Darren Groth

Readings

My readings are interactive, entertaining and thought-provoking. Typically, they involve:

• Intros to myself and the work
• A background to the work’s creation and publication
• A selected reading from the work
• What I learned from the work
• What students might learn from the work
• Q&A
• Book signing

Special Equipment:

PowerPoint and data projection capability.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Workshops

I conduct a wide variety of presentations and workshops for students, teachers, readers and aspiring writers…

General Writing
Shouting From The Outer 1: From Writer Wannabe to Published Author
Shouting From The Outer 2: Marketing Your Self-Published or Small Press Book
The FAQs of Writing: An Essential Guide for the Emerging Author
“Get bent!” said Her Royal Highness: Fiction Dialogue Done Right
Small Stories, Big Dreams: The Micro-Fiction Way to Becoming a Better Writer
Bypassing the Muse: Writing Amidst a Busy Life

Junior Writing
When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be…A Writer!: A Mentor’s Guide for Kid Scribblers and Parents of Kid Scribblers

Secondary Schools
The MVP in Me: Finding Your Most Valuable Potential
Move Over Matthew Reilly!: A Writing Mentor’s Guide to Making It
The Xtreme Author: Adventures in Micro-Fiction
You Gotta Love This Game!: Great, Average and Flat-Out-Stupid Sport Stories in Literature and Film

Primary Schools
You Can Be an MVP: How to be a Most Valuable Peacemaker
Fun With Words…Believe It or Not!: Creative Play With Language
Lead Like a Legend!: How to be a Legendary Leader
This Playing Planet: Traditional Children’s Games from Around the World

Special Equipment:

PowerPoint and data projection capability.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Biography

I was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, and moved to Canada in May 2007. I went to school at Marcellin College (it was closed not long after I left, but that’s purely coincidence) and Mount Maria College. As a student, I excelled in fibbing, avoiding conflict and copying off Michelle Eaton in Ancient History; I was pathetic at Maths, truancy and cracking onto girls. After school, I went to the University of Queensland where I did degrees in Human Movement Studies and Booze Cruises.

In the early nineties, I taught HPE at Ipswich Special School, before moving on to Milpera SHS in 1996. Milpera — Australia’s only government-run school for migrants and refugees — served as the backdrop for the MVP novel and demonstrated to me, on a daily basis, the true meaning of ‘most valuable potential’. I left teaching in 2004 with fond memories, life lessons, and knowledge of swear words in many different languages.

As a writer, my first collection of stories called Shoot The Lights Out — the action-packed, funny, pacy, sometimes sexy adventures of Brisbane Bullets basketballer Chris ‘Pistol’ Weatherall — I wrote longhand on ‘Department of Primary Industries’ paper, before Mum typed it out for me. I then looked for a publisher in the ‘Yellow Pages’. It wasn’t published.

These days I am published. I write on a computer and no longer consult parents or phone books. For fun, I watch Family Guy with my beautiful Canadian wife, or listen to Wolfmother with my six year old twins.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS:
For teachers, librarians and other educationalists, I offer a range of presentation and consultation services in the areas of:

• The Literature-Friendly Student: Thoughts of a Teacher Turned Writer
• Success for Boys
• The Art of Class and Student Management
• Personal Development Pedagogy
• Techniques in Co-operative Learning Approach