Available for virtual visits in: Ontario and New Brunswick
Craft: Author
Genre: Picture Books, Poetry
Target Audience: Kindergarten – Grade 8
Cost for School and Public Presentation with CCBC subsidy: $200.00, plus applicable taxes
Presentation/Workshop Information:
PRESENTATION #1: Africville (Grades 3 – 8)
With a passion for creating “artworks that are accessible, but also challenging, rigorous, and informed by deep research” (Royal Society of Canada), Nova Scotian writer Shauntay Grant introduces young readers to the history and legacy of Africville with her award-winning picture book. Winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards, Africville (Groundwood Books) champions an important part of Canadian history and reminds us that picture books can facilitate conversation around difficult histories, challenging children to think critically about the world around them.
PRESENTATION #2: My Fade Is Fresh (Kindergarten – Grade 2)
With starred reviews from School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly and others, My Fade Is Fresh (Penguin Random House) is a “humorous romp and a glorious celebration of Black hair” (Kirkus Reviews). Grant’s rhythmic author reading is supported by personal anecdotes about the making of her newest book, and the inspiration behind the story. More than a celebration of Black hairstyles, My Fade Is Fresh “is a reflection of all of us who say YES to ourselves even when people try to steer us different.” (Booklist)
Book List
My Fade Is Fresh, with illustrator Kitt Thomas. New York: Penguin Books, 2022.
Africville, with illustrator Eva Campbell. Toronto: Groundwood, 2018. Africville, with illustrator Eva Campbell and translator Josephine Watson. Moncton: Bouton d’Or Acadie, 2020. (French translation)
Africville, with illustrator Eva Campbell. Scholastic Canada Reading Club Edition. 2020.
My Hair is Beautiful. Halifax: Nimbus, 2019. – Africville, with illustrator Eva Campbell. Toronto: Groundwood, 2018.
The Walking Bathroom, with illustrator Erin Bennett Banks. Halifax: Nimbus, 2017.
Apples and Butterflies, with illustrator Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo. Halifax: Nimbus, 2012.
The City Speaks In Drums, with illustrator Susan Tooke. Halifax: Nimbus, 2010.
Up Home, with illustrator Susan Tooke. Halifax: Nimbus, 2008.
UPCOMING BOOKS:
Sandy Toes: A Summer Adventure, with illustrator Candace Bradley. New York: Abrams Appleseed, 2023.
Snowy Mittens: A Winter Adventure, with illustrator Candace Bradley. New York: Abrams Appleseed, 2023.
One Day We Will, with illustrator Gordon James. New York: HarperCollins, 2024.
When I Wrap My Hair, with illustrator Jenin Mohammed. New York: HarperCollins, 2025.
Biography
Shauntay Grant is a poet, playwright, multimedia artist, and the author of several books for children including My Fade Is Fresh (Penguin, 2022) which has garnered starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist. An associate professor of creative writing at Dalhousie University and former poet laureate for the City of Halifax, Shauntay “creates artworks that are engaging and accessible, but also challenging, rigorous, and informed by deep research (The Royal Society of Canada).” She is the author of Africville (Groundwood Books) which was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award and won the 2019 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, and Up Home which won an Atlantic Book Award for Best Atlantic Published Book. Her other honours include a Joseph S. Stauffer Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, and a Poet of Honour Prize from the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.
