Get Inked! A Hands-On, Time Traveling, Fountain Pen, Whoa What is This,  Author Visit.

Grades 3+ | Hands-on classroom/library workshop

Inspired by DJ Corchin’s upcoming book WRITE, this incredibly fun, new interactive author visit introduces students to the world of fountain pens, handwriting, generational stories, and the objects that connect us to the people in our lives past and future. It’s hands-on, surprising, personal, and a lot of fun. The kind of core memory author visit that students will still be talking about long after it’s over.

Every student leaves with their own fountain pen and notebook so they can begin to time-travel themselves, just like the story.

In WRITE, twelve-year-old Alfie receives a writing box that has been passed down through his family. Inside is a fountain pen and a notebook that past family members have written in when they turned twelve.  The story asks a simple question: What can we leave behind for the people who come after us? This author visit gives students a chance to explore that idea for themselves.

Get introduced to a pre-release book! 

This is super exciting. With the book being released in late 2027, participating teachers will get an advanced pdf of the story to read to their classes ahead of the visit. The book is a new hybrid format called a NovaPic book that combines the depth of a short story with the visual storytelling of a picture book. This gives kids a secret read of the book, a sneak peak at its illustrations before it’s out and allows time for all the interactivity of this program. 

Get Inked!

Students will:

• Learn how a fountain pen actually works.
• See how ink travels through a pen and onto the page.
• Fill demonstrator fountain pens with ink themselves.
• Try writing with a fountain pen, often for the very first time.
• Explore different pens, nibs and inks and learn why these tools are finding a new generation of fans.

There’s something different about slowing down, filling a pen and making a mark on a real piece of paper. Students get to experience that difference instead of simply hearing about it.

Connect the Dots to Core Memories. 

DJ introduces the idea of memory objects: things that might look ordinary to someone else but mean everything to us because of the person, place or story connected to them.

Students begin thinking about questions like:

• What do you own that carries a memory?
• What stories from your family do you want to know?
• What could you write today that someone might be grateful to find years from now?

The conversation helps students see writing as more than an assignment. A handwritten page can hold a joke, an idea, a memory, a piece of advice or the voice of someone who may not always be there to tell the story themselves.

Leave with awesome stuff and wanting to connect even more. 

Every student takes home a fountain pen and notebook to continue the experience.

They can start their own generational notebook or take it in any direction they want.  They can ask parents, grandparents, siblings or other important people in their lives to add something too. Over time, that simple notebook can become something much bigger than a school project.

At a time when so much of kids’ lives happens on a screen, WRITE gives them a reason to slow down, become curious about how something works, put real ink on paper and create something they may actually want to keep.

Best Setting

WRITE. is designed as a hands-on workshop rather than a large auditorium presentation. It works best with classroom- or library-sized groups seated at tables so every student has a chance to participate in the fountain pen activities.

For grades 3 and up.

An SEL-focused presentation that focuses on 3 main topics: the importance of expressing your feelings (and finding different ways to do it), learning to communicate in different ways, and imagination growth. The presentation includes (typically) 2 drawing activities that provide kids with a way to express their feelings when they don’t want to talk about it. DJ will include a brief discussion about his author journey and Q&A, as time allows.

Grades: K-2

This presentation focuses on Growth Mindset and SEL concepts on working with others, communication, and idea growth. The presentation includes (typically) 2 drawing activities that help kids to understand the importance of learning to work with others, accept and work with feedback, and spark the imagination. DJ will dive into his author journey, which includes rejection and partnership examples, and include Q&A, as time allows.

Grades: 3-5

An engaging reading of a few books. One about imagination (Half-Cat), one about being a good friend (You Got a Boogie), and one about feelings (I Feel…). DJ will include a brief discussion in-between and include Q&A if time allows. (Books subject to change if needed.)

Grades: PK-K

DJ will guide students through thought exercises, conversation, and examples that showcases what it’s like to be a professional author/illustrator. Topics include: feedback, working with others, being more than just one thing (more than your job), the publishing/author process, idea growing, and dealing with rejection and criticism. DJ will end the presentation with a time of Q&A.