Gerry O'Brien

Readings

Gerry's presentation consists of an introduction to himself and his work, and a reading followed by questions from the audience. He discusses where ideas come from, how the books came about, his own experiences getting published and many aspects of the writing process.

Special Equipment:

n/a

Book Sales:

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

Workshops

As Gerry does not rigidly plan out his sessions in advance it allows each one (in consultation with the teachers) to be unique to the group that he's working with and ensure that the children get as much from the sessions as possible. He discusses how he gets ideas and shows how these ideas develop into a story or book. The overall aim of Gerry's sessions is to be entertaining, informative and stimulating so that children are left feeling enthusiastic and excited about books, stories and the idea of writing stories for themselves.

Special Equipment:

n/a

Book Sales:

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

Biography

In 1988, when Gerry was teaching a Grade 4/5 class in Newcastle, Ontario, a call went out from the school board for entries to their first-ever drama festival. Gerry decided to write his own play. “Make it funny!” said one student. “Write a play about a kid who gets his finger stuck in his nose,” joked another. Gerry took both pieces of advice and wrote a play called Bubba Begonia, You’ll Be Sorry! In 1997, he re-wrote the play as a novel. After many re-writes and much polishing Bubba Begonia, You’ll Be Sorry!, the novel, was published in 2006 by Acorn Press of Charlottetown, PEI. The novel is still available as a play for young actors. This was followed in 2007 by Bubba Begonia and The Mudmen of The Koola Boola.
He is the lyricist on three children’s songs written for Nelvana Productions; "I Wonder" for Franklin The Turtle, the theme song for the series Corduroy Bear and "Make 'Em Laugh" for The Care Bears. He lives in Argyle Shore, PEI, with his wife Loretto.