Lee Edward Fodi

Readings

With his whimsical sense of humor and flare for caricature, Lee Edward Födi (or "Mr. Wiz," as he is called by his students) presents to audiences ranging from 20-500 at schools, libraries, bookstores, writing workshops, and other venues. He has taught programs in Canada, the United States, England, and South Korea. He believes in using the imaginative arts (especially illustration) to inspire students to become stronger readers and writers and to specifically create a broader understanding of such concepts as character, plot, setting, point of view, imagery, and style.

Meet the Wiz: An Introduction to Lee Edward Födi and His Work
This is Lee Edward Födi’s most popular school presentation, designed to inspire and invigorate students of all reading and writing levels in grades K-7. Using a Powerpoint presentation, Mr. Wiz demonstrates how the process of illustration inspired his series of fantasy books, The Chronicles of Kendra Kandlestar. By the end of the presentation, he has led students in an interactive drawing workshop, in which each participant creates a goblin or monster-like character. Finally, each student is encouraged to write a story based on the character he or she has created—and many teachers choose to follow up this idea with a formal writing assignment.

Each presentation typically lasts between 60 to 75 minutes and can include:

• Powerpoint presentation
• Reading from The Chronicles of Kendra Kandlestar
• Question and answer period
• Goblin Designing 101 (an interactive drawing demonstration).

This format is suitable for groups as small as 20 and as large as 300 — though the smaller the group, the more interactive the presentation will be.

Special Equipment:

Overhead or LCD projector, chart paper and easel.

Book Sales:

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

Workshops

The Creative Carpenter: How writing a story is like building a house
In this workshop, Lee Edward Födi explains how writing a story is like building a house, demonstrating how a story, just like a house, will fall down if it doesn't have all the essential parts (the formal elements of fiction). Födi will arm each of his creative carpenters with some tools and tips, then set them to work so that they can craft their own stories in class, making sure that they consider all of the formal elements of fiction and construct their stories accordingly. Afterwards, students present their work and are given feedback. This writing workshop is designed for keen and focused writers aged 8-13 and typically runs 1-3 hours. It is also a great format for teachers wishing to find inspiration for writing exercises to use in their own language art classes.

So You Think You're a Villain: The art of crafting characters that are dreadful and dastardly
In this workshop, Lee Edward Födi delivers a presentation featuring some of the best known and most classic villains, discussing the common elements in literature and film that make us feel that icy chill down our spines. Födi will explain how he draws on these archetypes to create his own villains, and inspire students to show (rather than tell about) their characters’ personalities. Each student will draw a picture of his or her villain, and consider the villain's reaction to different scenarios. This workshop serves as a great springboard for young writers who want to begin crafting an adventure or fantasy story—or want to improve an existing story. At the end of the workshop, time permitting, students present their work and are given feedback. This writing workshop is designed for keen and focused writers aged 9-13 and typically runs 1-3 hours.

How to be a Hero: The art of crafting valiant victors for adventure stories
In this workshop, Lee Edward Födi delivers a presentation featuring famous and beloved heroes from literature and film, discussing the common elements that make us root for their success. Födi will explain how he draws on these archetypes to create his own protagonists, and inspire students to show (rather than tell about) their characters’ heroic personalities. Each student will draw a picture of his or her hero and consider the hero's reaction to different scenarios. This workshop serves as a great springboard for young writers who want to begin crafting an adventure or fantasy story—or want to improve an existing story. At the end of the workshop, time permitting, students present their work and are given feedback. This writing workshop is designed for keen and focused writers aged 9-13 and typically runs 1-3 hours.

Costume Makes the Character: Dressing your characters for story success
This writing workshop is designed for storytellers, artists, and writers in grades K-7. In this workshop, Lee Edward Födi leads students in an examination of different characters and how their clothes help express their personalities. Students then take a template character—a tiny mouse—and create at least two different outfits for this character. Students will then use these drawings as a springboard to write a story describing how this mouse went on an adventure and grew as a character, changing from one costume to another. This workshop typically runs 1-2 hours.

Special Equipment:

LCD projector, easel and chart paper

Book Sales:

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

Other Presentations

Lee Edward Födi speaks to teachers, writing organizations, and other professional groups to explain his own creative approach to writing and illustrating, and his philosophy for nurturing creativity in elementary-aged children. Using a Powerpoint presentation, Födi demonstrates how he uses artwork to inspires his series, The Chronicles of Kendra Kandlestar, and how he shares this technique with young writers to help them in their own creative process.

Biography

Known as the “Wizard of Words” or simply as “Mr. Wiz,” Lee Edward Födi has been writing and illustrating stories about magic, monsters, and mystery for as long as he can remember. Growing up on a farm, he was subjected to various horrible chores such as cleaning up after chickens, pigs, geese, and younger siblings. He was often in trouble for his constant daydreaming. There was a time when his father harbored hopes that his son would take over the family business—but these aspirations came to an abrupt end when the young author accidentally ran the tractor over his dad’s outhouse (thankfully, his dad was not inside at the time). As a result, Födi went on to pursue his love of art, mythology, and storytelling, all of which (luckily) do not require any skill in operating heavy machinery.

Födi is the author and illustrator of The Chronicles of Kendra Kandlestar, which include The Box of Whispers, The Door to Unger and The Shard from Greeve. He has also illustrated several picture books for other authors.

Födi is an engaging public speaker, specializing in presentations and workshops for elementary-aged children. He has taught programs in Canada, the United States, England, and South Korea. In addition, he is a co-founder of Dream Workshop, a Vancouver-based not-for-profit program in which children's authors, illustrators, and performers help kids publish their own books. As the lead mentor for Dream Workshop, Födi finds continual inspiration in the enthusiasm, ingenuity, and talent of his students.

Födi studied at the University of British Columbia and has a degree in English Literature and a diploma in Fine Arts. He is a member of several organizations dedicated to children's literature.

Födi works full-time as an author, illustrator, and speaker and lives in Vancouver, the beautiful Canadian city nestled between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

Födi is available weekdays, with availability subject to other bookings and schedule events. Events in the Greater Vancouver Area can usually be accommodated fairly quickly and with less preparation; trips that involve extensive travel will require more time for coordination.