Amanda Davis Author Visits

SCHOOL VISITS!

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A VIRTUAL VISIT WITH AMANDA

Hello educators and librarians! Thank you for stopping by my page to learn more about my work. I’m so excited you’re here and I hope we get the chance to collaborate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I'm available for virtual visits. Once it's safe to travel and do in-person events again, I'll resume visits to schools, libraries, conferences, etc.

I have eleven years of teaching experience in the public school setting, and I know what it takes to engage students and how to use strategies that will get them involved and excited about learning. Working with students is something I am passionate about and in 2020, I was named Massachusetts Secondary Art Educator of the Year. I can’t wait to use my many years of classroom experience to engage your students and present them with a meaningful and memorable author-illustrator visit.

I love to talk with students about:

Revision
Writing nonfiction
Illustration
How to make a picture book
Poetry
How to follow your dreams and build a career in the creative fields.

Each presentation leaves time for a Q&A and includes a reading from one of my books. Using my experience as an art educator, I can also work with you to facilitate an activity that connects with one of my books. Whatever it is, I can customize any presentation to fit the needs of you and your students, and I love to collaborate. I’m also open to visiting all grade levels and speaking in professional settings. I put many hours and much time into each presentation that I give to students. I know how challenging it can be to engage kids in the classroom and want to build a meaningful experience for them; an experience that will inspire them to imagine, create, read, and to follow their dreams.

I can’t wait to connect with you and your students. If you're interested in learning more about collaborating for a school visit and current rates, please contact me HERE. Please see below for further information about my books, funding author-illustrator visits, and the benefits of an author-illustrator visit.

I look forward to meeting you and your students!

30,000 STITCHES: THE INSPIRING STORY OF THE NATIONAL 9/11 FLAG
Amanda's debut picture book illustrated by Sally Wern Comport Hachette Book Group/WorthyKids, May 4, 2021

30,000 Stitches tells the true story of the American flag that flew over Ground Zero in the days after 9/11, becoming torn and tattered and later traveled across all 50 states to be fully restored before returning to New York as a symbol of unity and hope.

Friends and Anemones Anthology: Ocean Poems for Children
from The Writer's Loft, Sherborn, MA
November 2020

Amanda's debut as poet and illustrator. This brand new collection contains fun, educational poems paired with beautiful ocean-themed artwork. The Anthology features work from 70 talented New England creators including upcoming authors and illustrators alongside veterans Jane Yolen, Heidi Stemple, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Peter Reynolds, and Josh Funk. The collection celebrates the joy and connection with nature and the sea.

STUDENT THANK YOU'S & ART

"Thank you so much Amanda for coming and hanging out with us! I really loved hanging out with an artist AND A POET! It’s not every day when you see a person like you! Thank you again and I had a great time!"

"Thank you Amanda for coming to our meet and seeing us all. You inspired me to draw more because anyway I like drawing and when you said do your drawing on your iPad I was happy because I got an iPad for Christmas so I might be able to get the app so I could draw like that too. All of your drawings are AMAZING to me. And thanks again for coming to our meet."

"Thank you for coming to our remote classroom and sharing your poetry. The whole class loved it and thought it was beautiful!!"

EDUCATOR TESTIMONIALS

"Amanda Davis is an incredible author and storyteller. Her passion for writing came through, as she described the reasons for writing 30,000 Stitches. Her personal accounts of the journey she took, meeting incredible people along the way, touched the hearts of my third graders and me. The children were drawn into her story, as Amanda described the depth of her research, her love for writing, and her life as an art teacher. Amanda is a down-to-earth, relatable writer. More than one of my third graders, after her presentation, told me that they were inspired to write more stories. If that isn’t the best compliment an author can get, I don’t know what is!"

- Ms. Galvin, (Grade 3)

"As writers and artists, my second grade students were so excited to meet Ms. Amanda. The illustrations in Friends and Anemones are so vivid and bring the poems to life. In addition, Ms. Amanda shared her original sketches and explained why she revised them before the published illustrations. Revision is so key and she modeled how that worked for her! Awesome visit!"

- Ms Raleigh (Grade 2)

"Amanda came to visit my third grade distance learning class. She shared her background, what inspired her to be an author and her published books with us. Throughout the presentation my kids were engaged, asked questions, and at the end begged me to buy her books that she shared with us. It was an amazing experience!"

- Ms. Neskie (Grade 3)

"Amanda was a superb 'visitor' to my remote 4th grade classroom. She covered all bases in a short 20-30 minute time slot, allowing students to share their artwork and ask questions, reading her poem, and taking them into her process for writing and illustrating. She even shared her book illustrations in varying stages of completion which was invaluable for fourth graders to see. She was warm, attentive, and engaging. I highly recommend her whether you are in the midst of a poetry unit or just looking for a guest to inspire your class!"

- Ms. Kuerzel (Grade 4)

"Berkley Community School was happy to welcome Amanda Davis into our classrooms. Our third graders were engaged throughout the presentation. Amanda interacted with students in a virtual format and encouraged them to participate and ask questions. She brought awareness to the writing process and to such an important topic of 9/11. She was very professional, reached out to teachers prior to the presentation, and helped us get ready for the visit."

- Ms. Freitas (Grade 3)

"Amanda was engaging and inspiring, and passionately shared her love of creating art and writing with my 5th graders. It was refreshing to see that her process echoes what we teach in school regarding research and revision. That she really needed to "get it right" with regard to this amazing story [30,000 Stitches] was wonderful for our students to hear, as it supports the writing process and inspires pride in students' final written pieces! Thank you, Amanda!"

- Ms. King (Grade 5)

BENEFITS OF AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR VISITS

Five Reasons Author Visits Are More Than Just Cool, Education Week
Why Pay Authors For School Visits Anyway? Caroline Star Rose
Author Visits: An Excellent Way to Create Excitement About Reading, Margaret Sullivan

FUNDING RESOURCES

SCBWI Amber Brown Grant
26 Grants That Fund Author Visits For Your School (2019, The Noah Robert Project)
National Endowment For the Arts Grants
Learning for Justice Educator Grants
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Massachusetts Cultural Council

TRY FUNDRAISING

Get students involved and try some grassroots fundraising efforts such as:

Bake sale
Student Art sale
Car wash
Raffles
Quiz night
Silent auction (online or in-person)
Rake and Take
Movie Night
Talent show
Recycling round-up