May 21, 2022. In celebration of the publication of BLIPS ON A SCREEN, Kate will join 10 other authors for a fun, in-person open house on 57th Street in Hyde Park. With wine pairings hand-selected by 57th Street Wines and books for sale through 57th Street Books, Kate and the other authors will be signing and talking about new titles. Featuring Amy Timberlake, Cozbi Cabrera, Gloria Chao, Natalie Lund, Rosmaria Munda, Tracy Clark, Lori Rader-Day, Mia Manansala, Susanna Calkins, and the legendary Sara Paretsky. More information through 57th Street Books 

May 19, 2022. In celebration of BLIPS ON A SCREEN, Kate will visit virtually with students in Manchester, New Hampshire, home of the late Ralph Baer, inventor of video gaming. Weekend activities there center around Ralph and his role as the "father of video gaming." 

May 9, 2022. At Palestine Grade School in Palestine, Illinois. Kate will visit virtually with students in kindergarten all the way to eighth grade, talking about reading, researching, and writing. 

May 3, 2022. At Edison Elementary School in Elmhurst, Illinois. Presentations and book discussions as well as signings for the brilliant readers in kindergarten through fifth-grade.

April 29-30, 2022. Kate will be signing BOOTS as well as CAPE and MASK in Sweetwater, Texas, home of the WASPs of World War II as the WASP Museum celebrates the 80th anniversary of the organization's founding. Visit the WASPmuseum.org for more information.

April 18-20, 2022. Kate will present to kindergarten through fifth-grade students at three fabulous Tulsa, Oklahoma schools: Riverfield Country Day, her alma mater Grissom Elementary, and the School of St. Mary's.

March 28, 2022. Kate will present to Wescott Elementary students about the Great Chicago Fire and her graphic novel. She'll explore how to research, write, and reflect on the fire; how the fire might have started; who got blamed for it and why; as well as the mechanics of graphic novels. And she'll focus on all the good that came out of such an enormous disaster.

Who knows what's in store for 2021. If in-person events are happening again in Fall, I would love to participate in school visits and book festivals. I'll post events here. Thanks for stopping by!

November 13-15, 2020 online. Kate joins as faculty with other authors, editors, agents, and illustrators in this virtual conference that replaces previous years' in-person Prairie Writers & Illustrators' Day. Kate will discuss graphic novels and the basics of script writing. SCBWI.org

October 19-23, 2020 online. Hosted by Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Texas, the Tweens Read festival goes online.  

October 19-21, 2020 online. Kate talks about writing and reading with Lake Forest students.

7 p.m. October 7, 2020 online. Kate presents "History's Beating Heart: Tools for Making Historical Figures Come to Life" in discussions with Illinois teachers.

3 p.m. August 5, 2020 online. Kate joins with illustrator Alex Graudins to talk with educators about the research and writing of their new graphic novel The Great Chicago Fire. Hosted by the Book Stall in Winnetka.

June 25-30, 2020. Kate  celebrates the children's book community with the American Library Association's  conference and exhibition at McCormick Place in Chicago.

June 15, 2020, in Grayslake, IL. Kate joins Illinois teachers and the incredible folks at NIU STEM Read — led by the brilliant Gillian King-Cargile — to help explore the science, technology, engineering, and math concepts behind popular fiction books. Using "The Detective's Assistant" merged with standards-aligned activities and live games, the program works to provide students hands-on experiences with STEM that promotes collaboration and fosters creative problem-solving skills.

May 14, 2020. Kate speaks to the Oak Park/Near West Network of SCBWI about graphic novel writing and juggling the writing life. At 7 p.m.

May 5, 2020. Kate visits students at Elmhurst's Edison Elementary to talk about reading, writing, research, and resilience — with The Scroll of Doom onboard!

April 25, 2020, Bolingbrook Library. Kate talks about research and writing, with a focus on graphic novels and breaking into a new writing realm. 10 a.m. -noon.

March 27, 2020, Houston. What’s New in Middle Grade Series panel discussion at the Texas Library Association conference of public and school librarians. From 10:30-11:30 a.m.

February 22, 2020, Woodridge, IL. Anderson's Bookshops' annual morning celebration of children's literature, from 8 a.m.-noon. Learn more at Anderson's.

February 13, 2020, Winnetka, IL. Kate speaks to the Off Campus Writers' Workshop from 9:30 a.m.-noon about Tapping Your Inner Ten-Year-Old: Writing Fiction and Nonfiction for Young Readers. Learn more at OCWW.

January 17, 2020, Tulsa, OK. Kate presents to fourth-grade students at Holland Hall in Tulsa — where she grew up! — about reading, research, writing, and resilience.

January 11, 2020, Highland Park, IL. Join Kate and other Chicago-area authors for the iRead Kickoff & Kid Lit Fest at the Highland Park Public Library from 11;30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

November 21-22, Baltimore Convention Center. Using Historical Fiction in the Classroom for Deeper Inquiry Into Who We Were, Are, and Will Be. With Lesa Cline-Ransom, Veera Hiranandani, Tracy Holczer, and Anne Nesbet; moderated by Jason Lewis.

November 20, school visit to Vienna, Virginia

November 19, school visit to Bethesda, Maryland.

November 9, six Chicago middle-grade authors talk writing, reading, marketing, and more through SCBWI-Illinois' Hyde Park/South Side Chicago Network, 6-7:30 p.m. at 57th Street Books. Kate joins with Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Carolyn Crimi, Keir Graff, Shirin Shamsi , and Liesl Shurtliff. 

October 23, Kate participates with NIU STEM Reads to explore history, computational thinking, engineering, espionage, and more as students work with the Pinkerton detectives in Kate's "The Detective's Assistant" to thwart an assassination attempt against Abe Lincoln!

October 10th, Kate participates in the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Public Library Foundation's Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner, where science fiction writer George R. R. Martin, best known for "Game of Thrones," will receive the 2019 Carl Sandburg Literary Award. 

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October 4th, Kate goes to Booked in Evanston to talk superheroes and work with the members of the afterschool book club. We'll make a superhero banner to hang in the store.

October 2nd, Kate goes to classrooms in the Chicago suburbs with Anderson's Bookshop.

September 27-29 in Harbor Springs, Michigan. Kate visits Harbor Springs Middle School to speak with fifth-graders on Friday, participates in the "Riddle Me This" session on codes, riddles, and ciphers in middle-grade books at 1:15 p.m. Saturday, and in the panel discussion "Score One for STEM" at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

September 25, 4:30-5:30 p.m., at the Book Stall in Winnetka. Kate leads a session on writing, for kids and superheroes and kids who are superheroes

September 23, 24, 25, Kate visits Hoffman, Central, Joseph Sears, North Shore Country Day, Sunset Ridge, and Glen Grove school classrooms in Chicago's northern suburbs through the Book Stall. 

September 19, 4-5:30 p.m,., come celebrate Cape's launch with a party at 57th Street Books in Hyde Park! Prizes, capes, whoopee pies, draw your own graphic novels!

September 19,  Kate works with students at the Ancona School in Chicago, talking about reading, writing, and historical research. Plus the Scroll of Doom!

September 19, Kate visits Ray Elementary in Chicago to present to students about books, research, and connecting with the past through family, friends, and neighbors.

September 17-18, Kate visits with Milwaukee students through the great Boswell Book Company to talk about books, research, and connecting with the past through family, friends, and neighbors.

September 15, celebrate children's literature at the Children's Book Fair! An afternoon devoted to kids literature, with life-size characters walking around, nonstop book signings, dance, music, food, and fun. Kate will sign copies of Cape!

September 12, Kate visits one of Chicago's finest bookstores, The Book Cellar!

August 29 and 30, Kate visits St. Louis schools through The Novel Neighbor and Left-Bank Books!

August 10 we celebrate CAPE's launch into the world! With great fun at Michigan's finest bookstore, McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey! Come for fun activities, snacks, capes, and more!

August 6 Cape publishes with Simon & Schuster/Aladdin! Woot!