Sam Swope

Bartleby, Savitri & Me

Strange encounters with an education bureaucrat.

A "My Turn" essay in Newsweek

Recounts the moment when an old teacher got in touch with me, which then inspired reflections on what students and teachers remember.

The Little Liar

A portrait of an immensely creative grade school student who tells lies.

From Queens to Karachi

Part travelogue, part description of a conference for English teachers held in Pakistan.

Under African Skies

A description of a writing conference for teachers in Tanzania, with participants from East Africa, India, Pakistan, and the United States.

I give talks, keynote addresses, author visits and conduct workshops in schools, colleges and universities, working with every age, from kindergartners through graduate students.

No visit is ever the same, much depends on the needs of the school. Some talks are about writing for children; others about writing for adults; still others are about teaching writing.

One school visit was taped by the Public Radio International's "The Next Big Thing." You can listen to this essay (called "Thirteen Ways") online, where it's archived on the show's website.

For teachers and college students, a visit usually includes a talk followed by a question and answer discussion. Sometimes, writing workshops are involved.

For younger students, one-day visits are almost always author presentations. I'll give three or four 45-minute presentations in which I talk about being a writer, give an overview of publishing, and then, before questions and answers, I'll read something I've written.

A writer-in-residency program can last from several days to several weeks. These usually involve writing workshops with single classes and/or small groups of gifted or reluctant writers. The writing exercises can be varied, trying different genres, or they can be focused on a single form, depending on the needs of the school.

If you're interested in having Sam give a talk, or to learn more about a school visit, please click on the email link to the left, or write to schoolvisit@samswope.org.