Author Visits

AUTHOR VISITS WITH MARIA SCRIVAN

“Amazing assembly with the incomparable Maria Scrivan. This New York Times best-seller’s energy lit lights in my students’ minds sharing her writing process and growth mindset! We used our sketch notes to chronicle our amazement!”   ― School Board Member, Monticello, NY

NYTimes best-selling author and syndicated cartoonist Maria Scrivan’s dynamic, positive, and energetic talks have ignited young minds around the globe. With stories of resilience and determination, Maria shares the winding path she navigated toward her childhood dream of becoming a cartoonist while moving past detours, rejections and setbacks.

Maria takes her audience on a humor-filled journey from being a kid who loved to draw to becoming a professional cartoonist and bestselling author. She shares insight on finding ideas, and taking them from sketch to finished graphic novel. She discusses how to combat the voices in our head that tell us that we are not good enough, and offers strategies to move through imposter syndrome, creative blocks, and self-doubt. Students are inspired and energized to follow their dreams using persistence, resilience, and dedication.


Maria’s presentation runs from 45-60 minutes with a slideshow, followed by live drawing and a question and answer session. It is a fast moving presentation filled with humor, designed to keep audiences engaged, interested, and inspired. She loves audiences of all sizes and has presented to students in first grade through college, as well as professional development sessions for adults. She is available virtually and in person.

Maria has presented at Winter Institute, ALA Booklist, GraphixCon, Brooklyn Book Festival, Moccafest, NCS Reuben Awards, Decatur Book Festival, Toronto Comics Arts Festival, Society of Illustrators, New York Comic Con, Crossroads Columbus, The Brattleboro Literary Festival, Charles Schulz Museum, Bronx Book Fest, Boston Book Fest, Toronto International Festival of Authors, Salon de Livre, and the Quickdraw at San Diego Comic Con.

PRESENTATIONS

Nat Enough Series
Maria shares her inspiration for creating the bestselling Nat Enough series with childhood art, photos, and stories. She discusses her own struggles with not fitting in, her love of cartooning at an early age, and strategies to move through doubt and fear. She shares her creative process along with the tools and materials she uses to create each book. She then creates live artwork while answering questions.
Audience Size: Any, from small groups to large assemblies. 40-60 minutes, Ages 7 and up.

Becoming A Cartoonist
Maria shares a funny visual lecture on her journey to fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a syndicated cartoonist and professional author. She discusses the many roadblocks along the way, rejection, and the importance of persistence and unwavering determination. Maria shares the childhood feelings and experiences that were the inspiration for her books, where she gets her ideas, and her process of making comics and graphic novels.
Audience Size: Any, from small groups to large assemblies. 40-60 minutes, Ages 7 and up.

Nat Enough And Social Emotional Learning
In the Nat Enough series, Nat grapples with her feelings of not being enough. Using examples from all six books in the series, students are encouraged to reflect on self-awareness, recognize their strengths and weaknesses, understand the impact of their thoughts and emotions, and learn about empathy, relationship skills, resilience, and self-acceptance.
Audience Size: Any, from small groups to large assemblies. 40-60 minutes, Ages 7 and up.

Defeating Doubt Gremlins
Maria shares her own encounters with doubt gremlins on her path to becoming a professional cartoonist and author. She gives strategies to move through doubt and fear, and to ignore the voices in our heads that tell us we’re not good enough.
Audience Size: Any, from small groups to large assemblies. 40-60 minutes, Ages 7 and up.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT/ADULTS

Creativity
As a syndicated cartoonist, graphic novelist, magazine cartoonist, and greeting card artist, Maria has come up with thousands of ideas. She shares strategies for brainstorming, moving through creative blocks, and the benefits of rejection. She discusses productive vs. non-productive procrastination, moving past doubt and fear, and creating physical and energetic space for art. Attendees will be inspired and energized to explore their own creativity, no matter the medium.

Nat Enough and Social Emotional Learning
In the Nat Enough series, Nat grapples with her self-perception and her feelings of not being “enough.” Using examples from all six books in the series, educators are given tools to help students reflect on their own self-awareness, recognize their strengths and weaknesses, understand the impact of their thoughts and emotions, and learn about empathy, relationship skills, resilience, and self-acceptance.

Benefits of a Graphic Novel
Graphic novels are not only real books, they are real books enhanced. They promote empathy, visual learning, and are excellent resources for all students including reluctant readers, and students with learning differences. Educators are given tools to help promote the depth that graphic novels can provide.


Visual Journals
This workshop discusses the benefit of using images in storytelling, and explores using writing and drawing to navigate feelings, incite healing, and process experiences with depth and enhanced understanding.

Please fill out this form to inquire about your event:

  • Thank you so much for your incredible author visit to Greenwich Academy! Your warmth, humor, and inspiring message about the importance of self-confidence truly resonated with both students and faculty alike. It was a joy to see how engaged and excited everyone was, and we’re so grateful for the time you shared with us. Your visit will leave a lasting impact, and we can’t thank you enough for empowering our students to believe in themselves and embrace their own unique stories.


    — Greenwich Academy

  • "Maria brought an exuberant jolt of personality to my undergrad cartooning class. I enjoyed watching them engage with Maria’s instantly relatable story of her own artistic journey. Maria left many students with a renewed sense of the possibilities available in the field of cartooning, at a critical time in their own development."

    Mike Cavallaro, School of Visual Arts, NYC

  • "That was incredible! Thank you so much for bringing well being, middle school challenges and books to life! The student's feedback was really positive and you created so much excitement. "

    Anna-Murie Doyle, Counselor, Tokyo International School

  • "Maria was an amazing speaker. She shared her writing process, and spoke with the girls about following their passions and not giving up when faced with rejection. One girl in my group was so excited to meet Maria because Nat Enough is the first unassigned book she has ever finished reading cover to cover!"

    Melissa Jones, Girls Positivity Club

  • “Maria weaves fun, easy-to-follow drawing tutorials into honest discussions on feelings of inadequacy and later materializing her passion as a cartoonist/illustrator. Students left visits inspired, creative, and excited for what’s next for Nat!”

    Media Coordinator, BBGB Booksoes here

  • “Maria Scrivan’s talk provided the perfect mix of humor and humility. Our students were encouraged to try to find the funny in even the toughest of circumstances and to not let rejection stop their pursuits.”

    Jenny Poitras, Notre Dame Prep

  • "Our 3rd-6th grade students met with Maria online, and she is amazing with kids! We learned about her writing/drawing process, heard about her journey to becoming a cartoonist, and also learned how to draw Nat alongside her. Lots of rave reviews at our school from kids and teachers alike! "

    Tara Russell Ethridge, Librarian, International School of Prague

  • Thank you again for a fantastic event. I’ve heard great feedback from parents and teachers! (Kids actually went home and told parents about your talk, without even being asked!)

    — Western Middle School

  • A BIG thank you to Maria, who held a captive audience yesterday during our second Women’s Speaking Series event. What an incredible career and terrific presentation, the feedback has been wonderful!

    — Greenwich YMCA