Bookings

school

Bookings

Will is available for a range of events, from school and library visits, to literary festivals and conferences. He is based in Sydney, Australia, but is always looking for an excuse to travel, when safe. Given the pandemic, Will is happy to tailor a digital event to your needs.

He conducts readings, workshops specialising in short story writing (for students with ranging abilities and interest in creative writing), Q&As and school assembly addresses. These visits have proven to be incredibly successful.

In his talks to secondary students, Will balances anecdotes – like how he got a book deal in Year 12 – with practical creative writing advice, as he explains the influences behind his novels. He explores the different shapes a career as a writer can take, reflecting on working as a celebrity journalist, crafting celebrity tweets, and creating content for reality TV. For upper-secondary students, he also delivers stand-alone lectures on how a writer’s identity shapes their texts, and how analysing texts can develop your own writing skills (tailored to the NSW Year 11 ‘Reading to Write’ syllabus, but broadly applicable). Will is comfortable tailoring his presentation to suit the needs of the audience.

In his workshops, Will focuses on writing engaging short stories and crafting character voice with collaborative exercises that make writing and editing less intimidating.

In his talks to primary students, Will tries to tackle the impossible: “Where do ideas come from?” He walks kids through his process to battle a blank page, and then explains the behind-the-scenes process of getting a book made, using his chapter book Stuff Happens: Sean as the basis.

For all booking enquiries, please email Will or use the contact form below.

Testimonials

Everyone enjoyed Will Kostakis’ presentation at our Blokes’ Book Breakfast this morning. We had a lot of positive feedback from the fathers before they left, and from the boys and staff throughout the day. Will was so animated and engaging and had everyone laughing at his anecdotes. His story about starting out as a writer will be long remembered I am sure, as will his tips to those who aspire to write.
C. Casey, Camberwell Grammar School, Victoria, August 2018

For the fourth year in a row, Will returned to charm and inspire our students. They were hanging off every word and incredibly engaged. We always find a spike in borrowing rates from the library and his message about the importance of reading absolutely enforces the reading culture that we are nurturing at Copperfield College. He is the utmost professional and always takes the time to chat to students after his talks and to take photos with fans. An absolute pleasure to work with!
L. Bell, Copperfield College, Victoria, June 2018

We loved having Will visit us last week. We only attracted a small group of 10 (the weather that evening was terrible), but it was fantastic! It was a mix of teens, parents and librarians who were all there specifically to meet him and hear him speak. Will arranged everyone in a circle and engaged with each person directly during his funny, inspiring and interesting talk. Will is a natural storyteller – everything from stories of his little Greek grandmother to classroom antics from his school days – and all related to his development as an aspiring and developing author. He encouraged everyone to consider the question ‘What if…?’ when creating stories, and to live life doing what you love. He showed everyone what a book looks like during the editing process (various files with notes, changes and suggestions from his editor and himself), and also how the appearance of a book can change from the first PDF version to the final published version (for example fonts, layout). He was very generous with his time – chatting, answering questions, signing books and posing for photos. He’s so easy going and relaxed and that gave the participants the confidence to contribute to the session. I can’t speak highly enough of him as a guest speaker.
S. Gasperino, Public Library Service, Victoria, August 2017

They (students) absolutely loved it – they found Will to be really engaging and amusing! They enjoyed his personal anecdotes and his advice about getting into writing. A fantastic speaker who did a brilliant job!
E. Bruty, St. Columba’s College, August 2017