Authors’ Booking Service is pleased to announce that Gail Sidonie Sobat, is now scheduling visits to Ontario schools in the Toronto area for the coming school year.  Contact us to inquire about specific dates. 

Gail has two new 2011 publications: her YA novel, Chance to Dance for You (Great Plains Publications), and her picture book/ graphic story hybrid, In the Graveyard, with illustrations by Spyder Yardley Jones (Bryler Publications).

Gravity Journal is a 2009 White Pine Honour Book, a Gold Moonbeam Award winner, and a 2011 Stellar Award nominee.

Gail's rate is $300 plus GST for one session, $575 for two sessions, $825 for three and $1000 for four, plus $60 per session for travel and accommodation.  Gail is also available for readings and presentations beyond the GTA, but travel (train, taxi, or car pick-up) will need to be arranged on an individual basis.

Gail is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada and so organizations wishing to host her may qualify for funding to assist with her fee and other costs. For details, please contact us.

Here is what a Toronto public librarian had to say about Gail's presentations:

"Gail ...[is] very energetic and friendly, a warm and engaging speaker with a great sense of humour.  She gave excellent, in-depth answers to all questions through her talk and demonstrated her passion for writing for youth."

And here's what CM Magazine has to say about her newest novel, Chance to Dance for You:

“Gail Sidonie Sobat is a writer of great dexterity, utilizing humour, sarcasm, wit, and tragedy, all to create a narrative that is flowing, energetic, and inspirational.” 

And about Gravity Journal:

“Sobat has created a tight and simple masterpiece. It is obvious that she has done her research about eating disorders yet she doesn’t preach or pander…This isn’t a self-help book; it’s a damned good novel.”

 
Gail is also the author of the Ingamald fantasy series for young adults: Ingamald, A Winter’s Tale (White Pine Nomination 2005), and A Glass Darkly.

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre said of the Ingamald Trilogy: “Stunning fantasy by a rising YA novelist.”

 

 
For Young Adults:  
 

Not With A Bang, 2012
Chance to Dance For You, 2011
Gravity Journal, 2008 
Ingamald, 2001  
A Winter’s Tale, 2004  
A Glass Darkly, 2006  
 
For Adults:  
 
Aortic Caprice, 2003/2004 (poetry collection)  
The Book of Mary, 2006 (fiction)  
 
Picture book:  
 
In the Graveyard, October 2011 
 
 

 
Stellar Award nomination for Gravity Journal (2011).

Gold Moonbeam Award (IPPY) for Gravity Journal (2010).

Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Honour Book for Gravity Journal, 2009.   
 
R. Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature, nomination for A Glass Darkly, 2008.   
 
Canadian Children's Book Centre Choice Award for A Glass Darkly, 2007.  
 
Gold IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Award) for The Book of Mary, 2007.  
 
Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award, nomination for A Winter’s Tale, 2005.   
 
Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice Award for A Winter’s Tale, 2005.   
 
Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice Award for Ingamald, 2004.   
 
Jon Whyte Essay Competition, Honourable Mention, Writers Guild of Alberta, 2003.   
 
Arts Award for Career Development, Alberta Heritage Scholarship, 2002.   
 
English Language Arts Council Award, 2000.   
 
Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (Finalist, Co-recipient), 1996.   
 
The Writer’s Block Short Story Competition, First Prize, 1994. 
   
 
Kalamalka New Writers Competition, finalist, 1994.    
 
Hope Writers' Guild Poetry Contest, First Prize, 1993.   
 
Canadian Authors Association Short Story Competition, Honorable Mention, 1993. 
 
 

 

Gail is comfortable in educational settings and is very familiar with the rigours and requirements of the secondary school teacher (Grades 7-12).  

Any workshop, reading or presentation can be tailored to meet your needs or requests.  

A presentation may consist of  
       - a 20-30-minute reading, followed by discussion and questions  
       - a combination of reading, discussion and questions, culminating in creative writing exercises with students 

Discussions may include the writing process from brainstorming to writing drafts to finished product, or may     focus on young adult markets and requirements for student submissions. 
 
Overview from Gail: 
 
I will present to grades 7 - 12 and can also modify to include grades 4 - 6. 
 
Maximum number of students per session: 100.   
I can present to larger audiences if a sound system is available for larger rooms. 
 
I offer workshops for grades 7  - 12, and can modify for grades 4 - 6. 
Maximum number for workshop: 30, although 15 - 20 is ideal. 
 
I also offer... 
Professional Development Workshops. 
Grade 12 Writers Craft Workshops. 
 
I am comfortable in a classroom, library, auditorium or gymnasium. 
 
I may require a cd/tape player and power point equipment. 
 
 
 
What to expect in a workshop or presentation by Gail Sidonie Sobat… 
 
When I present for a reading, I generally choose and read those excerpts that are dramatic in nature.  Because of my performing arts training, I am also able to read in dialect, which many audiences find humorous and engaging.  My readings are often peppered with personal anecdotes.  I’ve been known to sing and to invite the students to join in dancing, on occasion.  
 
Some descriptions of workshop presentations I’ve designed include:  
 
Writing in Role  
 
A combination of drama and creative writing!  For participants interested in or working on character building and voice.  Create a life for your character and find out more on the hot seat!  Take risks and learn not to block as you create the life of a character.  
 
Find a Voice 
 
Discover the way your character talks and thinks in print and in drama exercises.  Focus on point of view and try your luck at speaking and writing in dialect.  In finding your character’s voice, you may just find your own!  
 
Found Object, Found Art, Found Poetry  
 
This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship:  poetry and art!  Even if you think you can’t, you can create both!  Take discarded pieces, add a little poetry of your own making, a few splashes of paint, and give new life to something old.  
 
N.B.  Please bring your own piece of garage-sale junk; flat surface somewhere on it is preferred!  
 
WordPlay  
 
Writing begins from a place of playfulness.  And there are so many ways to play with words.  Rhyming or not.  Dancing or staccato.  Colourful or chiaroscuro.  Come and revel and discover your inner wordsmith.  
 
From Instruction to Delight 
 
What do you really want to write about?  What matters to you?  What are the big questions that trouble or puzzle or vex you?  Consider and explore the questions that become a writer’s literary themes.  You never know – your rant could change the world!  
 
Poetic Licence 
 
Writing poetry and writing poetically are very closely aligned.  Explore the poetic in prose and discover that writing poetry need not be fraught with difficulty or anxiety.  Gail will share some writing tips and poetic exercises, as well as excerpts from her forthcoming poetic picture book (illustrated by Spyder Yardley-Jones). 
What to expect in a workshop or presentation by Gail Sidonie Sobat…2 
  
Fantastic Voyages 
 
Explore the genre of fantasy with its mirror worlds and supernatural characters/creatures.  Discover some ways to build other worlds that are long ago or far away. Gail will share tips and ideas from her own fantasy journey as the writer of the Ingamald trilogy.  
 
Brave New Wor(l)ds 
 
New words!  New worlds!  New wonders!  Delve into wordplay.  Dive into another time and place.  Dip into the unknown or the underworld or the otherworld.  All with words:  the magic keys to the entrance.  From fairy tales to fantasy - create your own brave new world!  
 
Get Cracking!  Get Creative! 
 
Need a way to get that pen flowing?  Those fingers tapping?  That mind zinging?  Those words snapping?  We'll explore how to get your creative juices flowing as you dabble in setting, plot, character and voice!  
 
Gimme Goose Bumps (aka piloerection)! 
 
Writing effective hair-raising scenes is key to almost all kinds of stories: mysteries, fantasy, horror, adventure, science fiction, even romance!  Learn how to aim for the climax and raise the stakes along the way.  Dabble in wordplay that gives you goose bumps!  Raise your heart rate with fast-paced action words! Activate that action and get stuff done!  Discover just when gore is creepilicious and when it's too much!  

closely related to

Creepilicious!

Wanna scare the pants off someone? Tell a hair-raising tale? Pump up those pulses with piloerecting* ghost stories? Creating tension and/or (gulp!) terror in a story crosses all genres: mystery, adventure, speculative fiction, fantasy, horror, even romance. So let’s dabble in wordplay that raises the stakes (vampires beware!), curdles the blood, and gets right to the action of your scariest scenes. Discover just when gore is creepilicious and when it's too much! * piloerecting = goose bump raising
 
Economy of Words 
 
Do you suffer from verbal diarrhea?  Or its ugly cousin, verbal constipation?  Are you guilty of verbosity?  Is your writing a tangled maze of verbiage?  Or are you simply too pithy?  Are your characters embarrassingly loquacious?  Are they full of sound and fury signifying nothing?  Or are they taciturn and reticent?  Have you contracted thesaurus-itis?  Or do you search in vain for the perfect bon mot?  If any or nothing of this sounds familiar, fear not!  Come, intrepid writer, explore just how to write economic and effective words that dazzle!  
  

Chance to Dance for You – True Confessions of the Author

Before there was the phenomenon that is GLEE or the TV show’s wildly popular, openly gay character Kurt Hummel, Gail Sidonie Sobat worked in the St. Albert and Edmonton public schools and beyond as a teacher of singing, drama, creative writing, English, Career and Life Management (CALM), and as an arts community youth mentor. In this role, she met many young people struggling to survive on the margins and to endure the curse that is so often high school. She also spent her own wretched formative years in the hideous suburbs where she learned early on that different sure isn’t pretty. These experiences and the tragic deaths of too many of her students shaped what eventually became her newest YA novel, Chance to Dance for You. Gail will read excerpts from the novel and talk about its genesis in real-life, and corroborate the notion that finding refuge in the arts can be a life-saving grace. Please note: No dance experience necessary.

Graphic Language

Writing a graphic novel or picture book may sound easy, but it isn’t. Writing in collaboration with an artist is both a challenge and a delight. Gail shares the joys and trials involved in the genesis, writing, design, completion and publication of her graphic stories, with special focus on In the Graveyard (with illustrations by Spyder Yardley-Jones) and her forthcoming novel, Jamie’s Got a Gun.

Gravity Journal

Gail’s award-winning novel raises a number of serious issues about body image and self-harm. Through a combination of music, images, dramatic readings and the latest statistics, learn about the true-life struggles of real eating disorder patients as well as the fictional Anise. Thought-provoking and topical, this presentation is ideal for English, CALM, Phys Ed, and Health classes. Gail invites discussion and questions.

Gail the Writer – An Autobiography (Powerpoint and Presentation)

This presentation details the evolution of a writer’s life from childhood to adulthood with key touchstones that shaped Gail’s work as an author. Humorous anecdotes and examples of Gail’s juvenilia make for an informative and entertaining overview of what it takes to be a writer.

YouthWrite, a camp for kids who love to write…just about anything!© (Multimedia)

Gail is always excited to share information about YouthWrite, the camp she created fifteen years ago and still coordinates today. View the short documentary and see the many opportunities for a multi-disciplinary approach to writing that YouthWrite affords. (For more information visit www.youthwrite.com)

For older audiences…  
 
Permission to Transgress 
 
There should be no forbidden territories in the realm of fiction writing, and yet writers often struggle with granting themselves permission to dare to write the difficult, the dangerous, the daunting. This introduction will grant permission to transgress.   
 
Writing the Forbidden 
 
What do you want to say? What would you die for? What matters? What experiences are truly life-altering? What is forbidden? The intent of this workshop is not to reach for the sensational, but to perhaps arrive at something more profound in risking the unconventional.