fellow writers, friends and family who stopped by to say hello, and even old friends who happened to come by – it was a pleasure to meet you all, and talk about writing and my books. Thank you for picking up copies of “No TV? No Fair!” and “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” – I hope that you or the people you plan on giving them to enjoy the stories!
A big thank you to the terrific staff at Chapters for organizing the event, for your enthusiasm for local authors, and for making me so comfortable at the store.
Hello Readers – especially those of you in Winnipeg!
I will be the guest author at Chapters Bookstore (Polo Park location) in Winnipeg this Sunday November 14, 2010 (super exciting!)!
I’ll be available to meet readers, chat about my novels, and sign books. Both “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” and “No TV? No Fair!” will be available. If you’re going to be in the area, or maybe doing some Chrismtas shopping (books make awesome gifts!), I would LOVE to meet some local readers, so please stop by and say hello anytime between noon and 6pm!
Have you ever been to a surprise party – you know, the kind where someone walks into a dark room and switches on the lights and finds all of their friends there shouting “SURPRISE!”?. Have you ever been that person who walks into the room?
That’s how I felt on my visit to a grade five class at Constable Finney School on Thursday, September 30. No, they didn’t throw me a surprise party. What they did was much better.
These grade fives read “No TV? No Fair!” with their teacher and their student teacher in September. They invited me to visit with them to ask me questions about the book and share some things about the book with me. I thought that sounded great and was so excited for the visit.
When I got there, I was invited to sit down and answer their questions. They were excellent questions and really made me think. The students told me that they enjoyed the book and didn’t want it to end. They wanted to know what happens to the characters after the story is finished.
Now for the extra “SURPRISE” part. I was invited to take a look at a big piece of paper on the wall. I noticed that on it were the names of all the characters from “No TV? No Fair” along with words describing the characters personalities. The students had brainstormed to come up with this excellent list. Next, the students showed me a place on the wall where they had put up drawings of characters from the book. They were awesome pictures, but there was still more to look at!
There was another part of the wall covered with “unfair” stories students had written- stories about unfair situations, all on red and orange papers – just like Chloe’s red and orange moods from the book! There was stunning, colourful artwork made on thin paper and hung on the windows so the sunlight could shine through – a project that Chloe would love to make, using colours to represent emotions. There was even a lava lamp on the teacher’s desk, to remind us of the funny scene where the Lamberts play charades.
As if that wasn’t amazing enough, students had also recorded their own creepy radio play (like the one Mr. Z tells Chloe about) – we listened to it with the lights turned off to add to the spooky atmosphere. Other students did a skit based on the chapter called “Busted!”, with costumes and everything – someone even did the Chicken Dance!
When it was time to leave, the class gave me a lovely thank you card that they signed in every colour of the rainbow, a thoughtful gift, and a book review that they themselves had written to tell me that they enjoyed “No TV? No Fair!”.
I’m honoured that my book inspired so many wonderful things. But the creative thinking and all the hard work was done by the two teachers and all the students. It was simply amazing – congratulations!
I had no idea what was in store when I went to visit that day, but I left feeling full of golden yellow colours, and totally inspired. In fact, I’ve been thinking of ideas for a possible sequel to “No TV? No Fair!” ever since!
