Skype an Author: FREE TL Virtual Cafe Webinar



This month at the TL Virtual Cafe:
Skype an Author
June 7th 8pm EST
Guests: Dr. Mona Kerby & Sarah Chauncey

Ramona N. Kerby and Sarah Chauncey will talk about their groundbreaking project and site, Skype an Author! Join the TL Virtual Cafe to learn about Skype an Author: "The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians with a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits."

I am so thrilled to be hosting this webinar - these ladies through the goodness of their hearts and through their creative minds have built a ground breaking project and website that brings authors virtually into schools to talk to kids...FOR FREE!

Archive, Transcript, & Resources
Skype an Author Webinar for TL Virtual Cafe


Funny thing, last year I was in talks with Newfoundland folklorist, storyteller, and author Dale Jarvis and wanted to arrange a Skype or Second Life visit with my kids...sadly my county blocked both sites and wouldn't clear them for a day....being stubborn and redheaded we worked around it by Dale recording his stories and uploading them to both TeacherTube and YouTube for our Many Voices, Many Stories, & Many Lands: a 6th Grade English Folklore Unit




The ever cutting edge Unquiet Librarian Ms. Buffy J. Hamilton experienced this unique style of author visit at her high school library. Quoting from her blog:


Our First Virtual Author Visit via Skype with Sara Zarr
"The Unquiet Library Celebrated the National Day of Writing and Teen Read Week with our first ever virtual author visit via Skype! Our special guest was the amazing Sara Zarr, National Book Award finalist and author of Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, and her latest book, Once Was Lost.

We arranged a two hour visit with Sara to accomodate two groups of students. Students gathered in our presentation area of the library commons so that they could see her on our large projection screen. In each talk, Sara kicked off conversations about writing and reading by telling students about herself and her journey of becoming a writer. Students then came up to the webcam to speak to Sara personally and to ask a question they had. Questions our students had included:
  • How do you balance your social life with work?
  • Do you reread your books?
  • With what character do you identify most?
  • Which book did you enjoy writing most?
  • How do you use social media?
  • How do you get over writer’s block?
  • Who are your role models and/or who inspired you to write?
  • How do you get ideas for writing?

Zarr answered with honesty and passion in a conversational manner that kept us on the edge of our seats! We gained helpful and fascinating insights into the aspects of book publishing, how book covers are designed (and how most authors have limited input), different strategies for writing, realistic advice and what you might expect if you want to embark on a career as a writer, and what influences an author’s ideas for writing.

What was most striking to me was how conversational and intimate the visit seemed—one might think that a visitation via Skype might not equal a face to face presence, but Sara was so engaging that you felt as though she were in the room with you.

I highly recommend Sara for your next author visit! If you are interested in scheduling a Skype visit with her, please visit this link for more information. Thank you, Sara Zarr, for such a memorable and fun visit!"


Photo Credit: Buffy J. Hamilton - The Unquiet Library

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