Author Website: http://www.NeeshaMeminger.com

Audiences: ages 14 and up

Available Times: Monday through Friday, morning sessions only

No recording of Skype Sessions without permission from the author.

Prerequisites: In order to ensure lively discussion and debate, Neesha requires that classes & book clubs read her book before the Skype session so that relevant issues and topics from the book can be addressed.

Available Times:

• Morning visits beginning at 9:30 EST.
  
• Lunch visits: 11:30 EST.
• Please email Neesha for availability for other times

Presentations:

• Journey of a Book and Its Author
  This is a longer, in depth presentation which looks at the entire creative process involved in writing a novel for teens, from working with an idea to find the best hook or angle to polishing a finished manuscript to writing a query letter for an agent. Students think of stories from their own lives that might make a great novel idea and come up with their own "elevator pitch" for selling the idea to a potential agent or editor.
• The Key to Success (or Revise, Revise, Revise!)
  This workshop focuses on the revision process as the primary skill an author must possess if she is to succeed in her profession. Students are asked to do a brief writing exercise on a given topic, then as a group we go over the paragraphs, line by line to see if they are the best they can be.
• Fitting In At Home & At School: Identity and Belonging
  The idea of identity is always fluid, always changing as we grow. In fact, we are often one person at home and another in the outside world. This presentation looks at the concept of identity as a non-fixed, changing construct. Students examine what their identity is at home and what it is in school and how that informs their sense of belonging in the world.
  
• Writing What Is Hard
  SHINE, COCONUT MOON tackles difficult topics such as the attacks on September eleventh, racism, and potentially abusive intimate relationships. This presentation gives students tools to broach topics that are difficult to write about and offers suggestions for ways to write through what is hard.
• Healthy Teen Relationships: This is a workshop I originally did in New York City for teens and service providers. I use excerpts from YA novels to launch discussion and debate around issues of teen relationships, including issues of dating and friendship. A very popular workshop for teens and one that fosters much needed discussion for months afterward! Teens leave the workshop with a list of novels that deal with the topic of healthy relationships and a new way to bring up these topics with the adults in their lives.
• For Book Clubs: If your book club is reading SHINE, COCONUT MOON, Neesha would love to join your discussion. SHINE deals with three generations of Punjabi, Indian women and how they navigate the rifts and bonds that come with generational and cultural differences -- perfect for mother-daughter book clubs!
• For Schools & Libraries: When your students have finished reading Neesha's book, she would be happy to join them via Skype for a morning or lunchtime Q & A session. Available: most weekdays from 9:30 EST Time: 20 minutes Cost: FREE

No Cost Meet the Author Visit: 20 minute Q and A session - free for classes and book clubs that have read SHINE, COCONUT MOON

In-Depth Visit Length: 40-60 minutes

In-Depth Visit Cost: $150-200 depending on the length of visit.

Contact Information: Neesha@NeeshaMeminger.com

Affiliations: Neesha is a member of SCBWI.