A Selection of Michael's Books
Michael Byrne
Type of Artist:
I talk about my book Lottery Boy and its theme of homelessness; my childhood experiences of illiteracy; the process of writing and editing a manuscript.
I run workshops on creating fiction from autobiography (building a story around a real life event); and creating points of view in narrative
Details
Preferred age range:Upper KS2 and KS3
Maximum number in any one session:
I’m flexible on numbers: I work with classrooms typically containing 20-30 students. I have given talks to up to 200 students before but there is really no limit (provided you can squeeze them in).
No of sessions per day:
I usually offer a maximum of 3 sessions in the morning and one in the afternoon; however, each school organises its day a little differently so I’m flexible on arrangements.
Session Length:
A talk with questions usually runs between 45 and 60 minutes. As a former teacher I’m used to adapting workshops to suit the lesson period of the school.
Areas prepared to travel to:
I’m prepared to travel anywhere if overnight expenses are met.
Transport:
Car or train.
By car my charge covers the cost of the fuel for the journey.
Fees:
Hold PLI (public liability insurance):
I hold public liability insurance.
Website:
Titles include:
Lottery Boy
Testimonials:
Julia Hale librarian at Wirral Boys’ Grammar School :
“I would recommend Michael to any secondary school since he was very easy to work with, extremely accommodating, and interested in what we wanted for our students.”
Yasmin Rashid English teacher at Cumberland School:
“We found Michael to be highly professional, approachable and a really thoughtful author. He gave the pupils a glimpse of what it was like to be a successful writer and therefore became a positive role model for the pupils. Many pupils showed a renewed interest in reading as a result of working with Michael. We would love to invite Michael for any future project we may plan and look forward to working with him again.
Michael visited our school last summer and spent the morning talking to Year 6 about his Lottery Boy novel. Michael has a very relaxed but engaging style; the children were fascinated by how he gathered his ideas and enjoyed hearing him read from his book. We have a number of authors visiting our school and Michael is one I would recommend for Year 6 and above.
We will be inviting him back to meet our Year 6s this summer too.
Merdon Junior School, Chandler's Ford
Published work: