MARINA BUDHOS is an author and master teacher who will make your classrooms, assemblies, professional training, and conferences come alive.
As an educator with over thirty years experience and an author of numerous award-winning books, Budhos creates a unique blend of social studies, history, diverse literature, writing–and passion!
To arrange a Speaking Engagement, contact Christie Hinrichs at christie@authorsunbound.com or (541) 797-2217. View her profile here.
Sample Talks and Workshops
Curriculum Connections
A former Fulbright Fellow to India, winner of an Asian American Pacific Honor in Literature, Budhos designed & taught Asian American Studies at William Paterson University, participated in the Asia Society’s 3-year Teach Asia program, and has collaborated with the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her books are often used as exemplary texts in the teaching of civil rights, Black History, and World History.
Teacher Guides for her books here.
AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) Heritage
- Post 9/11 & Its Impact on Asian Americans (middle school-high school)
- Forever Foreigners: Asian Americans in the U.S. (high school)
- Learning about AAPI History Through Poetry & Song (4th grade-12th)
Black History Month/Civil Rights
- School Integration: Then & Now (middle grade)
- How Sugar Changed the World: Global History of Slavery (middle grade-high school/AP World History)
European/World History/Media Studies
- The Spanish Civil War: Resistance, Art & Fascism: Robert Capa & Gerda Taro (high school)
Professional Development & General Talks
- What Is vs. What If: Connecting Social Studies & Literature
- Radical Empathy: The Power of Diverse Literature in the Classroom
- Immigration, Surveillance, Integration, Class: Taking on Big Issues for Young Reader
- Sharing Across Generations: Adult & Young Adult Book Conversations
- Gateway to Literature: The Power of Readers Theater in the Classroom
Writing Workshops
Upper Elementary/Middle Grade/High School
- Write Back! Poetry & Prose Workshop: A hands-on workshop that guides students to be inspired by published literature to create their own fresh, contemporary versions.
- Imagine Into History: In this workshop, students become history sleuths, piecing together vivid scenes and stories from the past and gaining a deeper understanding of social studies and history content.
- Jump Right In: A brainstorming writing workshop to jump start your writing of stories and essays.
- Act It Out: A fiction writing workshop that utilizes drama techniques to help students create dramatic scenes for their stories.
- What Color is Your Bathroom Sink? It may seem trivial, but imagining small details for a character is a way to build them on the page and make them vivid and 3-dimensional. A fun workshop with activities, character surveys, and prompts.
- Making It Personal: How to draw on sense memory to create a larger personal essay. Techniques for expanding on memory and drawing out larger themes.
- The Nonfiction Treasure Box: Curiosity, Research, Imagination, and Structure. A presentation on how one pursues an idea and researches and writes nonfiction. Exercises for students as they pursue their own research and writing projects.
- Get Lit: From Literature to Policy to Activism: A presentation on how literature can lead to greater knowledge and social action. Get ready to reflect and get inspired! Readings, workshops with break-out groups.
Adult
- From Real To Imagined: Writing Characters That Surprise Us
- Third Person Unlimited
- Scene Study: Tapping the Energy
- Peril & Turning Points: How To Create Tension in Your Stories
- Stay the Course: A Novel-Writing Workshop
- Breaking out of Boxes: Writing Multicultural, Multiracial Characters
- Research and Story-Making in Fiction & Nonfiction
- Speak up, Speak Out: Writing from a Place of Passion
- I’m Not So Young So How Do I Write Young?
Some organizations Marina has worked with as a speaker:
Asian American Writers Workshop
Buffalo Human Rights Institute
Talks
Greater NY Librarian’s Conference
School & Library Visits
Visit to Silver Creek School, near Buffalo:
Credit to Sue Bartle
Town Hall Event at the University of Maryland-College Park, sponsored by the Asian American Student Union & Asian American Studies:
Visit with Bronx International High School:
Singapore Writer’s Festival:
Speakeasy at Edward R. Murrow High School:
Writing Workshops
Writing Workshop at 826 Valencia, San Francisco, CA:
“Thank you so much for working with our seventh graders yesterday. Your passion for writing and enthusiasm for their ideas really engaged the students and inspired them to write. “ — Jillian Wasick, Program Manager
Behind the Book, “Ask Me No Questions” & Writing Workshop:
“Marina is a wonderful presence in the classroom; clear in her presentation and honest in her responses to student’s questions. Her books give students, whether reluctant readers or not, the opportunity to form well rounded opinions and defend them amongst their peers with an author who knows how to keep them thinking and talking.” — Jo Umans, Executive Director
“Marina and Marc’s video chat with the young authors at the Iowa Historical Museum’s summer Young Writer’s Workshop was a highlight of the students’ week. Above all else the young writers got a glimpse inside Marina and Marc’s minds and process first hand and could ask them questions and imagine becoming like them in the future.” — Stephanie Hemphill, Iowa Historical Society
