A Selection of Josh's Books
Josh Lacey
Type of Artist:
I regularly visit schools to talk about my books and see these visits as an integral part of my work as a writer. I enjoy meeting readers and working with young people on developing their own creativity.
During a visit, I’ll talk about the books that I've written and will always read aloud from at least one of them. I’ll discuss why and how I write. I’ll talk about my ideas and inspirations. And I'll leave lots of time for questions.
I have written books for all ages from Reception to Year 6, so when I visit a primary school, I can speak to all the different age groups and classes.
My creative writing sessions are particularly focused on writing for pleasure. I use my own books to explore specific topics. For instance, I use the email format of The Dragonsitter for a workshop on persuasive writing and writing letters; and I use the Time Travel Twins for a session on combining history and fiction, writing stories which are based on historical research, and using fiction to bring history to life.
I have other creative writing sessions which focus on particular topics: beginnings, middles, endings; how to create characters; structuring a narrative; revising and editing your work; finding inspiration and how to deal with writer’s block.
I also offer CPD workshops and talks for adults. I talk to teachers about teaching writing, encouraging creativity, and reading and writing for pleasure. I will provide teachers with lots of useful exercises, ideas, and inspirations which they can use when teaching writing to their pupils.
If I was visiting a school, the day might look like this:
Talk about the Dragonsitter with Years 1 and 2 (45 mins)
Talk about the Time Travel Twins with Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 (1 hour)
Reading The Pet Potato to Reception (20 minutes)
Spend the rest of the day on creative writing workshops.
I also offer a joint event with Garry Parsons, who has illustrated the ten Dragonsitter books and the Time Travel Twins. We do an assembly together - full of readings and drawings - then teach different classes, Garry focusing on drawing while I work on creative writing. Please have a look at Garry's page for more information about his wonderful work.
Details
Preferred age range:I'm happy to talk to both KS1 and KS2 children
Adults - usually primary teachers (CPD for teachers)
No of sessions per day:
Happy to fill the school day, providing there are a few breaks.
Session Length:
45-60 mins for a talk including questions.
A creative writing workshop could last anything between an hour and a whole school day.
Areas prepared to travel to:
I live in London, but will travel anywhere, provided expenses and overnight accommodation (where needed) are funded.
Transport:
I don’t charge travel expenses for events in London, but would ask to be reimbursed for a return train ticket or mileage cost for travel outside the M25.
Fees:
Please indicate which author you are interested in.
Hold PLI (public liability insurance):
Yes, £10 million, provided by the Society of Authors
Website:
Titles include:
Bearkeeper
The Island of Thieves
The Sultan's Tigers
The Dragonsitter - and 9 more titles in the series
A Dog Called Grk & 7 more titles in the Grk series.
The Time Travel Twins series, which feature some of the history subjects recommended for study in the National Curriculum: the Stone Age and the Iron Age, the Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons, the Romans, and the Maya.
Testimonials:
"I really enjoyed Josh Lacey's visit. He taught me how to be creative and helped me expand my imagination."
"When Josh Lacey came to our school, he was amazing. The way he put expression into his writing, it made me want to read his books."
"The children were excited in advance about meeting you but even more so afterwards - you engaged with them brilliantly and inspired them in many different ways. I think you would be very pleased if you could see how many Grk books are still being read in the playground at breaktime more than a week later! The Year 5 and Year 6 children enjoyed your workshops enormously and some have continued working on the ideas by themselves at home. It was a very special day for us all and thank you so much for all that you put into it."
Published work:
Photos: