I’m super excited to be part of this fantastic day of celebrations at Sefton Park in Liverpool. I’ll be on stage at 1.35pm if you fancy coming along to say hello. And be sure not to miss Children’s Laureate Frank Cotrell-Boyce at 3pm.
Writing on the Wall’s 25th Birthday Party with special guest and Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell Boyce!
The afternoon will be packed with performances from a host of incredible writers, poets and creatives, and take part in creative activities and fun for all the family! Over the last 25 years Writing on the Wall have worked with thousands of children and young people. Our Young Writers have performed with some of the UK’s leading poets and recording artists, establishing their own successful careers. At our 25th birthday party we invite your imagination to fly and your creativity sparkle. And of course… what’s a birthday without CAKE?
May 4th, 1pm Palm House, Sefton Park This event is free, though we recommend arriving early to secure your place due to limited capacity.
It’s that time of year again when authors and schools are gearing up for World Book Day. So I’ve put together an extremely serious letter for schools encouraging reading for pleasure.
I repeat – this is an extremely serious letter. So if you’re not interested in amazing facts such as how reading can help you to become more popular than a slug or why we eat sausages and not librarians then absolutely don’t bother getting in touch with me.
But if you are intrigued by these extremely serious insights, and you think your pupils would be too, then please drop me a line via the contact form here with your school name and e-mail and I’ll be in touch soon.
Love this feature by Sand in Your Eye about their brilliant Medusa recreation. The carving was inspired by my book Auntie Medusa and Me and it was indeed a mythical marvel.
What an honour to see my reimagining of Medusa brought to life by the talented artist Peter from Sand In Your Eye. The pumpkin carving was part of the promotion for the Auntie Medusa and Me inspired museum trial at the Roman Baths in Bath. Peter used Flavia Sorrentino’s brilliant illustrations to guide him and the result was truly spectacular.
You can visit the Auntie Medusa and Me trail at the Roman Baths until 1st December 2024. Join Silvia on a mythic family quest through the Roman Baths; unravel the mystery and locate the snake-haired head of the gorgon Medusa. Along the way you’ll discover fascinating facts about Medusa, meet real-life Roman characters and create unforgettable memories. The trail is included in your entry ticket .
There’s now also an Auntie Medusa inspired trail at the Coronium Museum in Cirencester. The trail invites young visitors to find the characters in Auntie Medusa and Me around the museum, collecting letters as they go. Unscramble the letters to find the mythical creature’s name and set Medusa free. The trail costs £2.50 and runs until 31st January 25.
The Corinium Museum trail is the third museum trail to be developed based on my books, staff impressed by the potential of both My Family and Other Romans and Auntie Medusa and Me to make history fun and accessible to young readers. If you’d like to know more about my books and how they can support education and learning then please comment below or drop me a line via the contact form. You’ll also find a range of educational resources here along with details of my events and author visits.
ABOUT AUNTIE MEDUSA AND ME
Hiya! I’m Silvia, an ordinary kid just like you. At least, I was ordinary until I wound up in Ancient Rome as a demi-goddess. Yeah, that took me by surprise too. But seriously, travelling back in time is nothing compared to what’s happening now: Medusa the gorgon wants her head back – and she’s chosen me to find it!
In the run-up to the holiday season, I’m offering a limited number of free festive virtual author visits to schools in the UK and Ireland. Exploring the Ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia – the winter celebration that gave us many of our Christmas traditions – these virtual visits can be used to support the curriculum, but they also make a great festive treat for all KS2 year groups. In addition to learning all about Saturnalia through a fun quiz, there will be time for children to ask questions about being an author, writing, books, and reading for pleasure.
Slots are available throughout November and December and the visit will last for between 20 to thirty minutes. All I ask is you buy a minimum of four copies of any of my books to share with the children.
You can request a time slot via the scheduler here. I will then confirm the booking, and ask you to send me a meeting link for your preferred platform. I’ll also offer you the opportunity to purchase signed and dedicated copies of my books through a local bookseller. There is no obligation to do this.
On the day of the visit , please have your class sitting comfortably in front of the screen and be ready to greet me at the agreed time. I’ll aim to arrive a few minutes early. The Q and A section works best if the children have thought up their questions in advance and you have a system for them to come up to the screen and speak to me. It also helps to get the children excited about the visit by sharing some information about me and my books – you can download sample chapters for free here or visit the about page on my website.
“Hello Marie, just wanted to say a huge thank you for your time AND the extra time you gave us to meet the children yesterday. They got so much from it and it’s spurred on so many conversations about books, writing and now a possible visit to a local library to see if they’ll stock your books!” Kiran Filby, Monkfrith Primary
Terms and Conditions
Occasionally I may need to rearrange sessions in which case I will offer you an alternative time slot.
Available to schools in the UK and Ireland who have bought at least four copies of any of my books.
A maximum of one visit per school in any academic year. There is no limit to the number of children attending.
Schools are responsible for coordinating the virtual meeting platform and sending me a link in advance. If I don’t receive a link forty eight hours in advance, I will assume you no longer require the meeting.
Prefer a Longer Visit?
Click here for details of my discounted in-person Saturnalia events or general author events offer. All author visits and creative writing workshops include follow-up resources and you’ll also be provided with a teacher guide for each of the texts to support your creative writing and reading for pleasure. I frequently offer discounts to schools in Greater Manchester, Halton, the Wirral and Liverpool.
“Marie, Thank you so much for today’s virtual assembly. We LOVED it! The inspirational advice, breathtaking videos, fun quiz…the list goes on. We are all going to try and #BeMoreBMX“ Faye Cooper, Adlingnton Primary
Marie Basting - Children's Author, Manchester 