mail	3680 Elliston Avenue Victoria, BC V8X1R8
ph	250-386-1593
cell	250-857-5820
e	info@lauralangston.com
web	www.lauralangston.com

Biography

A former journalist with the CBC, Laura Langston is the award-winning author of fifteen internationally acclaimed books for children, young adults and teens, including Hannah’s Touch, Exit Point, Lesia’s Dream, and Mile-High Apple Pie which has been translated into seven languages.

Laura grew up in North Vancouver, spent five eye-opening and often frigid years living in Winnipeg and is happy (and much warmer) now that she’s back in her hometown of Victoria, B.C.

If she isn’t writing, reading, or doing author talks, Laura is probably in the garden, spying on people at the grocery store, or planning her next meal. Her first word was cookie, her second was book and her priorities haven’t changed since. Laura hates lima beans and liver, adores popcorn with too much butter, and thinks travel provides the best education in the world.

Book types: picture books, juvenile fiction, juvenile nonfiction, YA fiction, educational books, others

Guest speaker/presentation information

Laura has been talking to students and teachers in schools and libraries for 18 years and has presented from grades one to twelve. Her visits are highly interactive and age-appropriate.

She talks about where her ideas come from, how she writes the important first draft and why revising is so important. For the picture book crowd (and sometimes for the older students if there’s interest), she brings color separations to show how a picture book goes together. For older audiences, she goes into more detail about re-writing, submitting and the publishing process. Senior students are sometimes interested in Laura’s years as a journalist and how they impacted her work writing fiction. Laura brings drafts of her books – both picture books and novels. She always allows time for a short reading as well as a question and answer session. Her goal during any presentation is to demystify the creative process and assure students who are interested in pursuing a writing career, that it's possible for them too.

Laura has also spoken at numerous writing festivals and conferences including Eden Mills, the Cowichan Valley Young Author’s Conference and BCTLA conferences.

Presentation geographic range: Vancouver, Coast, Lower Mainland, Gulf and Vancouver Islands, Thompson Okanagan, Northern British Columbia, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Kootenay Rockies, The Territories, Canada - beyond BC, USA

Presentation audience age groups: primary school, grades K-3, grades 4-6, grades 7-8, high school

Published work

Hannah’s Touch
The Trouble with Cupid
Perfect Blue
Finding Cassidy
Exit Point
Mile-High Apple Pie
Lesia’s Dream
A Taste of Perfection
The Fox’s Kettle
The Magic Ear
No Such Thing as Far Away
Pay Dirt! The Search for Gold in British Columbia
Chan Hon Goh, Prima Ballerina
Rosemary Brown, Political Pioneer
Our Mysterious Universe
Your Guide to Herb Gardening

Awards & recognition

Lesia’s Dream: Winner Kobzar Literary Award

Finding Cassidy: Junior Advisor’s Pick, Chapters/Indigo

Exit Point: The Year’s Best, Resource Links; PSLA Top Forty

Mile-High Apple Pie: a CBC-NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book; Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2004, Bank Street College of Education; Nominated for the Cilip Kate Greenaway Medal

A Taste of Perfection, recommended New York City Public Library Books for Teens List

Many books short-listed for readers’ choice awards
Many ‘our choice’ and ‘outstanding’ designations from CCBC