Lamar Giles is a well-published author and a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. His most recent novels include NOT SO PURE AND SIMPLE his first Contemporary Coming-of-Age Story (HarperTeen/HarperCollins) and Middle-Grade Fantasy THE LAST MIRROR ON THE LEFT (Versify/HMH), the sequel to his 2019 hit THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER.
Lamar is a two-time Edgar Award finalist in the YA category, for his debut YA thriller FAKE ID (HarperCollins, 2014), and his second YA thriller, ENDANGERED (HarperCollins, 2015). His third and fourth YA thrillers, OVERTURNED (Scholastic, 2017) and SPIN (Scholastic, 2019), as well as his middle-grade debut THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER received glowing New York Times reviews, and was named to multiple Best Of lists, including Time Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, and Amazon. FAKE ID has been optioned by Sony Pictures.
Lamar is the editor of the We Need Diverse Books YA short story anthology FRESH INK (Random House, 2018), and a contributor to many YA and middle-grade anthologies including THREE SIDES OF A HEART (HarperCollins, 2017), BLACK ENOUGH: STORIES OF BEING YOUNG & BLACK IN AMERICA (HarperCollins / Balzer & Bray, 2019), THE HERO NEXT DOOR (Random House, 2019), HIS HIDEOUS HEART (Flatiron Books, 2019) and SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES (HarperCollins, 2020). He has published several short stories for adults.
SAMPLE PRESENTATIONS
KEYNOTE: WRITE YOU – Geared towards teens, this keynote focuses on Lamar discussing his path to becoming a professional writer. He will give insight into his youth, his inspirations, struggles, and how he overcame years of rejection to achieve his goal of scoring a major publishing deal and seeing his novels in the hands of loyal, encouraging readers.
BREAKOUT: STORY STARTERS – For aspiring fiction writers. Ideas are everywhere; we must train ourselves to recognize them. In a series of short, fun exercises, student writers will use photos, props, and personal experiences as the basis for their own epic tales.
BREAKOUT: STAY TUNED – For aspiring fiction writers. Each time a section/chapter ends, readers are provided with a natural break point, a moment where he/she can put down the book for an hour, or an evening, or forever. This session will help keep readers tuned into your work by examining exciting techniques from popular novels, TV, and movies and finding ways to inject the same thrills into your writing.
TESTIMONIALS
“We really enjoyed having Lamar Giles visit Thomas Dale High School today! Our audience consisted of 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students. The students were so quiet and really focused on his presentation. We all enjoyed hearing him talk about growing up, being a reader and writer, meeting Beyonce, and following your dreams. Mr. Giles related well to students and had interesting visuals. After the presentation, Mr. Giles took time to talk with students at a meet and greet in the library about writing, books, and more. One student even stated how Mr. Giles made her want to read again.” –Librarian Shelley Armstrong, Thomas Dale High School, Virginia
Read our interview with Lamar Giles
Website
Availability and Honorariums
For rates and availability, contact Carmen Oliver.
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