Krista's talk topics
Talk topics for Students
Talk topics for Adults
Krista's talk topics
for schools, libraries, festivals,
conferences, P.D. sessions
Topics for students
MEET THE AUTHOR
With over 20 years experience in Children's Literature, Krista is an engaging speaker for children and adults.
Equally inspiring when giving a talk to several hundred students or conducting a workshop for a small group of students, Krista will impart her passion for books and writing, while passing on valuable writing tips and techniques.
Krista's sense of humour, easy rapport with children, love of the absurd, great storytelling skills & ability to turn the most ordinary story into exciting 'fibtion' will entice your students into the magical world of books.
Sessions can be tailored to suit your school's needs:
Three 1-hour sessions per day
* large group talks
* 2 classes per talk
* individual class group writing workshops
* writer-in-residency for three to five days
SNIFFING OUT A GOOD TALE (TAIL?)
Looking at the many true stories
that inspired Jezza and Sniffy the Sniffer Dog
If The Shoe Fits and Flying Feet
How to
take things that happen in REAL LIFE
and turn them into creative STORIES
by writing what Krista has dubbed FIBTION, rather than fiction.
An entertaining and inspiring talk during which your students will discover how this author creates her exciting 'fibtional' stories and she'll teach them some tricks to improve their own writing. With time for Q&A. Can also incorporate, or be followed up with a practical writing workshop in which students plan their own story based on a real life experience!
WHO DARES?
Writing real life as fiction
Talking specifically about her Lothian Books Takeaway titles
aimed at 10-14 year old readers:
Read My Mind! * Get a Life! * Who Cares? * Who Dares?
No Regrets * No Strings * No Tears
Krista shares her skills as she demonstrates how to
turn real life into fiction
have some serious fun manipulating the truth
improve your story with large dollops of quirky imagination,
commonly known as fibs. Or, as Krista calls it, FIBTION.
Remember 'never let the truth spoil a good story!'
An inspiring talk that will motivate your students to read more and improve their own creative writing.
Time for Q&A session.
Can incorporate or be followed by a practical writing workshop.
GET A LIFE!
How to develop characters that will write your story for you!
The easy and highly recommended way to write fiction without really trying! Or is it? Krista compares writing meticulously prepared, plot-driven fiction with those which are character-driven, and shares her sometimes contradictory findings with those aspiring to write a novel or short story.
NO TEARS
Your opinion does count
how to write riveting book reviews and articles, and publish them for your school community to read.
An ABC Radio and in-print book reviewer for fifteen years and journalist prior to becoming a full time author, Krista shares
practical reviewing tips and fascinating anecdotes about the reality of writing reviews for newspapers and journals, including Classroom.
THAT'S THE TRICK
In this fun-filled workshop, Krista makes learning spelling addictive through tantalising word games based on her highly acclaimed non-fiction title THAT'S THE TRICK (commonly confused homophones). Suitable for students in middle to upper primary and in lower secondary.
WHO CARES? A resilience workshop
Using her junior novels Who Cares?, No Regrets and No Strings as the basis for class discussion, Krista tackles issues like dysfunctional families, bullying, blended families, peer group pressure and friendships. Krista uses the objective medium of fiction to discuss issues that impact of young people's everyday lives. Recommended for final year primary students and first year high school students.
It is imperative that as a class group students all read at least one of Who Cares? or No Regrets or No Strings so they can be proactive in this workshop, talking about the fictional characters and the fictional scenarios.
Topics for Adults
Create a parent book club at your school
to read, review and chat about
the books young people are reading
The Parents' Book Club
Read the article online or - download the PDF 
If you'd like to read more about BookSpeak, you can download the following articles in PDF.
Speaking up about what our kids read
(Written by Jennifer Cook, Education Age)
School's In - The Parents' Club
(Goodreading Magazine)
As a former book reviewer with fifteen years experience on ABC Radio and in print, a journalist and the author of 21 titles for young readers, Krista Bell, outlines her dream that every school in Australia set up a parent book club so parents read and regularly discuss the books on offer to our children, with a view to creating a reading culture in every school - and offers practical suggestions on how to go about it at your school.
SNIFFING OUT A GOOD TALE (TAIL?)
How to
IDENTIFY A GOOD STORY from your own life,
RESEARCH additional facts,
turn on your IMAGINATION
and WRITE FICTION.
An inspirational creative writing workshop for adults from the author of seventeen popular books for young readers,
including Lothian Takeaways and Junior Fiction
Read My Mind! * Get a Life! * Who Cares? * Who Dares?
No Regrets * No Strings * No Tears
GET A LIFE!
How to develop characters that will write your story for you!
The easy and highly recommended way to write fiction without really trying! Or is it? Krista compares writing meticulously prepared, plot-driven fiction with those which are character-driven, and shares her sometimes contradictory findings with those aspiring to write a novel or short story.
WHO DARES?
Learn how this author remains true to her own voice,
ignoring the lure of writing fantasy, the flavour of the month genre,
and instead writes real life family stories that have kids wanting more.
Specific reference to her Takeaways titles with Lothian Books,
Read My Mind! * Get a Life! * Who Cares? * Who Dares?
No Regrets * No Strings * No Tears
which are aimed at 10-14 year old readers.
WHITE OUT! TEAR OUT! OR BAN?
Censorship in children's literature
As a former book reviewer for fifteen years on ABC radio and in print, a journalist and the author of seventeen titles for young readers and the mother of three sons, Krista tackles a traditionally controversial subject, discusses honestly how censorship impacts on her own writing for young readers, and gives practical suggestions on how to handle censorship in your school. Audience participation encouraged. Time for Q&A.
NO TEARS
Your opinion does count
A former in-print and ABC radio book reviewer,
Krista Bell shares her experiences and skills
on how to write book reviews and articles that other people will want to read,
taking into account the audience for whom you're writing.
This practical workshop will encourage you to speak your mind
write honest and well-balanced book reviews
and articles that deserve to be published
in industry newsletters, newspapers and literary magazines.
READIO
Planning, writing, producing and presenting a radio programme about books and writing for your students
Apart from being an in-print and on-air (ABC) book reviewer for 15 years before becoming a full-time writer,
Krista wrote, produced and presented a one-hour radio programme for kids which went to air weekly for five years.
Where Do You Get Your Ideas? (now out of print) is a collection of Krista's on-air interviews with other creators of Australian children's books. You're sure to have a copy of this valuable resource in your library! Be inspired! Find out how your staff and your students could produce book readio at your school - or for your local community radio station.
BEING NICE - BUT NOTICED!
The art of self-promotion
particularly published and would-be writers
Discover how to maintain your integrity, 'keep yourself nice', but
build-up a useful network in the book industry,
capture the attention of publishers, the media and the market,
how to get your name out there by every method known to woman,
including the internet and a web site ,
as well as learning practical techniques for radio interviews from a former radio presenter with fifteen years experience as a book reviewer on ABC Radio. Q&A encouraged.
Download Krista Bell's suggested talk topics
for schools, libraries, festivals, conferences, P.D. sessions in
Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Go here if you need to get the free Adobe Reader software.
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