Dorothy Perkyns

Readings

Dorothy always tries to include some constructive writing components in her presentations. As she was originally a freelance journalist, she explains how she made the transition from non-fiction to fiction. She encourages students to write their own stories by showing how plot, characters and setting may evolve from a writer’s experiences and research. She relates these ideas closely to her own work, demonstrating this technique by reading carefully selected passages from her books.

When a reading relating to a particular book is requested, she takes time to explain the background to a story. For her historical novels, she discusses research methods and uses various kinds of audio-visual materials, including film clips, to illustrate aspects of these. She again reads carefully selected passages to demonstrate how researched material may be integrated into the fabric of a story.
She always tries to leave time at the end of a session for questions and discussion.

Special Equipment:

VCR, LCD projector or DVD player (a slide projector will serve if LCD or DVD unavailable).

Book Sales:

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

Workshops

The contents of these may vary and may be planned by previous discussion with the teacher or librarian. Generally Dorothy likes to begin by encouraging student participation while the essential elements of a story are discussed. She also explains some of her own work methods. Participants then begin their own stories by concentrating on one basic element for which they make random notes for their own use. Time is allotted for individual questions and discussion to decide on further development of each piece of work. By the end of a session participants usually have made a good beginning on stories of their own and have a sense of direction for continuing them.

Special Equipment:

VCR, LCD projector or DVD player.

Book Sales:

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

Other Presentations

Dorothy has frequently been asked to speak about researching historical fiction, as a guest speaker at Children’s Literature Roundtable groups and other organizations. She also gave one of the lectures in a guest lecture series at Saint Thomas University , Fredericton, NB. She has considerable experience of working with adults as she taught Creative Writing courses at Mount Saint Vincent University for a number of years. She has also facilitated adult writing workshops and has worked with teachers on methods of studying a novel in the classroom.

Biography

Dorothy began her writing career in the early seventies when she came to Canada from England, where she was a teacher. At first she worked as a freelance journalist, contributing many articles to magazines in England and Canada and broadcasting regularly on CBC Radio. Urged on by her own children, she began writing her first YA novel, The Mystery of the Hemlock Ravine, which was published in 1986. It was followed in 1988 by Geoffrey Bilson Award winner, Rachel’s Revolution. Peril at Plover Point, a sequel to her first book, followed in 1991. Signal Across the Sea (1994), beginning in England and moving to Canada in World War II, drew on her own experiences of growing up in wartime. The idea for The Mastodon Mystery (1996) came from learning of the discovery of mastodon bones not very far from her home.

Unlike these earlier mystery/adventure novels, Dorothy's novel Last Days in Africville was an attempt to record, in fictional terms, the very real destruction of the community of Africville, which had been home to a tightly knit group of African Canadians for over one hundred years.

In addition to the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Rachel’s Revolution, all Dorothy’s other books have gained recognition by education departments and/or awards organizations, including the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Last Days in Africville made the final cut for the Canadian Library Association Children’s Book of the Year Award, and was nominated for four other awards including the Silver Birch and Hackmatack Awards.

Dorothy's latest book is Bridget's Black '47, published in 2009 by Dundurn Press. This is the story of the spirited thirteen-year-old Bridget Quinlan, whose life is shattered by the Irish potato blight. Forced to leave her home, she faces many perils, losses and deprivations en route ao an eventually happier life in Quebec.