Bring Darren Sardelli to Your School!

 

Award winning poet and children’s book author, Darren Sardelli, makes poetry fun and exciting for everyone. Darren has visited hundreds of schools and libraries, showing students that poetry can be adventurous, entertaining, and inspirational. During a visit, Darren performs his humorous poetry, shows students how to spice up their writing with humor, creativity and imagination, talks about the wonderful things that can be done with ideas, inspires students to think outside the box, and helps them realize that anything is possible. By the end of the day, students discover that reading and writing can be just as fun as playing a sport, riding a bike, or beating their favorite video game. Darren’s school and library visits not only bring out the poet in everyone, but also bring out the best in them as well.

 

Home: Long Beach, NY

Travels to: Darren travels anywhere he is invited!

Darren’s poems appear in: Rolling in the Aisles; Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Tot; Peter, Peter, Pizza Eater; My Teacher's In Detention; Dinner with Dracula; and I Hope I Don't Strike Out! (forthcoming from Meadowbrook Press).

Rates

Half-Day Visit: $600 plus travel and other expenses
One-Day Visit: $1,050 plus travel and other expenses
Evening Event (available only when you book a school visit): $300

Click here to get started on planning your visit!

Biography

Darren Sardelli (a.k.a. "The Funniest Poet in School") is an award-winning poet and children's book author. Darren's poems are featured in Rolling in the Aisles, Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Tot, Peter, Peter, Pizza Eater, My Teacher's In Detention, Dinner with Dracula, and I Hope I Don't Strike Out! (forthcoming from Meadowbrook Press). A handful of Darren's poems have also been published in several children's books in the UK. Aside from writing, Darren enjoys jet skiing, bungee jumping, and building snowmen. His favorite foods are pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, spaghetti with meatballs, roast beef and turkey sandwiches, Oreo cookies, and oranges. He loves ice hockey. In fact, Darren has played hockey in Germany, France, England, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and Canada!

Event Description

A typical school visit includes two 50 minute assemblies in the morning, poetry workshops in the afternoon, and a book signing. (K-8)

Assemblies

Darren entertains students with his funny poems, talks about the importance of writing down ideas, and teaches students to think outside the box.  He tells the story of how he broke into the children’s book industry by taking a chance and following his dreams.  Darren helps students realize that they are capable of doing anything and encourages them to work hard for the things they want in life.  By the end of an assembly, students see that poetry can be entertaining, funny, and cool.  Darren’s assemblies are highly interactive, awesomely funny, and inspiring!

Workshops

Darren teaches students how to spice up their writing with humor, creativity, and imagination.  He talks about the writing process and shows students how to have fun when they write.  After a short brain storming session, Darren encourages students to expand on their ideas as he writes a funny poem with the class.  His workshops show students that writing ca be a fun, exciting, and enjoyable experience!

 

Sample Poem

Don't Forget to Share

The parakeets are laughing.
The fish are doing flips.
The cats and dogs are dancing
with ice cream on their lips.

The birds and mice are singing.
The snakes are having fun.
A turtle is enjoying
a hotdog on a bun.

The crabs are all delighted.
The toads are jumping high.
A monkey just devoured
a piece of pumpkin pie.

The pigs are eating apples.
The frogs are drinking punch.
It's nice to see them sharing
the pet shop owner's lunch.

© 2004 by Darren Sardelli. Reprinted from, Rolling in the Aisles (Meadowbrook Press).

Click here to get started on planning your visit!

 

Testimonials

"I have to tell you, I have been booking author visits for Longwood for many, many years and I have to say I have never seen such positive feedback (from teachers, students, and parents) as Darren is getting at the Middle School. His assemblies and poetry workshops are amazing! Everyone is already looking forward to his return next year."
—Elaine Short, Longwood Middle School, Longwood, NY

"Thanks for making this world a better place by letting us ease up and learn to laugh."
—Dana Parrott, Elementary School Teacher, Amarillo, TX

"My 6th grade students were very responsive to Darren, especially the boys who think writing is dumb. All they wanted to do was write humorous poetry as soon as they got back to the classroom. I've never seen anything like it."
—Kim Harrington, 6th Grade Teacher, Blairstown Elementary, Blairstown, NJ

"Darren had my students laughing the whole time he was here. They absolutely loved him! I was very impressed with his poems and I liked the fact that he got the whole class involved. Five of my students bought notebooks to write in after his visit (I did not ask them to do this!). My students can't wait until Darren comes back to our school. They were excited about reading and writing when he was here. I hope he gets a chance to visit more schools so he can share his gift with educators and students. He is a true inspiration."
—Barbara Haining, Mills Pond Elementary, St. James, NY

"During P.A.R.P. month at Bretton Woods Elementary School, Mr. Sardelli read a selection of his poems to grades 2, 3, 4, and 5. He was very well received by both students and teachers. His poems are funny, witty, educational, inspirational, and fun. We all had a wonderful time when Mr. Sardelli was here. Students and teachers are looking forward to his return."
—Joanne Lonetto, assistant principal, Bretton Woods Elementary, Hauppauge, NY

"The children in grades one through four of St. Edward the Confessor School in Syosset, New York, were privileged to hear Mr. Sardelli read a selection of his poems to them. The children absolutely loved these humorous, rhyming poems which touched on a variety of subject matter. The teachers were also very impressed and asked Mr. Sardelli to return when time permitted to read more of his poetry to the children. As an educator for over twenty-five years, it is my opinion that his poems will be well received with enthusiasm by other educators for their respective facilities."
—Anne M. Schaefer, principal, St. Edward the Confessor School, Syosset, NY

"It was a pleasure having Darren come to our school. He is a true inspiration to students and teachers. His poems were fantastic! It's amazing how he combines humor and learning. We are all looking forward to purchasing his first book."
—Lisa Butera, Washington Drive Primary School, Centerport, NY

"The students of School #8 had a blast when Darren was here. He had their attention the whole time and included each and every one of them in his presentation. The humor of his poems is incredible, the rhyming patterns are wonderful, and the creativity is exceptional. Shel Silverstein may be gone, but his legacy continues."
—Leslie Krasnoff, Sixth Grade Teacher, Fulton Avenue Elementary School #8, Oceanside, NY

"Darren's presentation was amazing! His poems will be part of the poetry section in my language arts curriculum. I most definitely will recommend Darren's poems to everyone who teaches. They are funny, interesting, and easy to relate to."
—Diane Galazka, O'Neill Elementary, Central Islip, NY

"Darren was very entertaining at our assembly. The students couldn't wait to hear what he was going to say next. Anytime you can hold a child's interest while they are learning is PRICELESS! Darren has helped me want to teach more poetry in my class. We look forward to his return."
—Barbara Kirby, Ronkonkoma, NY

"Darren's poetry assemblies and workshops were outstanding! We loved all of his poems. Students and teachers were able to identify with his subject matter and humor. His poems held the students attention and inspired them to write their own poems. It was a pleasure having Darren at our school."
—Christine Murray, Oakdale, NY

"Darren's poems are very clever. They are filled with humor and spirit. His poems reflect young people's perspectives on daily life. I would definitely recommend Darren (and have already) to teachers in other schools. The students had a blast when he was here."
—Armando Pulido, Third Grade Teacher, New Lane Memorial Elementary, Selden, NY

"I loved all of Darren's poems. I'd put Darren in the same category as Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. The staff and students loved the variety of what Darren presented today. We thought the combination of his riddles, funny poems, and nonfiction poems (like MLK) were great. I thought it was great for the students to see a cool, young guy writing poetry. I think Darren is someone the children can look up to!"
—Venera Hirsch, Oxhead Road Elementary, Centereach, NY

"Darren's poems are fun and energetic. The students enjoyed his energy and sense of humor. It was great for the students to see someone young writing, publishing, and enjoying poetry. He has already inspired a few of my students to become authors."
—Carrie O'Brien, Teacher, Suffolk County, NY

"When Mr. Sardelli was at our school, he did an assembly for the 1st and 2nd grade, the 3rd and 4th grade, and the 5th and 6th grade. His poems were a joy for students and teachers to listen to. I was impressed with the positive messages in Mr. Sardelli's poems. Mr. Sardelli is an excellent role model for people of all ages. Our teachers and students were very excited to have him at our school."
—Jeffrey Schlissel, Principal, Oaks School #3, Oceanside, NY

"Darren Sardelli is upbeat and enthusiastic about reading and writing. His creative and funny poems grabbed the children's attention and inspired them to use their imagination. Both adults and children can relate to his poems. We plan to use his poems in our curriculum"
—Teachers in Centereach, NY

"Darren Sardelli's poems had all of the teachers and students laughing and rolling in the aisles. His simplistic style and sharp wit made it easy for our students to relate to him and his work. The students who attended his writing workshops were amazed at how easily they could create funny poems in just a short period of time. When the day was done, Darren Sardelli had convinced even the reluctant poets that writing poetry could be fun and cool!"
—Wendy Seeley, Assistant Principal, Meeting House Hill School, New Fairfield, CT

If you are interested in booking an event with Darren Sardelli, please fill out the Speaker Visit Query form or contact our Author Appearance Manager at 800-338-2232, ext. 105, or admin@authorsinschools.com. We look forward to working with you.