Ep. 43. “How do you do, fellow kids?” — Speaking to young audiences (with Robin Stevenson)

Listen here

A lot of speakers who’d happily get up in front of a thousand-person audience start getting the shakes at the thought of speaking to children or (gulp) teens. Fortunately, we have child-and-teen author Robin Stevenson here to share her experience speaking in front of countless school auditoriums and classrooms. She’ll tell us how you can keep your next young audience rapt from beginning to end.

About my guest: Robin Stevenson is the award-winning author of 25 books of fiction and nonfiction for kids and teen, including the Stonewall Honor book Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community. Robin speaks to groups of all sizes and all ages, from librarians and teachers, to aspiring writers — but she particularly enjoys presenting to kids and teens and has visited hundreds of schools all across Canada. She lives on Vancouver Island with her family.

Links: You can find Robin on the web (http://www.robinstevenson.com) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/robin_stevenson).

Here are some of Robin’s latest books:

• Kid Activists (https://www.quirkbooks.com/book-authors/robin-stevenson) — “Moving, funny, and totally true childhood biographies of Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, Malala Yousafzai, and 12 other inspiring activists.”
• My Body My Choice (https://www.orcabook.com/My-Body-My-Choice-P3991.aspx) — “The long fight for abortion rights is being picked up by a new generation of courageous, creative and passionate activists. This book is about the history, and the future, of that fight.”
• Ghost’s Journey (https://www.rebelmountainpress.com/ghosts-journey–a-refugee-story.html) — “This book is based on the true story of Eka, Rainer, and their cat, Ghost. When life in Indonesia becomes too dangerous for LGBTQ people, Ghost and her two dads are forced to leave their home and escape to freedom in Canada. The story is told from the perspective of Ghost.”

Music: Theme: “Good Times” by Podington Bear (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/).

Incidental music by Lee Rosevere (https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/) including “Where Was I” and “Thought Bubbles.” Used under a Creative Commons license.

Photo: Roksolana Zasiadko on Unsplash