Write me: oliver_winfree@hotmail.com
Menu

Events

HomeEvents

I’m available for speaking at schools, doing author talks and writing workshops. I’m happy to speak for ages 8 to 15 (grades 4 to 9) and can do anything from small groups to whole grades.

VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISITS!

I can also do 45 minute videos through Zoom or Skype, streamed straight to your school or class! These can be author talks or tailored writing workshops.

For bookings, contact Booked Out on bookings@bookedout.com.au

    

For international schools, festivals and abroad, please contact me.

   

Author Talk topics

These author talks usually go for 45 minutes with 10-15 minutes for questions OR a reading.

My talk can cover a range of topics within the session, these topics include:

  • The writing process: How my books are made, from the idea to the publication itself.
  • The inspiration: How did I get started as a writer, and where did my ideas come from?
  • The beginning: Did I always wanted to be a writer as a kid? How did my teachers inspire my stories?
  • Behind the books: Starting with Thai-riffic!, I show how I draw ideas from my own life and put them into my books.
  • All about Thailand: How my own cultural background influences my stories (ideal for Harmony Day and other multicultural events)

Here are some example descriptions of some previous shows:

Natural Born Loser: Growing up, Oliver Phommavanh always felt a little weird, left-field or just left out. But like the characters in his books, he wears his nerdy heart on his sleeve and lets his creativity shine. Find out how Oliver became a voice for the nerds, class clowns and crazy kids, and what inspired him to write Thairiffic!, Con-nerd and his latest book, Natural Born Loser.

Life’s Thai-riffic! Oliver Phommavanh still has dreams of being a dinosaur, but he’s happy being an author and comedian for now. Find out where Oliver got his ideas from to create his hilarious books, like Thai-riffic and The Other Christy, as well as his latest books Natural Born Loser and Don’t Follow Vee. Warning, things will get weird and nerdy!

Writing workshop descriptions

My writing workshops usually go for an hour, but can modified up to 2 hours, or even a whole day session (for writers who are keen).

I offer two workshops. Some of the content may overlap in both workshops.

WRITING HUMOUR: IT’S NOT THAT HA HA HARD
Everyone has a sense of humour but does your humour make any sense? Oliver will go through some techniques of how to come up with some ideas for jokes, weird characters and wacky story lines. There’s a little bit of drawing from your own experiences, actual drawing of characters and more. Discover how easy it is to inject some laughs into your writing.
 
FIRE UP YOUR WRITING: BRAINSTORMING IDEAS FOR STORIES
Want to write great stories but don’t know where to start? Oliver will take you through some brainstorming methods of how to gather ideas for characters and plots, using personal experiences. There will be 4-5 writing exercises that will help students plan their stories whilst overcoming their own pitfalls to creative writing. Ideal for reluctant writers.
 
I can cater these workshops to cater schools’ needs.

We were delighted to host Oliver Phommavanh for a whole week at Harrow Bangkok.  He was awesome! He entertained and inspired students from Year 4 to Year 9 with his action-packed presentations and creative writing workshops. Oliver was astonishingly funny and was able to engage every student in his creative writing activities. He truly ignited and inspired all students with his strategies to capture ideas to develop as writers. We can’t speak highly enough of him .

 Jennifer Bell, Harrow Bangkok

St Leonard’s College were delighted to have Oliver Phommavanh come and speak with our Year 5/6 students the week after Book Week. Oliver was incredible funny as he shared how his personal stories became inspiration for many of his book or character ideas. He had the audience engaged from start to finish and students are asking can he come back next year! A fantastic experience for our students and especially a small group of reluctant readers who are now asking for his books.
-Jahanna Parry, Library Teacher, St Leonards College, Brighton
 
The students loved Oliver, he was engaging and has inspired the students with their writing and reading his books
-Michelle Logan, Southern Cross Catholic College
 

“Oliver enthralled our students by his very humorous and energetic presentation. Students remained engaged and involved for the full hour and were inspired to read, write and imagine. His writing workshop also captivated students who were focused on improving their skills of developing characters and plot. As many of the students commented, Oliver’s visit was awesome!” 

-Lynette Spies, Burnside Public School

Where will I be? 

May 20th: RingRose PS (Greystanes)

May 21st: St Francis of Assisi: WestWords Writers in Residence 

June 1st: Writing NSW workshop: Writing Humour for Children’s Books, you can register here

June 4th: St Francis of Assisi: WestWords Writers in Residence 

June 11th: St Francis of Assisi: WestWords Writers in Residence 

June 18th: St Francis of Assisi: WestWords Writers in Residence 

June 20th: St Francis of Assisi: WestWords Writers in Residence

 

Oliver Phommavanh © 2024. All rights reserved.