For Educators

School Visit Information

Testimonials:

Contact me at sjkincaidbooks at gmail

“Engaging and entertaining are two words to best describe our S.J. Kincaid experience! She forged a connection with our students by sharing her personal stories and how her life transferred to her writings. Our students raved for days about their experience, and she has inspired some of them to pursue their dreams of becoming published authors. She is so down to earth and has such a sweet spirit. The S.J. Kincaid experience is a must for all young adults, even if they are not avid readers and writers. Her energy just might spark the fire needed to begin a love for literature.”  –Pamela Smith, High School Teacher-Librarian, Riverview, FL

“Miss Kincaid, a sincere thank you for your visit to Bak Middle School of the Arts. Our sixth graders were mesmerized by your presentation; it is not an easy feat to keep sixth graders on the edges of their seats! As wonderful as the whole group presentation was, the small group lunch and learn was even more special. Those children will never forget the day they got to have lunch with and learn from a real author. You were an inspiration to everyone.” –Jennifer Gardner, ELA Department Instructional Lead, Bak Middle School of the Arts

“Arranging for SJ Kincaid to visit several of our middle schools and high schools was one of the best decisions we made programmatically this year! The students were so excited to meet the author of the books they love but also to hear her message of how she became a published author. Her personal journey resonated with our students. She is engaging, funny and honest. Her message of perseverance is inspirational! We truly hope she visits Tampa again – and we excitedly await the release of her next book!” — Caroll Vik, Arts Council of Hillsborough County

“S.J Kincaid came to Hillsborough High School and did three presentations with our high school students. She did an amazing job! She related really well to the students and they were engaged in the conversation. Some students also received signed copies of books and I heard from teachers that they were so excited to get a copy and some of them were not strong readers but they told their teachers they enjoyed the book. I definitely wish we could bring her back to our school for more presentations.” –Barbara Magee, Media Specialist, Department Head(Media, Art, Music, ROTC)

General Information

I can speak to groups of variable sizes, and a maximum of four groups in a day. For an idea of the general format I use by default (unless educators have something else in mind), here is how it goes:

  1. Students see Insignia or The Diabolic’s book trailers
  2. I read the first scene of Insignia or The Diabolic, depending upon the age of the students
  3. A talk about my own road to publication and the way my life lessons learned might aid students in reaching their own goals in the future. I am very adept with this by now, and can vary for time depending upon the responsiveness of the students/their eagerness to ask questions. (For more information: this is a motivational talk of sorts. I touch upon the origins of this subject in this article on Mackin if you are interested: On Fear and School Visits by SJ Kincaid)
  4. Q&A Session
  5. Signing and/or photos at the discretion of the educator

VIDEO VISITS

I will visit a classroom for free, however I no longer use Skype as Microsoft has ruined the interface, sadly. I am open to alternatives.

IN-PERSON VISIT FEE

In the past, I’ve considered many factors with regards to school visits such as

  1. The financial situation of the school and/or district
  2. Whether multiple schools in the geographic proximity are involved, or whether it is a single school
  3. The involvement of independent bookstores

 

For local schools within two hours’ drive of the San Francisco Bay Area, the going rate is $500/day (flexible depending upon the school’s situation).

For non-local schools, the fee is $750/day + travel + lodging. Multiple schools will be accorded the local school rate. That’s the minimum for a trip to a single school that involves flying in a plane, but if there is more than one school and day involved, I charge $500/school, and again, am flexible depending upon the school’s situation.

Please contact me at sjkincaidbooks@gmail.com for more information.

“Insignia” Study Questions

Suggested INSIGNIA Study Questions

1) Do you think the futuristic society of Insignia is possible? What aspects of the world are similar to the world now? If you could choose one part of this future to exist today, what would it be? How do you think that would affect our society?

2) Do you think Tom made the right choice when he chose to have his neural processor implanted? Why? Would you make the same decision? How do you think a neural processor would affect your life?

3) Why did the warring nations decide to have World War Three in outer space? What consequences would there be if this war had happened on Earth? Do you think that a war of this magnitude is possible today? Could it be possible in the future?

4) If World War Three happened on Earth, do you think humans would survive? What would you need to live through it?

5) Do you think the companies sponsoring the candidates are doing what is best for the teens? How do you know this? Do you think Tom made the right choice to reject Dominion Agra as a sponsor? Would you make the same decision?

6) Do you find the census device ethical? Would you want a machine that could read a person’s memories to exist in society today? How would you choose to use the device? Would you be ok with the device being used on you?

7) Heather, Wyatt, and Medusa all affect Tom’s life, but do you believe that any of them actually care about him? What clues lead you to this decision? If you were Tom, which of these three girls would you trust the most? Why?

8) Despite the peer pressure from his friends, why doesn’t Tom ask Medusa to lose for him? If you were in a similar situation, would you have asked? Why or why not?

Tips for Writers

Tips for Writers

S.J. Kincaid, author of the Insignia trilogy, talks about some useful tips for (aspiring) writers.

More Information