BEN MIKAELSEN

BIOGRAPHY I BOOKS I PRESENTATIONS I BOOK ORDERING

Ben Mikaelsen's Presentations:

POSITIVE TEACHING METHODS: Adult/Educator Workshops, 2-3 hours. Audience: any size. Ben's travels have taken him from elite private schools and large inner city schools to Athabascan villages in the Yukon. These experiences have brought him to ask how we can create positive children in a negative world. He examines 3 questions educators need to ask: What are we teaching? Why are we teaching? How are we teaching? During this motivational and thought provoking presentation, Ben examines the greatest challenge that educator's face: How to help children become the authors of their own lives.

WORKING WITH AT-RISK STUDENTS: Adult/Educators Workshops, 2-3 hours. Audience: any size. Ben discusses his difficulties as a child learning to read and write English as a second language. Growing up in South American boarding schools gave Ben first hand experience with educational systems where rote knowledge and absolute discipline were revered. Thirty years of escaping the attitudes and limitations instilled during this rigid period gave Ben a new perspective on education. His insights will help teachers and librarians to better understand the needs of their At-Risk students.

CENSORSHIP: Educators Workshops or Grades 9-12, 1-2 hours. Audience: any size. From an author's viewpoint, Ben discusses his experiences and insights into the censorship issue. How does it effect the writer, the educator, and most importantly, the child's education?

RESEARCH - FINDING THE HEART OF A STORY: Keynote speech for Conferences, Luncheons, Dinners, etc., or for Grades 9-12, 1-2 hours. Audience: any size. Ben discusses the challenges faced in creating books. A slide presentation allows a view into Ben's research as he tries to uncover the "soul of a story." These experiences include raising a 700-pound black bear, living with the homeless, working with dolphins, attending Space camp, going undercover with Drug Enforcement Agents and living with the Maasai in Africa. The diversity of Ben's writing and research is what has made his books so appealing to students.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP: Adults or Grades 9-12, 1-2 hours. Audience: any size. Designed specifically for aspiring writers, Ben discusses methods and techniques to help bring a story alive. He talks in depth about both the writing and publishing process. Ben encourages writers through his own experiences of rejections and perseverance. This workshop can also be held during conferences.

HOW TO TELL YOUR OWN STORY: Grades K-2, 50 minutes. Audience: limited to 100 students. Through play acting and slides, Ben shares his adventures of raising his bear named Buffy and teaches the children how to tell their own stories.

BECOMING THE AUTHOR OF YOUR OWN LIFE: Grades 3-6 or 6-8, 1 hour (if wanted, add 15 minutes for questions and answers). Audience: limited to 250 students. By recounting his own struggles to become a writer, Ben Mikaelsen empowers students to realize their own potential. Ben's goal is to motivate students to try reading and writing on their own. He finishes this talk with a slide show offering a humorous look into a day in the life of an author.

WRITING IS STORYTELLING - A WRITING WORKSHOP: Grades 3-6 or 6-8, 1 hour. Audience: limited to 50 students. In a humorous, hands on way, Ben teaches the art of storytelling. From story construction to character building, Ben teaches methods and techniques that help a story come alive. Because writing is story telling, the goal is to help students come away with a better understanding of how to create a stronger story. This talk is aimed at the student who already loves to write and tell stories.

OTHER: Ben also has other talks that can be tailored to the specific needs of a conference. He does three sessions a day, plus autographing for as long as needed.

SCHOOL VISITS: Please contact Ben's assistant, Kathy, at telephone 406-587-3068, to book a school visit.

CONFERENCES: Please contact BalkinBuddies at telephone 718-857-7605 or email BalkinBuddies@aol.com or Catherine@BalkinBuddies.com, to book a conference.

HONORARIUM FOR CONFERENCES AND SCHOOL VISITS::

Academic year, 2006-2007 - $2,000.00 per day plus expenses as listed below.*

Academic year, 2007-2008 - $2,200.00 per day plus expenses as listed below.*

Expenses include:

Airfare (If personal vehicle is used, mileage is calculated @ 40.5 cents per mile)

Rental Car (If necessary)

Hotel (clean, quiet, non-smoking room, preferably with iron )

Meals ($35.00 per day)

*Payment of fees is expected on day of appearance - an additional $200.00 fee is agreed to if not paid on day of appearance without prior arrangements.

For conferences: honorarium will not be figured by the day. It will be based on the negotiated needs of the whole conference.

For schools: honorarium is per day and can include up to three, one-hour presentations plus autographing. The presentations can be in different schools provided sufficient time is allotted for set-up, takedown, lunch and travel between schools. An evening presentation is considered as one of the three allowed per day.

For further information, especially about the expenses (travel, hotel, and meals), click the "Arrange An Appearance" button and see "General Information on the Cost of an Author Appearance" as well as the 'Honorariums' section near the bottom of "How to Plan an Author Appearance."