Glenda Goertzen

Readings

Each one hour session includes a reading from my children's novels, The Prairie Dogs and City Dogs, a discussion with visual aids, and a question and answer period followed by more reading and discussion. My presentations are tailored toward the age group of the audience. With younger students, I focus more on the books and their characters. With older students and adults, I place more emphasis on the writing and publication process. My presentations often incorporate topics of current interest at each school. Themes frequently discussed include the environment, Canadian wildlife and geography, bullying, and prejudice.

Topics often covered in my presentations:

• An introduction to the “real” Prairie Dogs who inspired my books
• The unique publication history of The Prairie Dogs
• How does one become a writer?
• An example of how a newspaper article can inspire a work of fiction
• The importance of revising your work
• A brief introduction to book illustration
• Ten good reasons to become a writer!

Special Equipment:

I require an overhead projector and a table.

Book Sales:

I will bring copies of my books to be bought and autographed after the presentation. Book order forms and an author visit kit will be emailed to schools in advance of the reading.

Other Presentations

I give panel presentations and workshops on various subjects related to writing. Please contact me for my fees.

Biography

Glenda Goertzen was born in Morse, Saskatchewan. Frequently bedridden with severe asthma, she was a voracious reader and began her creative career at the age of four by drawing picture books. She wrote her first novel, The Prairie Dogs, in high school, but it wasn’t published for another twenty years.

Glenda wrote The Prairie Dogs and City Dogs to entertain children who love animals, but she also wanted to describe Canada’s natural environment in a way young readers could relate to—through the eyes of an inquisitive outsider, a creature who lives through his senses. The beauty and adventure of the Canadian prairie is best appreciated at ground level, and who better to describe it than a small dog?

Glenda studied Film and Video at the University of Regina. Throughout the 90’s she worked for various production studios as an editor, computer graphics artist, photographer, and producer/writer of a children's television program. In 2000, she decided to focus her career on books rather than television and became a library technician. Currently Glenda works part time for the SIAST Woodland Library in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. She spends much of her time travelling around Canada, giving readings and workshops in schools and libraries. She is a member of several professional writing organizations and in 2007 acted as the Chair of the CANSCAIP Prairie Horizons Conference.

When not writing, Glenda spends her spare time reading, practicing yoga, walking dogs for the SPCA, and enjoying the outdoors. She has so many favourite authors she couldn't possibly list them all, but her favourite book is Watership Down by Richard Adams.

Glenda’s works-in-progress include mystery and fantasy novels, juvenile novels, juvenile non-fiction books, and children's picture books, with a little cartooning on the side.