Edgar-nominated author Bruce Hale has written or illustrated over 70 books for young readers, including the popular Chet Gecko Mysteries series, The Monstertown Mysteries, and Clark the Shark.  His Murder, My Tweet won a Little D Award for Humor Writing.  An actor and Fulbright Scholar (in Storytelling), Bruce is in demand as a speaker, having presented at conferences, universities, and schools from New York to New Delhi.  His acting resume includes regional commercials, community theater, and an independent film, The Ride.  Bruce’s presentations are known for their combination of humor, inspiration, and helpful writing tips.

Dream Big — This assembly presentation traces Bruce’s evolution from reluctant reader to author, along the way dispensing some life advice for students on what it takes to pursue their own dreams. The presentation includes embarrassing (for Bruce) slides, bad jokes, writing tips, storytelling, and a brief cartooning demonstration. We finish up with Q&A.

Story Power Writing Workshop — Designed for smaller groups, this introduces students to the fundamentals of fiction writing in a fun, lively format. The session covers the creative process, how to beat writers block, brainstorming, story structure, and more. Students will begin creating a story together which they can later finish on their own.

Quick-Draw Cartooning Workshop — Anyone can draw, and Bruce shows you how.  Starting with five basic shapes, he leads students from drawing faces to people and animals, and finishes up with a visual storytelling lesson that will guide them in illustrating their own comics or stories.