Rae Bridgman

Readings

I am most comfortable working with Grades 4 through 8, as my fantasy novels are geared towards this age group (ages 9 through 12). I offer readings/presentations, as opposed to hands-on workshops. I generally work with one class at a time (max. 25 to 30 students), rather than large groups. The presentation/reading generally lasts a maximum of one hour. If only a reading is requested (i.e., with no accompanying supplementary audio and visual materials), I am able to accommodate larger groups (e.g., 100 students in a gymnasium) along with a question-and-answer period. This latter presentation runs approximately half an hour to forty minutes. You may hear one of my readings posted on my website (under Author tab).

a) Class presentations generally include a detailed presentation about the red-sided gartersnakes of Narcisse, Manitoba and African egg-eating snakes, along with interesting artefacts (e.g., photographic images, a moulted skin from an egg-eating snake, a nine-foot boa skin, ostrich egg, quill pen, etc.), snake imagery in Winnipeg architecture, a brief discussion about the Latin language, as well as a dramatic reading of excerpts from the books, along with a question-and-answer period. The session lasts approx. one hour to an hour and a half.

b) Presentations about illustrating include a brief history of pen-and-ink illustration in children’s books (including images), a discussion of how I illustrate my books (where my ideas come from, pen-and-ink techniques, etc.) and a question-and-answer period. At present, the session lasts approx. thirty to forty minutes.

Biography

Rae Bridgman is an author, artist/illustrator and anthropologist (PhD, 1993). She is Associate Dean (Research) in the University of Manitoba Faculty of Architecture and Professor in the Department of City Planning.

Her writing for young adults includes two fantasy novels—The Serpent’s Spell and Amber Ambrosia. French language rights for The Serpent’s Spell have been sold to Quebec publisher Editions AdA.

Rae Bridgman has numerous academic publication credits to her name arising from her research on chronic homelessness in Toronto, including Safe Haven: The Story of a Shelter for Homeless Women (University of Toronto Press, 2003) and StreetCities: Rehousing the Homeless (Broadview Press, 2006). She has been the recipient of many awards and grants from the Canada Council, Manitoba Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Note: There are extensive resources available on her website, including photos of her studio, favourite words, games and bookmarks for kids, and links to other websites.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS:
Please contact Rae Bridgman with specific requests.