Author Visit

Whitney Stewart is a world traveler. She started writing young adult biographies after traveling to Tibet and India and interviewing the 14th Dalai Lama. She trekked in Nepal with Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the top of Everest, and wrote about him. And she followed up by interviewing Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar) and writing about her. Not ready to give up her love of Asia, Whitney went to China and wrote biographies of Chinese leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

Whitney also writes fiction and nonfiction for younger audiences. In 2008-2009, she released a humorous biography of Walt Disney, a picture book about Abraham Lincoln and his portrait artist Frank Carpenter, a picture-book account of a shipwreck off Nantucket in 1877, and the middle-grade ghost story, Coffin's Ghost.

Whitney has been visiting schools and libraries around the world for more than twenty years. She likes to tailor her programs to the specific needs of the host organization. For detailed information about her fees and programs, contact her directly. On her website, you will find more about her books, her interviews, and her travels. Teachers and students will find useful maps and bibliographies.

Sample programs:
* Behind the Scene: Revealing the Life of a Children's Book Author
* Going Beyond: Traveling, Writing, Seeing Life (slideshow and discussion)
* Writing with a Spark (writing workshop for 4th-6th graders)
* Climbing Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary (slideshow and discussion)
* Tibetan Life and Culture (slideshow and hands-on cultural activities)
* People of Peace (slideshow and discussion of the 14th Dalai Lama, Buddha, Aung San Suu Kyi)
* Learn to Meditate Like the Buddha (slideshow and discussion, simple meditation)
* Chinese Leaders (slideshow and discussion of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping) For Adults:
* The Life and Work of a Children's Book Author (slideshow and discussion) * Writing for Children (A How-To for Beginners)
* Understanding Asia through Children's Books

Fees vary according to the type of program, the amount of travel involved, and the amount of preparation required. Whitney lives in New Orleans but travels frequently to give presentations. The fee for a full-day, out-of-state program is $1,200 plus travel and lodging expenses. Expenses can be shared by area schools. Louisiana and Mississippi program fees vary according to amount of travel and length of program.

Booking Request

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