Children's Author Robert Kinerk

On visiting schools:

New Hampshire grade school

Bob at a Berlin, New Hampshire grade school.

I've had a chance to visit several schools or to read my stories to children at bookstores or in libraries.  All those visits have been fun for me, and I hope they've been fun and informative for the children as well.  I begin by explaining that my name might be hard to remember so they can call me Bob if they want.  If I'm speaking far from Boston I talk a little bit about where I live (and about the Red Sox).  Once I've introduced myself, I read one of my stories.  If the group is large, I like to have helpers who can display the pictures so everyone can see them.  (I try to bring extra copies for that purpose.) 

After the reading, I like to speak on whatever topics seem important for that class.  It helps if I've learned from the teacher in advance a little bit about what the class has been studying.  I can talk, for example, about things that might be true in a story but not true in the real world.  That can lead to a discussion about the difference between fiction and non-fiction.  Or I can talk about the different reasons people have for writing stories.  Perhaps a person has thought of something funny and wants to share that with others.  Or he or she might want people to think about something important, and a story might be the best way to encourage them to do that.  Or I can talk about the meter I use (anapestic tetrameter such as in "T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house…"), what other kinds of meter there are, what other devices poets and verse writers use, and why they use them.  Whatever fits in best with the classroom is what I like to take a little time discussing.  Then I open things up for questions. 

Whenever I've spoken to children I've come away impressed by the questions they ask.  Here are a few I've fielded in the last year or so.

(1) When you were writing Clorinda were you ever afraid people wouldn't like it?

The answer to that one is yes, I was very much afraid people wouldn't like it.  To deal with those worries I had to tell myself that I had no control over what people might like or not like.  I knew I did have control, however, over how hard I worked to get it right, so that's where I put my effort.

(2) Where do you get your ideas?

They come of their own free will mostly.  I was eating lunch when the idea for a story about a cow who wanted to be a ballerina came to me.  That story became Clorinda.  When I was writing The Great Winnipesaukee Steamboat Race we were heating our house with wood, so I was spending a lot of time in a woodlot, sawing and splitting.  I found that monotonous work set my mind free, and a lot of lyrics came to me while I was doing it.  A similar thing happens when I brush my teeth.  There seems to be a connection between performing a mindless physical task and opening yourself to ideas.  Brighter minds than mine will have to explore what that connection is, though.

(3) Are you famous? (A variation on this was: Do the paparazzi follow you around?)

My answer to that is that I'm famous right here, in this room, right now, at this time. That's all I can ask for. The rest is chance.

But I don't approach a school visit with the idea I have something I must make sure children grasp before I leave.  Most kids aren't shy about asking questions.  I've been asked how much money I make and how old I am.  I believe if a boy or girl has enough nerve to ask the question then I owe them a straight-forward answer.  So that's what I try to do.  I want their curiosity about writing and a writer's life to be answered.

To contact me about a visit, e-mail me at bob@robertkinerk.com.  Or write to me at 21 Grozier Road, Cambridge, MA 02138. 

My rates for school visits are flexible but are generally around $200 for the first class and $100 for each class thereafter, with a maximum of 4 classes in a day.