Events and School Visits

I offer author visits and creative writing workshops to support the curriculum and encourage reading and writing for pleasure. I also offer mentoring and writing workshops for adults.

EVENTS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

I offer fun, interactive author talks, readings, crafts and creative writing workshops with an optional Graeco-Roman or BMX twist. Tried and tested, and generating amazing feedback, they are guaranteed to make you and your pupils laugh out loud while raising aspirations and inspiring reading and writing for pleasure.

Whether you want to travel back to Ancient Rome with My Family and Other Romans, learn more about the Graeco-Roman myths and festivals that inspired Auntie Medusa and Me or develop your resilience with Princess BMX, I have a presentation to suit you. I’ve summarised my most popular assemblies and workshops in the attached leaflet but do get in touch if you’d like something else. I’m also happy to mix and match elements to suit your needs.

Why Choose Me For Your Author Visit?

Good question. Told by a careers advisor that girls like me don’t become writers, I like nothing more than encouraging others to follow their writing dreams. Having taught creative writing up to MFA level, I have extensive experience of delivering inspirational workshops based on sound pedagogical principles. My funny books have won awards for KS2 curriculum support , inspiring educational trails at the renowned Roman Baths and Corinium Museum.

🏆 My Family and Other Romans was voted by teachers the best book of 2023 for curriculum support – Books For Topics. If you’d like to use my book in the classroom, check out the cross curricular teacher pack here. 🏆

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“Fun, engaging and interactive talks filled with disgusting facts and little known information about the Romans, as well as inspiring discussion about life as an author and finding your inner warrior. There was such a buzz from the pupils attending!”
Schools Engagement Lead, Waterstones Altricham

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Just when I thought she’d shown us everything, this year Marie took to the MCBF performance space at the Bigger Book Bash and engaged children in stories of Princess BMX, complete with party games, flying tea bags, bouncing eyeballs and unicorn hobby horses.  Completely bonkers but a consummate professional, not a bad mix in my book.
Kaye Tew, Director Manchester Children’s Book Festival

VIRTUAL VISITS

Many of my events can also be delivered virtually. Drop me a line to discuss your needs. I’d love to call into your classroom.

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

KS3 to ADULTS

I have a wealth of experience teaching and inspiring both young people and adults. As an Associate Lecturer at MMU, I taught creative writing students from foundation up to and including MFA level as well as delivering a range of secondary school outreach. In 2017, working under the direction of the Director of Manchester Children’s Book Festival, I set up and managed the university’s Writing and Talking Saturday Club, a creative writing enrichment programme for young writers aged 13-16. I have also delivered a range of secondary school-based creative writing outreach for the Portico Library and I am a First Story writer in residence.

My workshops for adults cover various aspects of publishing and the writing craft and have been described as clever, accessible, thought-provoking and engaging.

Please contact me for further details of my workshop offer.

It was the ideal balance of learning activities and confidence building. The pupils felt that spending the morning with you had been a ‘treat’. It was a welcome change from the usual classroom setting and helped the disadvantaged cohort develop their literacy skills. To the pupils, it felt like special treatment, in the most positive sense.

Jane Hesketh, Audenshaw Secondary School 

 

BOOKING and FEES

For bookings please use the contact form or e-mail riewriting@gmail.com. My visits are competitively priced at £200 for one session, £275 for 2 sessions (half day) or £400 for 4 sessions (full day). This fee assumes you are happy to choose from one of my standard workshops.* Travel expenses and accommodation / subsistence (if required) would be on top. All visits include a free book signing. I frequently offer discounts to schools in the Greater Manchester area or within easy reach of my home in South Manchester.

Typically, a full-day visit would consist of the following:

• KS2 assembly and Q and A (45-60 mins – can be accommodated to also include KS1 children).
• 3 X creative writing workshops with your choice of KS2 year groups (Up to 60 minutes each).
• Book signing.

One hour and half day visits (two sessions plus book signing) must be within easy travel distance of Manchester.

All author visits and creative writing workshops include follow-up resources and you’ll also be provided with a Princess BMX and My Family and Other Romans teacher guide to support your creative writing and reading for pleasure. My Family and Other Romans is recommended by The School Reading List and Books For Topics as a text to support KS2 Ancient Roman studies.

* I also offer tailored events for schools and organisations, but these may incur an additional development fee. Please contact me to discuss your specific needs.

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“I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for today! You were absolutely brilliant – the sessions were so engaging and fun, and the kids really loved taking part. I’ve already had such positive feedback from the school.”
Usman Mullan, Producer I 500 Words I BBC Children’s and Education

“It was brilliant and I would highly recommend it to all schools. Marie is fabulous!”
Tami Wylie, Teacher, Holy Cross Primary School, Oldham

This week we had Marie Basting visit our school. She was amazing. Children had a great time working with her. So if you’re studying her book or looking for a great author to work with your children, I’d definitely recommend Marie. 
Melanie Hunt, West End Primary, Morecambe

“Fun, engaging and interactive talks filled with disgusting facts and little known information about the Romans, as well as inspiring discussion about life as an author and finding your inner warrior. There was such a buzz from the pupils attending!”
Schools Engagement Lead, Waterstones Altrincham

“The assembly was fun! The workshop inspired me to write, I learned lots of great ideas to use in my writing.”
“I found the assembly exciting. I had never met an author before!”
Year 4 Pupils, Overchurch Junior School, Wirral

Excellent. The children were incredibly engaged and have not stopped talking about their visit since. One year 4 teacher commented that when the children went back to class, they were so enthused that they all wanted to go back and change their writing plans to incorporate the ideas they had heard from Marie into their own writing.
Teacher Feedback, Northern Children’s Book Festival

“Engaging, funny and thought provoking!“
Tammy Angelis, Delegate SCBWI Conference 2022

“Marie’s events are funny, engaging and informative, perfectly pitched at primary school children to both entertain and inform. Feedback from teachers and pupils has been enthusiastic and positive, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend her events to inspire creativity, smash down stereotypes and build historical knowledge, all while having fun!“
Wonderland Bookshop, Retford

Excellent communication from the very start. […]The event was exciting, creative and successful in engaging the children, in a new way, to be writers.
Sheila Bates, Friends of Marsden Library / Imbolc Festival

Marie recently visited our school and I would highly recommend! She was brilliant and the feedback from the children and staff was overwhelmingly positive!
Theresa McNally, St Margarets Primary School, Whalley Range

We were thrilled to be visited today by @riewriting who shared her book, Princess BMX, with us and led marvellous workshops on creating characters which challenge stereotypes. She left us with a clear message to be more BMX -be resilient and believe in ourselves! Thank you Marie!
Christ Church Primary, Birkenhead

I enjoyed every minute!!! I was really scared of the creative writing aspect but the tutor was so helpful. The whole afternoon was so refreshing!
Adult Partcipant Manchester Histories Festival Workshop

“Awesome! I really enjoyed the references and feel like you made voice more understandable and accessible.“
Colleen Caillin Jones, Delegate SCBWI Conference 2022

 I’ve worked with Marie in a number of ways over the years I’ve known her.  She is always positive and easy to work with and her events are always well organised and lots of fun. 
Kaye Tew Director of the Manchester Children’s Book Festival

“A clever session on voice which made me really think about what it is and how to apply it fully within a manuscript. The exercises were helpful and enjoyable, and Marie is a natural presenter who put everyone at their ease.”
Sue Wallam, Author or Young Adult Thrillers

Fabulous school visit by Marie Basting talking about her book Princess BMX as part of Chorlton Book Festival. Year 5 students from Chorlton Park School loved playing games with Aunt Madge’s spare eyeball and pet Tyson the Teabag, plus learning to be more BMX! Sharing her own stories, inspiring everyone, that they can be whatever they aspire to be @riewriting
Ruth Estevez, Chorlton Book Festival

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