Workshops and Appearances
Recent comments by elementary students:
“Last Friday I had a bunch of fun. I loved all the books that you wrote. I thought that they were very, very funny.”
“I learned the ‘dummy’ is a first rough copy. I never knew you were supposed to do that. I liked it when you showed us the pre-copy.”
“It was cool how we made our own books. I want to be a writer when I grow up.”
Programs for Children
Interactive discussion, projects, and/or readings.
Length—30 minutes for younger audiences to 50-60 minutes for older children.
Size of Audiences—can address assemblies, but smaller groups (up to 50) usually work better for discussion and workshop activities.
What Goes into a Picture Book?
Using slides and discussion, I show the research that went into writing and illustrating The Cinnamon Hen’s Autumn Day. I show students the original picture book dummy and how to construct one by folding 8 ½” x 14” sheets of paper. (30 minutes)
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Using slides and discussion, I show places in my hometown that appear in Capp Street Carnival and Tales of Belva Jean Copenhagen. We discuss how ideas develop from memories, images, and snippets of speech. (30 minutes)
Make Your Own Picture Book
Students write stories/poems of their own and illustrate a 4-8 page picture book. (60 minutes+)
Works in Progress
I show dummies and rough art of not-yet-published work. We discuss how an idea—writing or illustration—grows. (30-60 minutes)
Programs for Adults
Formerly a professor of English at New York Institute of Technology, Dutton taught creative writing and literature courses, as well as a “writing for children” course for NYIT’s Continuing Education Department.
She was awarded three American Association of University Professors grants and the Award for Academic Excellence by the school’s honor society.
I Eat My Peas With Honey
A workshop for beginners on writing and/or illustrating the picture book and middle grade novel. Plot, character, getting ideas, and how to submit work are covered. Participants also do writing exercises. This is a “whet-the-appetite” workshop, pointing writers and/or illustrators in the direction they need to go to develop their own projects. (3-4 hours)
How to Make a Picture Book
Using poems in the public domain, or the participants’ own poems/stories, create a storyboard, then begin construction of a dummy. Types of picture books, rhythms, page turns, and types of illustration are discussed. (3 hours)
Novel Workshop
Best for those with a draft under way—a sharing of the participants’ own sample chapters, discussion of processes, and what to do when
you get stuck. (a weekend workshop)
Sandra Dutton's books have been named to "Pick of the Lists' by American Bookseller, featured in Publishers Weekly, and have appeared on many "best books" lists.
She has taught both art and writing at the elementary, high school, and university levels. Teachers like the way she can draw parallels between the writing and illustrating processes, showing the research and drafting that go into each one.
Dutton chaired the English Department at New York Institute of Technology, and her reviews have appeared in the New York Times Book Review.
