Author and illustrator Mick Elliott entertaining schoolkids. Photo supplied.
Writers visit schools to give talks and run workshops for a number of reasons: as a side hustle to add to their income, as another avenue to sell their books, and as an opportunity to hone their public speaking skills.
ArtsHub asked three authors about their experiences, including advice for the novice school speaker, as well as finding out what a booking agency looks for before sending writers and illustrators to the classroom.
Thuy On is Reviews Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She's the outgoing books editor of The Big issue. Her first book, a collection of poetry called Turbulence, came out in 2020 and was published by University of Western Australia Press (UWAP). Her next collection, Decadence, was published in July 2022, also by UWAP.
Twitter: @thuy_on
