JC Sulzenko

Readings

JC Sulzenko is well known for giving readings and leading workshops on writing (particularly on writing poetry) for the joy of it for school classes (JK through Grade 8 and high school) and community groups. She reads her own stories and poems and gives participants the opportunity at her sessions to share what they have written. All her readings are interactive and tailored to the interests and ages/grades of participants.

She has appeared in dozens schools and in programs offered by the Ottawa International Writers Festival, the Ottawa Public Library, the Canadian Authors Association (local and national), MASC, the Ottawa Children’s Literature Round Table, among others. In 2010, the Ottawa Kiwanis Club welcomed her back as a featured Read-a-thon author. She has served as poet-in-residence at local schools and is sought after as a poetry contest judge.

Her play about dementia, "What my Grandma means to say," premiered at the Ottawa International Writers Festival in October 2009, and kick-starts a dialogue in Grades 4-6 classrooms. JC offers dramatized readings and leads question and answer sessions using the "Discussion Guide," related to the play. Tied to school curricula and activities, this guide is available from the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County.

Special Equipment:

Flip chart with markers or black board, projection equipment (CD-friendly), chair and table, microphone (if in a gym or on a stage).

Book Sales:

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

Workshops

JC Sulzenko is well known for giving readings and leading workshops on writing (particularly on writing poetry) for the joy of it for school classes (JK through Grade 8 and in high school) and community groups. Using her own stories and poetry and the poems or stories participants have written and/or brought to her session, she focuses on what makes a poem a poem and explores everything from form to language. This interactive session, which she can tailor to the interests of her audience and which can take school curriculum requirements, engages all participants and often includes an opportunity for them to create a poem either on their own or in the group, as a whole.

She leads workshops throughout the year and has appeared in dozens and dozens of schools and in programs offered by the Ottawa International Writers Festival, the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa Public Library, the Canadian Authors Association (local and national), MASC, Ottawa Independent Writers and the Ottawa Children’s Literature Round Table, among others. She also has served as writer/poet-in-residence in various institutions, including an elementary school and community centre, which gives her the chance to work with groups of emerging writers in a longer-term coaching relationship. She is called upon often to judge poetry and writing contests for students.

Special Equipment:

Flip chart with markers or black board, overhead projector, chair and table, microphone (if in a gym or on a stage) writing materials for participants.

Book Sales:

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

Other Presentations

JC is available for presentations on the joy of writing, particularly poetry, and on how to pitch your own writing to diverse audiences, which are suitable as keynote addresses and can be adapted for professional development purposes.

Biography

JC Sulzenko writes in a number of genres and loves creating poetry and stories for young and adult readers alike.

The Ottawa International Writers Festival and the Ottawa Public Library/Children’s Literature Roundtable’s Kid Lit Galas have showcased both her poetry and her books for children. Her poems also appear in a number of chapbooks and anthologies and have been heard on radio and television.

She has appeared at dozens and dozens of schools and led workshops for such organizations as the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa Public Library, the Ottawa International Writers Festival, MASC and the Canadian Authors Association. She has served as a writer or poet-in-residence in schools and elsewhere.

Following the success of Fat poems Tall poems Long poems Small, comes Boot Crazy, her fifth book for children, published in the autumn of 2007, which is her first storybook in rhyme for 3- to 7-year-olds.

JC lives in Ottawa with her husband and their blue poodle, Cleo. Both their children are grown up and pursuing studies at university.