Holly Thompson

Holly Thompson has presented and led creative writing workshops in schools, universities, after-school groups and hospital wards in the U.S., Japan, Cambodia, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mongolia. She has presented at teaching and writing conferences, as well as organizations relating to interculturalism and Japanese culture.

She is happy to give readings, workshops and presentations to students from elementary grades through university, to writing teachers, and to adult writers and readers. She is very willing to combine presentations and adapt them to fit a particular curriculum unit or teaching focus.

Holly also does classroom and bookgroup Skype visits.

Contact Holly Thompson to inquire about a visit to your school or group.


A few of Holly's Children’s Presentations:

The Wakame Gatherers. A reading of The Wakame Gatherers (Shen’s Books) can be combined with an introduction to Japanese seaweed cultivation and harvesting through PowerPoint presentation, demonstration on seaweed spore tying and wakame rehydration. The book can be used in conjunction with educational units on the sea, grandparents, sharing cultures and Japan.

The Story Behind The Wakame Gatherers. A partial reading of The Wakame Gatherers (Shen’s Books) and introduction to wakame cultivation and harvesting can be followed by discussion of how the book evolved from scribbled ideas, photographs and onsite research, to manuscript, to storyboard collaboration with the illustrator, to final book. A storyboarding activity for students can be included OR fiction writing exercises can be introduced with a focus on plot development and story structure.

Poetry Workshops--Creating Odes, Cinquains and Other Types of Poetry. Readings of odes and cinquain poems can be followed by workshops in which students create poems and focus on developing powerful imagery.


A few of Holly's Young Adult Presentations:

The Research Behind Orchards. This powerpoint presentation takes students to the Japanese mikan orange villages that were models for the village of Kohama in Orchards and introduces local customs and traditions. This can be combined with a reading and Q&A or lead into a workshop about taking writing from fact to fiction.

Telling Your Stories in Verse. This writing workshop introduces teens to verse novels and some of the poetry tools used in narrative verse, then leads students to writing a scene in verse.

Story Seeds--Preserving, Sowing and Growing Story Ideas. This talk focuses on the many ways that writers can gather ideas and nurture them into creative works of fiction.

From Fact to Fiction. This writing workshop focuses on generating stories from observation and experience and helps students make the leap from describing actual events to creating fiction.

Interactive Fiction--This workshop focuses on cross-cultural critical moments and bicultural identity using characters from Holly Thompson's novels or her short story "Fire."


A few of Holly's Adult Presentations:

Writing Verse Novels for Young Adults. This talk introduces with many examples the varying styles of verse novels, shares some elements of narrative verse, and explores why novels in verse resonate with young adults.

Writing for Children--An Overview of Genres and Categories and How to Break into Various Markets. This comprehensive talk for audiences outside the U.S. gives a general introductory overview of children's books today and offers tips for writing toward particular genres, categories and age groups.

Tackling Novel Revision: Techniques and Tips. Your novel’s first draft is done; now to revise. But how to create order from chaos? How to keep the big picture in mind while focusing on details? How to keep track of story elements and deepen themes? This talk offers helpful techniques and practical approaches to tackling novel revision.

Of Power and Emotions: Writing Fiction for Young Adults. This talk highlights the range of styles and genres evident in YA fiction published in major markets today and offers concrete guidelines, tips and advice for writers tackling YA fiction.

Crafting Intercultural Fiction—A Workshop on Writing Fiction Across Cultures. This workshop offers guidance on writing intercultural fiction. Dos and don'ts are discussed with particular focus on character development, setting portrayal, bilingual dialogue and traps to avoid.

Story Seeds--Preserving, Sowing and Growing Story Ideas. This talk focuses on the many ways that writers can gather ideas and nurture them into creative works of fiction.