Holly Thompson

Holly Thompson has taught creative writing in schools, universities, after-school groups and hospital wards in the U.S., Japan, Australia, 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 children, teachers and adult writers and readers.

Contact Holly Thompson


Children’s Presentations:

The Wakame Gatherers. A full or partial 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 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.


Young Adult Presentations:

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 the novel Ash (Stone Bridge Press) or Holly Thompson's short story "Fire."

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.


Adult Presentations:

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.

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.