Erin Silver
BIO
Biography

I’m an award-winning children’s author and freelance writer/editor with more than 20 years of experience. My books for children include Rush Hour: Navigating Our Global Traffic Jam (Blueberry Award winner), Sitting Shiva (Ontario Library Association Best Pick, Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor, Vine Award finalist, TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award finalist), Good Food, Bad Waste: Let’s Eat for the Planet (nominated for a Red Cedar Award, 2024 Green Earth Book Award, 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books finalist, and the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Book Awards), Mighty Scared: The Amazing Ways Animals Defend Themselves, In It To Win It: Sports and the Climate Crisis (American Library Association Sustainability Roundtable a best sustainability book pick for 2024 and winner of the Green Earth Book Award for Children's Non-Fiction 2025), All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet (Green Earth Book Award Honor Book 2025), I Am Jewish and Plant Attack!: The Fascinating Ways Flora Defends Itself. Several additional nonfiction titles are forthcoming. I frequently speak at schools, libraries and conferences. My journalism work has appeared in a range of major magazines and newspapers including Owl magazine, Good Housekeeping, The Globe and Mail and The Washington Post. Corporate clients include The Royal Gazette (Bermuda), Costco Connections magazine and TanenbaumCHAT’s Chatter magazine. I have an MFA in creative nonfiction and a postgraduate journalism degree. For more information, please visit me at ErinSilver.ca.


 

ADDRESS
City: Toronto, Province/Territory: Ontario
EMAIL
GENRE
middle grade fiction, middle grade nonfiction, picture books
LANGUAGES
English
PUBLICATIONS
Publications
LINKS
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
Presentation details
Audience Size
Audience size
any
Presentation Length
45 minutes
Presentation Description
Presentation description

In this presentation, perfect for families and children in grades 1 to five, we'll talk about how kids around the world helped others during the pandemic. At a time when even adults were scared, kids took action. This interactive virtual presentation focuses on my picture book, What Kids Did, and talks to kids about how they can make a difference, even if they're small. The presentation includes a discussion, a reading and a Q and A. It also includes a slide show with photos that describes how I wrote the book and found the kids in it. There are also free downloadable activities on my website for children. I've delivered this presentation to audiences of 20 to 500 and have had wonderful feedback.

Presentation Fee(s)
300
Workshop details
Audience Size
any
Intended Audience
grade 5-7
Workshop Length
45 min-1 hour
Workshop Description
Workshop description

This presentation focuses on my book Proud to Play. I've presented this workshop to a range of audiences, including classrooms and adults. It focuses on the concept of homophobia in professional sports;. We look at how the experience of athletes varied over time and from sport to sport. We also look at where we are today and what else we can all do going forward to make sports a more welcoming place for everyone. After all, if you can play, you can play. A slide show featuring athletes individual stories, followed by a Q and A and a reading is one option. I also offer this as a panel presentation that includes athletes from the book who can share their personal experiences to help audiences understand what it's like to be discriminated against in sport.

Workshop Fee(s)
300
School presentation details
Audience Size
any
Intended Audience
grades 5-7
Presentation Length
45 min-1 hour
Presentation Description
Presentation description

This interactive workshop about writing nonfiction is perfect for students in grades 5 to 7 who are learning how to write, organize and present nonfiction work. I've developed a slideshow presentation to discuss the differences between fiction and nonfiction, elements of nonfiction, the process of writing and organizing a work of nonfiction, and how to make nonfiction writing sound more like fiction. 

Presentation Fee(s)
300
Programs & Interests
Interested in participating Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program:
All members are eligible for the Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program. Are you interested in participating in this pro
Yes
Interested in participating in the Northern Ontario WITS program:
The Union’s Northern Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program funds in-person visits to northern Ontario schools when possible. Ar
Yes