Workshops and presentations
Educational, inspirational, and fun visits that engage students with:
- humorous oral storytelling
- interactive hands-on activities, such as drawing, mapping, and brainstorming
- plenty of visuals, featuring handmade physical props such as dragon eggs, potion kits, and wizardly broomsticks!
I am energetic, dynamic presenter who has worked with thousands of kids at schools, libraries, and festivals in Canada, South Korea, Thailand, England, and the United States.
My audiences range from 20-500 in venues as varied as classrooms, gymnasiums, libraries, bookstores, conference centers—and virtual meeting rooms using platforms such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet. No matter the situation, I love helping young imaginations embrace the creative process with humor and warmth.
~
“Everyone at our school
loved having Lee
as our Author-In-Residence,
as he is such an engaging and
inspirational writer and teacher!
He connected with all our students
from K to Grade 5 who loved his fun,
interactive workshops,
which focused on making the
writing process accessible to all!
I would recommend Lee
without hesitation.”
VERITY PRITCHARD
WRITING COORDINATOR
SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY
TSWASSEN, BC, CANADA
~
I’ve worked as a writer/artist-in-residence at numerous schools, including leading art therapy sessions for at-risk teens and creative writing classes for gifted and neurodiverse students.
In addition, I’ve presented at the Vancouver Writers’ Fest, the Richmond Children’s Art Festival, the Nanaimo Children’s Book Festival, and the MASC conference in Ottawa.
I’ve toured as part of the CCBC’s Children’s Book Week and have presented many times to teachers and parents on the topics of creative writing approaches, literacy enhancement, and learning strategies. I’ve also been a featured speaker with several writing organizations, including The Writers’ Union of Canada.
School and library presentations
For a typical visit, I deliver a hybrid “presentation-workshop,” which inspires and invigorates students of all reading and writing levels. Using highly visual slide shows, I demonstrate how I find inspiration for my books through drawing, map-making, prop-building, travel, and research. This is then followed by an interactive brainstorming session, so that each participant leaves with a visual output—and a broader understanding of such concepts as character, plot, setting, point of view, imagery, and style.
Workshops are typically 50 to 75 minutes long (depending on the age group) and I customize my style, content, and approach to fit the size and age range of the audience. My format is suitable for groups as small as 20 and as large as 300—though groups between 60 and 120 seem to be the best.
Typical brainstorming sessions are described below.
The Doorway to Adventure:
Discovering the key to a new world
Good for students in grades K-8
In this workshop, I showcase my collection of doorways from around the world and explain how this collection has inspired my writing. Next, I lead students in an interactive brainstorming session, helping them design their own doors as they consider storytelling questions. Students can then use this brainstorming as a pathway to writing a story or a scene.
The Wizard’s Suitcase:
Peering inside a character’s personality
Good for students in grades 1-5
In this workshop, I showcase my collection of suitcases (and the magical items they contain!) and explain how these items inspire my writing. I then lead students in an interactive brainstorming session in which we design our own suitcases for imagined characters (such as a wizard, dragon, unicorn researcher, etc.) and consider important storytelling questions. Students can then use this brainstorming as a story starter.
Mapping Magic:
Discovering the path to story success
Good for students in grades 3-8
In this workshop, I deliver a presentation about my visual approach to writing fantasy-adventure stories. I then work with students in an interactive brainstorming session in which we create individual maps of a hero’s adventure through an imagined world. These rough maps will serve as visual plot outlines for stories that students can write afterwards in class.
The Spellbinding Shopping Trip:
Magical markets…and magical mayhem
Good for students in grades 3-8
In this workshop, I share my explorations of markets in countries such as Egypt, China, Guatemala, Thailand, and Korea, and explain how these experiences have directly inspired settings in my fantasy worlds. I then lead students through an interactive brainstorming activity in which we imagine our own markets and all of the different foods and bizarre items that are available for sale. This activity leads naturally to an ongoing story project that can be continued in the classroom.
Enchanted Vessels:
Thinking inside the box to open a world of adventure
Good for students in grades K-5
In this workshop, we examine famous enchanted boxes in mythology and will talk about the inspiration for my own book, Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers. I then lead students in an interactive brainstorming session in which we imagine our own enchanted vessels. Students will then use this brainstorming as a springboard to write a story.
Enchanted Trees:
Making the imagination blossom
Good for students in grades K-3
In this workshop, I showcase my collection of “enchanted” trees that I have found in my travels and explain how they have inspired me. I then lead students in an interactive brainstorming exercise in which we design our own trees, imagining the seed that it might come from and what type of “fruit” the tree might grow. A natural story grows out of this activity and teachers can follow up on this afterwards, in the classroom.
Lost in the Library:
Surviving a realm of no returns
Good for students in grades 5-8
In this workshop, I showcase photos of my visits to libraries and bookstores in different cities from around the world and discuss how these settings have inspired my writing. Next, I lead students in mapping out a magical library full of books, monuments, hidden doorways—and other secrets and dangers. A natural scene can develop from the resulting map, which students can then write afterwards as a follow-up activity.
Craft Workshops
I also provide more in-depth writing craft workshops, which usually require 1.5 to 2 hours to deliver.
These workshops are intended for smaller groups (such as one or two classes). These craft workshops can be partnered with a standard school presentation or delivered “stand-alone.”
There are many craft areas I can cover (I invite teachers to email me with requests), but some of my most popular topics are described below.
Mythic Archetypes:
Examining and creating diverse character roles in fiction
Good for students in grades 6 and up
How do we create a diverse and interesting cast of characters to populate our stories? One way is to examine some of the universal archetypes that are found throughout art, film, and literature— and that’s exactly what we do in the workshop. By exploring some of our favorite heroes, sidekicks, mentors, and shadows, I help students discover insight into crafting characters that are unique and distinctive in both their personalities and roles.
Many fantasy books by a variety of diverse voices will be referred to and recommended as a way to guide students, and to encourage them to explore and be inspired by their own cultural identities and experiences.
The Mythic Plot: The universal key to storytelling
Good for students in grades 6 and up
In this workshop, I discuss the common plot elements—often portrayed as “The Hero’s Journey—we find in fiction writing, especially fantasy-adventure stories.
Students will learn specifically about some of the common themes and devices that are used in plots and see the progress of how a character changes and grows throughout a story. Students can then design their own plot outline of a story using this model.
The Power of Pursuit: Crafting chases scenes to propel plot
Good for students in grades 5 and up
In this workshop, I discuss and demonstrate the techniques for writing an exciting chase scene, breaking it down in terms of different elements such as character motivation and setting. Students will then “construct” their chase by drawing a map to help them plot their scene. Afterwards, students will use this map as their visual guide for writing a short story.
Writer/Artist in Residence
I have delivered several styles of writer/artist in residence programs, both in person and via Zoom, ranging from three days to two weeks at schools in Canada, the US, Korea, China, and Thailand. I can provide specific workshop packages to fit the goals and deliverables for a particular school, and can also provide programming on a number of different themes (two of my most popular ones are described below).
Please contact me if you wish to begin a conversation about the right program for your school or institution.
Welcome to Wizard School
Magical moments in stories of sorcery
Good for students in grades 3 and up
In this residency, I help students swish their wands of imagination to explore different aspects of writing fantasy scenes, step by step. Students experiment with different writing forms including poetry, short stories, advertisements, and letter writing—all through the lens of a character attending a magical academy, which each student personally invents. Several cross-creative activities will be incorporated, such as mapping, potion “brewing”, and school crest design.
Magic & Monsters: Creating creatures and charms that make stories roar
Good for students in grades 3 and up
In this residency, I lead students through a variety of creative sessions to help them explore epic quests, diverse character archetypes, and menacing monsters. Students will learn about scene pacing, character development, and description, as well as the power of bringing voice and action to their writing using different strategies. Students will have the opportunity to create their own unique fantasy worlds. Several cross-creative activities will be incorporated, such as mapping, potion “brewing”, and writing messages in invisible ink.
Rates
I am a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada, and my rates follow guidelines set by them. The specific cost for a presentation or workshop depends on:
- The workshop format
- The number of sessions in a day or week
- Any required accommodation and travel time.
If you are a teacher based in British Columbia, you are eligible to apply for a grant from the BC Arts Council.
Testimonials
“Thank you SO MUCH for your presentation last week. The kids REALLY enjoyed it and I heard chatter in the halls for days afterwards, with the kids inspired to keep working on their ideas and putting them into crest designs and acceptance letters. We added all of your books to our collection, and I’m thrilled to say they immediately ALL disappeared from the shelves, with some now having a wait-list of students eager to get their hands on one.”
MICHELLE GILLIS, COORDINATOR ELMWORTH COMMUNITY LIBRARY
ELMWORTH, ALBERTA, CANADA
“This author residency was truly an amazing experience for our Grade 5 students. Lee, you more than sparked their creativity! The excitement level was more like an inferno! You suggested they “let their imaginations unravel” and they certainly did. Thank you for giving these students an exceptional experience they will never forget and hopefully will draw on for years to come.”
RACHELLE EGGERSTON, TEACHER
STAR-OF-THE-SEA SCHOOL, SURREY, BC, CANADA
“Lee has worked with two groups of my students (in a district program for highly able learners) over the last two years. A natural educator, Lee’s warm and playful style engages kids and creates community instantly. His thoughtful presentations and hands-on learning projects spark genuine curiosity and are perfectly calibrated to the needs and interests of gifted learners. Students remember him for his energy, creativity, and deep knowledge of the writing process. Above all, Lee makes writing fun. I hope to collaborate with him every year!”
AHMED RAHIM, DISTRICT RESOURCE TEACHER
– GIFTED OUTREACH/SEMINARS
VANCOUVER SCHOOL DISTRICT, BC, CANADA
“We were so fortunate to have Lee in for the whole to deliver three different, age-appropriate presentations to our K-7 students. They were completely inspired and I have heard from teachers that this is one of the best author visits ever! (And we have had many.)
Lee’s presentation style was the perfect balance of humour, creativity, and thoughtfulness. He taught some very fun and practical skills of brainstorming, and got kids thinking more deeply about character and story development. We really appreciated the focus on process over product, and all his personal examples of this.
Across the grades, students are higshly motivated to become writers and use their imagination. Some are attempting to read (or enjoying) fantasy for the first time. I can’t seem to keep the Zoone books on the shelf for even an hour, and the younger students have really taken to the Kendra series.
On top of all this, Lee is an overall standup guy who is a natural with kids and totally flexible with his visit and presentations. We can’t say enough about how much we enjoying having him in our school for the day.”
CHRISTINE GARDECKI
TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“Your presentation has been the most impactful I have experienced. You present in a way that relates to the children so they are engaged and enthusiastic about the story and see the possibility of themselves as writers. They spontaneously said how amazing your presentation was and wanted to continue with the ideas you inspired them to create. Thank you for believing in the importance of inspiring and educating young people.”
DENISE MCFAUL, GRADE FOUR TEACHER
ST. AUGUSTINE SCHOOL
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“Thank you so much for visiting Ajax Public Library over Canadian Children’s Author Week! The kids absolutely loved your presentation and it was a wonderful opportunity to get them in the doors and learning about library opportunities and resources!”
JENNIE FALLIS, YOUTH SERVICES LIBRARIAN
AJAX PUBLIC LIBRARY
AJAX, ONTARIO, CANADA
“Everyone was so enthused by your presentations. I want to thank you for your drive and passion.”
CONNIE CALVERT, LIBRARY, ARTS, DIGITAL LEARNING LEAD
SUMMITVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOL
STOUFFEVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA
“My students were so excited to be able to virtually meet and work with author, Lee Edward Fodi. His presentation was engaging and funny and his encouragement led many of my students to continue writing and drawing for days after. Programs like this are invaluable for children to have exposure to authors and their craft; to learn from them and with them. Thank-you for inspiring so much creativity in my budding writers.”
ELEANA PERCEVAULT, TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
LEIGH ELEMENTARY
COQUITLAM, BC, CANADA
“Lee Edward Födi led my class through the World Building process over five sessions. After just the first session, students came to school with personal sketch books from the dollar store and spent any extra time in the day drawing maps and making plans for the world they were about to create. Over the following four sessions, Lee continued to inspire the students through personal stories, fun and creative PowerPoint presentations, their own potion bottle props, and organized brainstorming handouts. He had an excellent rapport with the class, allowing the students to have fun and to share in his excitement, but at the same time maintained control and kept the students focused. Lee involved me, the teacher, in the planning process and was able to include our science and social studies learning outcomes, as well as specific language arts goals, such as point of view. Most importantly, Lee was able to shift the students’ thinking from focusing on the finished story to giving value to the process of brainstorming and development. Thank you, Lee, for such a valuable experience, one which the students will not forget.”
KELLY ENNS, TEACHER
QUILCHENA ELEMENTARY
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“Everyone at our school loved having Lee as our Author-In-Residence, as he is such an engaging and inspirational writer and teacher! He connected with all our students from K to Grade 5 who loved his fun, interactive workshops which focused on making the writing process accessible to all! We all enjoyed his photos, stories and passion for writing as well as his box of tricks! I would recommend Lee without hesitation.”
VERITY PRITCHARD
WRITING COORDINATOR
SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY
TSWASSEN, BC, CANADA
“Thank you so much for helping Central plant the seeds of writing. So many kids are now excited about journaling their ideas and sketches. This never happened before . . . everyone at the staff meeting yesterday was so impressed by your work with our kids.”
ELAINE MCEACHERN, TEACHER
ÉCOLE CENTRAL ELEMENTARY
FORT ST. JOHN, BC, CANADA
“One of the best things about Lee was the impression he left on our students. He showed how he was able to achieve his dream of being an author, even though he wasn’t the greatest artist or writer as a child. He gave hope to all students that no matter where they are at this point, if they have a dream, they can do something every day to work towards their dream. We also appreciated his presentation style. He’s very friendly and funny. He was extremely organized and came with all sorts of props to show the students how he gets his ideas flowing. In addition, one of our students emailed him to ask him about the writing process and she was very excited that Lee emailed her back! I would definitely recommend Lee for any school groups as well as teen and adult groups interested in the creative writing process.”
MIKA SATO, TEACHER LIBRARIAN
DANIEL WOODWARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
RICHMOND, BC, CANADA
“Lee Edward Fodi has presented at both the schools I have worked at the last two years. Most recently, he came in for 2 days and did 6 sessions with different grade groups, ranging from kindergarten to grade 7, on brainstorming and the writing process. In these sessions, he modelled idea generation and development using sketching and brainstorming in which students collaborated on a group idea, as well as produced their own idea. Students all walked away with either a story starter, an idea, or a mapped out story plan, which they were so excited about and could bring back to the classroom to use for a writing activity.
Both teachers and students left the library telling me how much they enjoyed the sessions. Lee is a very engaging speaker, and was able to keep everyone from K-7 totally engaged all the way through. He was happy to speak to large groups in the gym, or to small groups in the library, and students of all ages were equally involved in both styles. Even with the large groups, he did a writing/drawing/brainstorming activity with all grades which everyone was engaged in and many students collaborated on.
He is a very capable instructor, and is able to manage behaviour and participation with many sizes, ages and types of groups. He talked about his books as well, which students were very interested in, but his focus was very much on the creative process, on the patience and practice it takes to get good at writing and illustrating, and on where his ideas come from.
In particular, he talked about many different ways of accessing writing and brainstorming, which made all students feel capable and excited. I left the sessions inspired to write stories, and I wasn’t the only one!”
KYLA MACDONALD, TEACHER LIBRARIAN
GENERAL GORDON ELEMENTARY
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“Lee’s visit to our school was truly amazing, all the students were inspired by his writing advice and fantastic stories. The interactive drawing workshop was very popular, the students were engaged and excited about exploring their own creative thoughts. I had many comments from staff saying how wonderful the author visit was and how much their students liked it. The teaching guides Lee provides to accompany his books are full of fantastic activities. We are currently using the ‘My Creature’ worksheet so students can build on the characters they created during the workshop, creating a name and many other details about them. What I really loved about the presentation was how Lee was able to connect with the students, introducing them to his own childhood and how he creates his stories and characters. The author visit really promoted reading and inspired all the students to explore their own ideas. I would definitely book Lee again for our school, he was brilliant.”
MICHELLE TRENHOLM, LIBRARY INFORMATION SPECIALIST
FFCA NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL
CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA
“I had reports from a number of parents that their children came home very excited about writing. Many of these children had never shown that much interest in class. One of them is even carrying around their own sketch book. Your visit has inspired the children to be writers!”
LORRAINE SHARPSTEEN, TEACHER LIBRARIAN
CHARLES DICKENS ANNEX
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“We were so very fortunate to have such a talented, gifted artist come into our alternate education high school program in the Coquitlam School District. Lee Edward Födi came in for 8 sessions to work with our vulnerable youth, creating hands-on individualized projects. The students were able to use these projects to really express their own unique interests and creative flare. Our students, who suffer from severe anxiety, really came alive during Lee’s art workshops and really came to love Mr. Födi as a warm, energetic adult who gave them to opportunity to really be themselves in a safe and accepting environment. Often our students ask when Lee will return and any chance we get to have Lee back, we will take it and hope he comes soon to work his magic with our kids once again.”
MARGARITA ASHER
COQUITLAM SCHOOL DISTRICT
COQUITLAM, BC, CANADA
“I want to extend an enormous wizard’s cauldron of thanks for your terrific presentation at Maple Lawn Elementary. You managed to teach such terrific technique by focusing on one element, character, and extend the learnings to your life as an author. The students are loving the books and the ideas are tucked in their writing folders as starter and reminders of a great way to begin a piece of writing. Thank you so much for your flexibility to work with us as we selected from your myriad of choices. Your presentation was perfectly directed to our 4th graders as you engaged their thinking.”
RAE MCDONALD, LIBRARIAN
MAPLE LAWN ELEMENTARY
SUMNER, WASHINGTON, USA
“Lee is a fantastic presenter. Whether it is for a small class in the library or the entire school in the gym, he has the ability to keep the students engaged. He has motivated the students in the school from grades K-7 to want to become writers themselves, and he has inspired them to never stop being creative. Both students and staff have commented that they thoroughly enjoyed his presentations and appreciated his writing tips. It was a pleasure to have him at our school to present his imaginative and intriguing books, and share his writing process with the students.”
KATHY LAM, TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
QUEEN MARY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“On behalf of Central Community School, I would like to thank you for coming and sharing Family Literacy Day with us yesterday. The students are still buzzing about Mr. Fodi and his chickens, Oki and the onion, and how drawing and writing are related. The older ones are pressing us to get your new books into our school library pronto! Feedback from the teachers was very positive. They found the students to be thoroughly engaged in your presentation, especially the interactive portion.”
LYNN ROBINSON
CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL
COQUITLAM, BC
“Everyone at Talmey is raving about your presentation! Students have borrowed your books and our partners at the Richmond Public Library have stocked additional copies. Thank you for being so personable and willing to share your experiences as an author and illustrator. I will be recommending your presentation to other teacher-librarians in the District.”
SANDY GOLDMAN
TALMEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
RICHMOND, BC
“The residency with Lee Edward Födi exceeded my expectations. I had never seen my students so engaged in writing and creating their own character’s profile. They really enjoyed having a real author come and share with them his tips and techniques and several students discovered an interest and/or a talent for art and writing.
Lee brought to my class a perspective I could never have and it was a pleasure to collaborate with him. I was also impressed at how he tried to work individually with each child. He built a strong relationship with them and made them feel like ‘real authors’, to the point that students asked to create ‘novels’ featuring their heroes. The workshops with him were rich, intense and a lot of fun.
Now that the residency is over, I can see the impact of Lee’s teaching on my students’ productions: their writing is more confident, more captivating and they really got a sense of what ‘point of view’ means in writing. Thanks to Lee, my students also learned that developing a character and a story takes time, patience and reflection and that it is okay to scratch, erase, redo . . .
Finally, the highlight of the residency, the ‘hero gallery’ made out of all the students’ work, was a huge success at my school. Parents, staff and other classes were very impressed by the quality of the students’ creations and by their passion and enthusiasm while describing their project and the workshops with Lee. It was totally worth it and I hope I can work with Lee again in the future.”
EMILIE PRUNIER
LORD TWEEDSMUIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
NEW WESTMINSTER, BC, CANADA
“Mr. Födi delivered a very dynamic and engaging workshop. It was a very diverse group of students from grades 1 to 6 and all were incredibly engaged! His stories, pictures and humour kept everyone hanging on each word and the entire audience came away feeling completely inspired. Mr. Födi was down to earth and accessible – he made each of us feel that we could accomplish anything we set our minds to!”
LESLEY KATHNELSON, TEACHER
HOPEWELL PUBLIC SCHOOL
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA
“The students loved his dynamic presentations and how he was able to answer their questions. The teachers were impressed with his material and the way he was able to manage, engage, and inspire the students. Many teachers have already asked when we can have him back. I would highly recommend having Lee visit any educational institution because the experience would definitely enrich student learning. It certainly enriched ours!”
SHOBNA NATHAN, TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
MOUNTAINVIEW MONTESSORI
SURREY, BC, CANADA
“Thank you so much for Skyping with us yesterday. The kids loved chatting with you and we really appreciate you taking the time to be with us. You are a pro and the kids really were engaged and listened to every word you said . . . They were still talking about you today. It really was meaningful to them. Thank you again for being a role model to so many and your willingness to connect with students . . . It’s so valuable.”
LAURA DIXON
THOMAS JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY
MONROE, LOUISIANA, USA
“My class of 29 grade 6 students had the wonderful opportunity to have the imaginative author/illustrator Lee Edward Födi visit our classroom for a one-hour presentation. The students sat keenly interested not only because Lee was deeply revealing and somewhat humourous, but because they were able to relate to much of what he was talking about. They also had the opportunity to ask Lee questions that really only another author could understand and answer. The visit ended with the students sharing some of their own stories and artwork. This proved to be one of their favorite parts because they were able to get some meaningful feedback and feel proud of their endeavors at the same time.”
KIM KUCILLE, GRADE 6 TEACHER
SIR ALEXANDER MCKENZIE ELEMENTARY
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“Your author tour of the Peace Library System was amazing! Thank you for the energy and enthusiasm you brought to each of the 12 presentations—it was a demanding schedule! Every session was well organized, well attended, and each audience got engaged and interacted. The two sessions where you did the drawing with the children and had them call out suggestions for the features of the creature were quite entertaining. The boys were particularly engaged when you read a portion from your third book in the Kendra Kandlestarseries about the rumble pit where various mythical creatures have been captured and have to do battle. The props aroused curiosity and tied in well as you explained their integral part in your writing process.”
KATHERINE WIEBE
PEACE LIBRARY SYSTEM
GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA, CANADA
“I just wanted to follow up on your presentation at Waverley Elementary. You got rave reviews from both students and staff members. ‘It was Awesome!’ was a direct quote from one of the teachers I met coming down the hallway, just returning from the activity room. The students showed me their illustrations with pride, throughout the day.”
MARIA DONOVAN, VICE PRINCIPLE
WAVERLEY ELEMENTARY
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“Thank you for your commitment to do such a great job for the students at Sir Alexander McKenzie. You were the perfect author for the Festival’s Executive Director to witness in action in the classroom—she saw the best of the best. In ten years of doing this, you are definitely in the top three. I hope that we can get you involved in the Festival programs again!”
ILONA BEIKS, EDUCATION COORDINATOR
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL WRITERS & READERS FESTIVAL
CANADA
“Last spring, I was able to have Lee come to our school for a week as the ‘Author in Residence.’ Lee designed a range of workshop topics that encompassed all elementary age levels. I found him to be organized and well planned for each session . . . he used a variety of approaches in each session to reach out to all the children.
As a teacher, I appreciated how his drawing activities made the students concentrate on developing particulars which then spilled into their stories. The result was better-constructed stories with marvellous language and details.
When I asked the students what they enjoyed about Lee Edward Födi, they mentioned the ‘neat’ topics for writing, his great drawings, quick wit and funny jokes. He was simply fun to be with in his workshops. A year later, the students still ask about Lee and request his books.”
LINDA HAUGEN, TEACHER LIBRARIAN
CHARLIE LAKE ELEMENTARY
FORT ST. JOHN, BC, CANADA
“On behalf of the Writing & Book Camp team at Vancouver Public Library, we would like to thank you for inspiring this year’s young readers and writers at the tenth annual camp. Thanks to you, our campers had the opportunity to explore the creation of vindictive villains in a welcoming and inclusive environment. We are especially grateful for the good humour and wonderful energy that you brought to our program. Camper feedback revealed that your workshop was one of the top 10 highlights of the week!”
MEGHAN RADOMSKE
WRITING & BOOK CAMP COORDINATOR
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY, CANADA
“Lee Edward Födi has been a truly fantastic workshop presenter to young writers at the British Columbia Youth Write Camp. He engages the young writers to challenge themselves and their ability in honing their talents to become better storytellers. During his visits to schools and classrooms with the Raise a Reader program, his telling and showing about his personal journey to become a writer and illustrator adds tremendous passion to inspire young minds to go for their dreams. As an author, his fantasy stories and illustrations offer readers, young and old, an escape into ‘Een’, a magical world of wonder!”
YASMIN JOHN-THORPE
COORDINATOR, RAISE A READER
CANADA
“Your visit with us again was awesome! The teachers and students were all thrilled with the workshops. You have a wonderful way of bringing out the imaginations of all age groups. The students are excitedly checking out all your books from the library; I can’t keep them on the shelf.”
ALYCEN CREIGH, TEACHER-LIBRARIAN
DIERINGER HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY
LAKE TAPPS, WASHINGTON, USA
“Lee Edward Födi is a magician when it comes to engaging young audiences with his brilliant presentations. Children love Lee’s creative energy and are inspired, not only by his stories and illustrations, but also by his exuberant storytelling.”
PHYLLIS SIMON, OWNER, KIDSBOOKS
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
“Lee Edward Födi held nearly five hundred students (K-6) in rapt attention at Skyline Library during his well-paced and highly entertaining Author Visit. Lee’s energy never flagged as he performed four 60 minutes sessions to an audience of over 100 students each.
Students were treated to a behind-the-scenes peek at Lee’s beautiful artwork in his PowerPoint presentation and were mesmerized by his reading of a pivotal excerpt of his fantasy, Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers. There was never enough time for the students’ questions during the Q&A portion, so children warned Lee to expect a lot of email!
Each session ended with students drawing along during Lee’s Goblin Drawing 101 class, with howls and hoots of laughter at his creations as well as their own. Students who went home with autographed books were the object of much envy and the request list for our library copies is way too long!
I heartily recommend Lee Edward Födi to any school librarian looking for a motivating, captivating and memorable Author Visit.”
JULIE HUNTER, TEACHER-LIBRARIAN,
SKYLINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON, USA
“I just wanted to thank you for visiting Quilchena once again and engaging the attention and imagination of our students (and teachers) in your unique amazing way. I heard great things about your presentations!”
CHANTAL URSTAD, TEACHER LIBRARIAN
QUILCHENA ELEMENTARY
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
