"Steve Bramucci has a superpower—the ability to work a crowd of children, aged 3 to 99, into a state of rapt attention. He’s a master storyteller, using rhythm, gesture, and tone to leave the audience hanging on his every word. Mr. Steve’ has such charisma that everyone in the crowd leans in, as if the tale is being told just for them. If your goal is to create a love of reading, writing, and story, I couldn’t recommend anyone more highly."
Maria Onesi, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Anneliese Schools
"Steve lights up a classroom. Students of all ages adore the way he brings writing to real life. He connects through humor, knowledge of pop culture, and bracingly honest communication.My students walked through the door the day after his visit already asking when Steve could come back -- he truly inspired them to follow their passions and put their own adventures into words. Plus he was hilarious."
Lori Polydoros, English Department, Godinez Fundamental High School
PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS & LIBRARIES
For Small Groups - Up to Four Sessions Per Day
The Art of the Five Senses (20-35 students, 45-60 minutes, Grades 4-12):
As children’s novelist who started his career writing about travel and food, Steve likes to pepper his novels with sensory details. In every scene, he asks: “What do my characters see, touch, taste, hear, and smell?”
This workshop is an exploration of sensory writing. Students will practice their skills by becoming travel writers and chocolate tasters, while adding a brand new set of tools to their “writing toolboxes.”
Can We Talk? (20-35 students, 45-60 minutes, Grades K-12):
Steve loves writing dialogue and believes that good dialogue can help build character. It can also keep your story moving and make it more fun to read.
This workshop fuses acting and writing as students create dialogues and then watch their classmates perform their work. It’s a natural pairing of raucous laughter and “aha!” moments.
How To Write Between the Lines (20-35 students, 45-60 minutes, Grades 4-12):
Steve’s favorite scene in The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo! comes when the main character hides his real feelings, but everyone knows it.
This workshop focuses on subtext, subterfuge, and characters who don’t know how to say what they really mean. It’s one part acting and one part writing—sure to get kids thinking about their characters in a brand new way.
For Large Groups - Can be Mixed & Matched with Small Group Sessions
The Adventure of Storytelling (100+ students, 45 minutes, Grades 4-12):
After traveling the world many times over, walking into the Australian outback with no food or water, surfing uncharted waves in Namibia, and floating his car across a crocodile-infested river in Mozambique, Steve knows a few things about adventure. In this keynote, he talks about how he viewed adventure as a kid, his own wildest travel stories, and shares how those two elements impact his writing.
For Steve, writing about adventure is a chance to celebrate the joy that he finds in living, and he loves to share that message with students.
Building Stories (100+ students, 45 minutes, Grades K-5):
Steve started his children’s writing career by telling stories to large groups. In this presentation he dips into some of those original stories while sharing insight into how he creates novels. It’s an investigation into the writer’s process, filled with humor and heart. The presentation ends with a story, created in collaboration between Steve and the students.
Skype Visits
All of the small group presentations listed above can be modified for Skype. Steve will be doing a limited number of free Skype visits as part of The Danger Gang Book Tour in September and October 2017.
Programs for Clubs, Organizations, and Private Groups
The Great Pirate Scavenger Hunt:
Over the years, Steve has led scavenger hunts for the Girl Scouts of America, the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and the the City of Newport Beach, among others.
This scavenger hunt mixes storytelling with a daring quest—complete with rhyming clues and buried treasure.
Mr. Steve’s Storytelling:
Steve has studied storytelling with Jawoyn Aboriginal elders in Australia, the Juaneño band of Mission Indians in the United States, and at the Scottish Storytelling Centre (http://www.tracscotland.org/scottish-storytelling-centre ), in Scotland.
Steve’s storytelling events feature tales of grand adventure, treacherous pirates, and daring kids. They’re strictly meant to entertain and make people laugh… though every once in awhile a nice lesson sneaks in.