Speaking

Big smile, bright ideas, and a generous dollop of fun. Let Claire bring something special to your event.

A colorful illustration of a circus ringmaster dressed in a pink uniform with gold details, wearing a tall pink hat with black trim, holding a baton, and performing with a large ring and sparklers inside. The ringmaster appears joyful, with one leg stretched forward and the other bent, mid-step, surrounded by a white background.

Booking Claire

From school events and workshops, to in-person panels and podcasts, Claire is a confident speaker who is bursting with joy and integrity.

Take a look below to find out more about the types of speaking Claire can be booked for and don’t hesitate to get in touch if there’s something else you have in mind!

Type of events

If you’re interested in a school or a library visit, in the UK or abroad, please contact Authors Aloud, they will look after you and make all the arrangements!

  • Let Claire bring her 50-minute Marty Moose event to your school or library. Covering creating characters and writing stories, these sessions are amazing for Key Stage 1 – but can be fully adapted to cover the joy of creative writing for Key Stage 2, too! Featuring games, live drawings, readings, draw-alongs and writing exercises, there’s truly no better way to get children excited for storytelling and illustration. 

    There can be a book signing session at the end, and Marty Moose pre-orders can be arranged with a local bookshop.

    Claire has partnered with event organisers Authors Aloud to make booking your school or library event as easy as possible. Contact them directly to make enquiries / book Claire.

  • Claire has also been a sessional lecturer at Ravensbourne University, and she loved working with and mentoring students – please do get in touch if you’re an educational institution looking to inspire your students with a talk on the path into illustration, bookmaking, or publishing in general.

  • Claire is a dab-hand at workshop hosting, and while she has many tried-and-tested sessions ready to go, she can also create bespoke workshops that are fully tailored to your needs. For Oldham Storyfest, for example, Claire created three bespoke character workshops, each tailored to a different year group.

    If you have an idea in mind, Claire would love to see if she has capacity to help.

  • Claire is no stranger to a good book festival. From Bath to Bradford, she’s travelled the length and breadth of the country to deliver book chat to a whole host of literature festival audiences. 

    Her illustration and storytelling work lends itself beautifully to a child-focused session, but Claire is also adept at talking to adults about the illustration industry, and career pivots “later” in life – so count her in for a good panel session or Q&A, too!

  • It’s a bit of a myth that illustrators are introverts. Claire is a people person through and through, and is available for all kinds of speaking gigs - online or in person.

    So, whether you’re organising a panel discussion, are keen to find  an author-illustrator for a talk or Q&A session, or just for a good old bookish chat on a podcast, Claire is your gal.

  • If you had something specific in mind that you can’t see listed here – don’t be shy, get in touch! Claire is well-versed in creating bespoke talks and workshops, having worked with Apple on a storytelling workshop for their Kids Hour event on Regent Street, and for The Waitrose Festival, where she drew giraffes step-by-step while providing interesting facts … and face-painted her husband to look like a giraffe and hid him in the audience for a game of hide-and-seek!

    In short, Claire is always up for something fun – so don’t hesitate to have a chat about your idea, whatever it may be!

For everything else, get in touch with Claire! She would love to hear from you.

Speaking Fees

Claire’s fees vary depending on the type of event you are after but here are some example fees. Got more questions? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with either Authors Aloud or Claire – they are happy to help!

  • Example:

    • x1 hour-long session, with the content to be discussed at the point of booking

    Fees start at £200, plus travel expenses

  • Example:

    • x2 45-minute sessions – this can be a mix of workshops, or classroom/assembly events

    • Book signing

    Fees start at £375, plus travel expenses

  • Example:

    • x4 45-minute sessions – this can be a mix of workshops, or classroom/assembly events followed by a book signing

    Fees start at £500, plus travel expenses

  • For online Zoom events, Claire’s rates start at £120.

  • “Our children absolutely loved Claire's visit! She talked us through her personal history as a writer in such an engaging way, and her sketch-along was a huge hit. We have even created a corridor display of pieces produced! Thank you Claire.”

    Sam Thompson
    Head, Bowden Church School

  • “What a fantastic, interactive visit. Pupils loved the journey Claire took them on...even down to the small details in how Marty Moose took shape! It is not very often pupils get to share both an illustrator and an author's perspective in one sitting. Thoroughly recommend!”

    Nicola
    Deputy Head, Statham Primary School

  • “Thank you again for the visit before half term. The afternoon was magic start to finish, the children were totally wrapped in Marty Moose and his world. They were really fascinated by the process of creating a character and how his story was brought to life. The drawings they were helped to create were stunning, the children really surprised themselves and were very proud. An all-round amazing success and we'd be more than happy to see you (and Marty!) back in!”

    Cat Walsh
    Year 3 Rivington Class Teacher, Primrose Hill School

Event highlights

A woman with bunny ears headband smiling next to a colorful, handmade welcome sign for a special guest at a school event. The sign is decorated with red and white stripes and says "Welcome To: Claire Powell, From: West Kirby Primary School."
A woman with shoulder-length red hair in a yellow top and a man with short brown hair in a black shirt sit at a table with two copies of a children's book titled "Wings of Glory" by Dermot O'Leary. They are smiling at the camera inside a bookstore or
A large group of elementary school students sitting on the floor in a classroom, listening to a woman giving a presentation at the front.
A woman sitting on a yellow armchair in front of a red banner that reads 'Bath Children’s Literature Festival.' She is smiling and wearing a brown blouse, blue jeans, and colorful socks with white shoes. There are bookshelves with children's books in
Two authors sitting at a table signing books, with stacks of their books in front of them, and a colorful bunting banner hanging above.
A classroom filled with young students sitting on the floor, many raising their hands, listening to a teacher at the front of the room. The classroom has a projector screen, blue curtains, and colorful decorations.
An indoor presentation space with a large colorful cartoon mural of a girl in a garden, surrounded by flowers, insects, and animals, with small wooden stools arranged in front.

Ready to get planning with Claire? Get in touch to chat about your event – she can’t wait to hear from you!

Four colorful, cartoon-style monsters standing in a row, each with distinct shapes and features.