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Claire Saxby is a writer of fiction, non fiction and poetry for children. Claire was born in Melbourne, and as a child, she attended five primary schools and four secondary schools across three Australian states and in Papua New Guinea. She has worked at many jobs, most recently in community health.

Claire (with fellow judge, writer and poet Lorraine Marwood) co-judged (2005-2006) the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, a national poetry competition for school children.
Her poetry and non fiction appears in The School Magazine, and has been included in anthologies. She also writes for the web, magazines, and contributes to short story    collections.

Claire’s most recent book is Snow Play from the Go Girl! series.

 Where?

Claire is available for workshops to primary schools or adult groups on all aspects of writing. She is also available for author visits throughout Melbourne.

Testimonials

'Even I had fun! The students enjoyed it all, particularly seeing the finished product.'  Yr 4 St Margaret Mary's School
 

'Our students really enjoyed your workshop'  Yr 5,6 &7 Arch Cluster Young Authors' Conference Ballarat

'We liked hearing how books are produced, and enjoyed being able to ask questions.'  St Mary's Werribee
 

'The children said they liked everything!'  Chelsea Primary School
 

'The evening was a great success and in no small way due to your excellent talk. I enjoyed your theme of "a story can come from anywhere and everywhere," and  a number of people commented to me on how they also enjoyed it.'   Slade Literary Awards, Richmond
 

Programs

Primary Schools

Parent Seminars and Professional Development

Primary Schools

Author Presentation       60 minutes

Where do stories come from? From ideas to published books, students will share the experience of writing and all it entails. Claire’s session includes picture book development from rough first draft through to final proofs, the joys of writing for different ages and, the magic that can be found in research. Planning, plot, character development and reworking are all included in this interactive and informative session. Most sessions can include a simple activity based on one of Claire’s books as well as time for questions. All sessions include story and/or poetry reading.

Workshops 

‘Old Sailor’ Writing Workshop

In this 60 minute session, students will create and perform a new story of their own. What would happen if we were to take an old story and make it new? Claire has taken a well-known tale, ‘There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly’ and written a new story ‘There Was an Old Sailor who Swallowed a Krill’ (currently in production with Walker Books).  Students will experience the magic and playfulness of wordplay as Claire guides their construction of a new version of an old favourite.

Students learn about story structure, character development, developing and maintaining tension, and writing satisfying

conclusions. Students will work in large and small groups in developing their own new story. Upon completion, Claire leads

students in performing their new story. (note: this workshop can also be co-presented with storyteller Jackie Kerin)

Parent Seminars & Professional Development

Specific workshops on particular elements of story (eg plot, theme, character) can be developed to meet individual requirements.