"I make sure to put an emphasis on the "A" in S.T.E.A.M"
This 45 minute program looks at my life as an Artist, Immigrant, Illustrator and all around Storyteller, while weaving a narrative of the power of telling your own unique and diverse story. My goal is to leave the kids feeling empowered and wanting to write and illustrate their own tales. And to help them along the way, my visit wouldn’t be complete without a fun and interactive "you too can draw", workshop! I will also make it a point to confer with the organizers of the visits to best cater to everyone involved.
Feel free to contact me personally at daniel@thebasementmonster.com with any questions about details, such as size of the groups, time frame, and budget.
I'm looking forward to meeting you all in person and having a great time!
Packages are as follows:
Full Day School Visits include up to three 45 min presentations, or two 1 hour presentation/simplified workshop + 20 min story time (Pre-K): $1000
Half Day Visits of two 45 min presentations (K-2, GR 3-5): $750
One session of two 45 min presentation can be scheduled in the NYC area: $400
Testimonials:
I have had the pleasure of presenting to packed auditoriums at Trinidad's Bocas Lit Fest. I told my story in the middle of downtown Brooklyn, at the BK Caribbean Literary Festival. And to classrooms throughout NYC, Pennsylvania and Trinidad and Tobago.
Here are a few testimonials from organizers of those events...
'At the NGC Children's Bocas Lit Fest 2018, Daniel carried over 300 children on an enchantingly gorgeous, animated folkloric journey- no easy feat! Invoking a sense of vibrant wonder, he presented to teachers, students, parents and more at the premiere event of the Children's Festival, 'Imagine New Worlds'. To top it off, an even lovelier highlight came when he facilitated an interactive workshop called 'Using Shapes to Imitate Life' for two classes of students. In it, Dragonzilla, our beloved mascot, took on exciting new life in the children's pages through his engaging and illustrative guidance. They adored it. Daniel is a joy!'
- Ariana Herbert, 2018 NGC Bocas Lit Fest Children's Festival Coordinator
'Daniel’s participation at the inaugural Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival was the perfect addition to a wonderful 3 days of Caribbean literary excellence. His multi-media storytelling was enjoyable to all present, so that it was a shared moment for families. It was heartwarming to see people of all ages bonding during the telling of The Carnival Prince. The audience remained in rapt attention and eagerly participated throughout what was clearly a well-thought out presentation.
His love for his craft and culture shines bright, and the stories he writes are his priceless gift to the world. Thank you, Daniel!'
- Marsha Massiah, Founder/Director, Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival
'I appreciate that Daniel worked with me to properly cater a program especially for our school organization. When presenting, he was able to involve, entertain and engage everyone from our Pre-K kids, to the adults in the room. We would not hesitate to have him back for future events! Thank you!'
- Mansi Vasa, Director of Equity, Inclusion & Community Life at Corlears School
'Mr, O'Brien did such a great job with his presentation. My kids thought his story and presentation was so inspiring. We also lived he made it a point to engage with our kids on a very relatable level. I could not thank him enough for visiting!'
-Sade Green
