Working with children and young people is without doubt the best part of my writing adventure. I’m based in the North West and deliver a range of activities within a variety of settings including schools, colleges, youth groups, libraries and literary festivals.

*The week of World Book Day 2024 (4th – 8th March) is fully booked. Dates elsewhere are still available – reading is for life, not just for WBD* 

Example fees for in-person visits:

£300 for a full-day visit

£150 for a half-day morning visit

£100 for a two-hour afternoon visit

**Travel costs will be added should I be required to travel out of my direct locality**

Example fees for virtual visits:

£50 (30 mins) Virtual EYFS/KS1 Storytelling Session

£80 (60 mins) Virtual KS2 Author Session

**A four-class limit applies to both virtual sessions**

If you would like more information or to book a visit, please email me directly at danworsley@hotmail.co.uk or use the contact form on the website.

Author assembly

My assembly consists of a 30-minute session in which I explain to the pupils how the books are created. I talk about the writing process and explain how Martin creates the illustrations and cover. It also features a live storytelling performance of one of my ‘Impossible Tales’ and concludes with a Q&A. The assembly is inspirational and aspirational, reading for pleasure is promoted and lots of writing tips are shared. In primaries, a book signing accompanies the session.

Virtual session

Zoom, Skype, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams all work really well for virtual visits. I’m happy to have a chat about life as a writer and storyteller, answer the children’s questions and share extracts from the books. I can even put on my storytelling waistcoat and perform one of my Impossible Tales. Multiple classes can be involved and you don’t even have to make me a brew in the staffroom!

Storytelling performances

During the storytelling performances, I put on the superpowered storytelling waistcoat and use a variety of props to perform a selection of my weird and wacky ‘Impossible Tales’. Crime-fighting wigs. Pirate adventures. Stomach-churning mishaps. Mutated mucus. It’s all covered, along with much, much more, in my mind-blowing Tales. Prepare to laugh, be shocked and most importantly be entertained and spellbound! Audience numbers are only limited by the size of the space in which the storytelling session is taking place.

Writing workshops

My writing workshops are fast-paced, engaging and curriculum-linked. They cover different aspects of narrative writing including characterisation, use of humour, setting and creating tension, to name but a few. Using my background as a primary teacher, along with my passion for writing, I guide the pupils as they pick apart a short piece of my writing or a snippet of storytelling action, plan their own version after lots of discussion and support them as they start work on a first draft. Lots of SPaG and author intent feature, along with a huge dollop of creativity! The sessions are aimed at one class-sized group of pupils at a time and last for approximately 60 minutes. Timings can be tweaked as required.

If you would like to make a booking or for more information, including fees, please contact me directly via email at danworsley@hotmail.co.uk or use the contact form.