Multi-Media Shows

Workshops

Adventurers in               Schools Program

The Brilliance Beyond

Recent Performances

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THE BRILLIANCE BEYOND - The transformative Powers of Tragedy

In her workshop, Coffey takes the audience on a spellbinding journey, recounting dramatic stories of loss in the high mountains and revealing what happens to those left behind. She shares what she has learned about the transformative powers of tragedy, and how these lessons can be applied to all walks of life.  

Maria Coffey is an internationally published author of eleven books, and an acclaimed public speaker who eloquently explores the subject of risk-taking in the mountains - both the shadows of its costs and the brilliance of its gains. Maria has had personal experience of the consequences of risk; in 1982, her partner Joe Tasker, one of Britain’s top climbers, disappeared on the NE Ridge of Everest.

“That tragedy” she says “blew my life apart, but ultimately jolted me alive.”

Maria’s first book, Fragile Edge: Loss on Everest, is an account of her relationship with Tasker, and her own journey to Everest in the wake of his death.  In 2002 Fragile Edge won the prestigious Italian award, Premio Letterario Nazionale Leggimontagna. Her most recent title, Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow: The Dark Side of Adventure received the 2003 Jon Whyte Mountain Literature Award and a National Outdoor Book Award. It is a wide-ranging, thoroughly researched examination of the impact of climbing on people’s lives. According to the LA Times, the book ‘begins where Jon Krakauer leaves off’, giving voice to the characters  rarely heard from in the mountaineering story – the partners, children and parents of climbers. National Geographic Adventure Magazine describes the stories Coffey recounts as ‘tragic, heroic, compelling, exalting.” And Gripped Magazine lauds the book as containing “the beautifully urgent message that everyone must live life to the fullest.”

ADVENTURERS IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM

Dag Goering and Maria Coffey are an internationally published photographer/writer team and highly qualified educators, who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to their Adventurers-in-Schools program. They come into your school for a whole day, or more, offering exciting and stimulating sessions for all grades, from K1 to 12, and sharing with the students their passion for exploring cultures and landscapes around the world.

These sessions include:

K1 to Grade 3

With story telling, the clever use of hand puppets and interaction with the students, Maria brings to life the adventures of the characters in her books: A Cat in a Kayak, A Seal in the Family and A Cat Adrift. 45 minutes

Grades 4-7

Using a digital multi-media presentation, Jungle Islands, Dag and Maria take the students along on their kayaking expedition through the remote Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific. In a fun way, the students learn about the natural history, the people and the culture of this unique part of the world. The presentation, along with Dag and Maria’s illustrated educational book “Jungle Islands” and accompanying “Teaching Ideas” pamphlet can be used as the basis for a class project. 1 – 1.5 hours

Grades 8-12 - OUTDOOR EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING.

The following seminars, enhanced by digital images and video, are available and can be tailored more specifically to students needs.

From Dreaming to Doing -Expedition planning and preparation.
Your Life Depends on it - Decision-making and risk management in the wild.
Find Your Way In – Find Your Way Out – Wilderness and marine navigation.
Staying Alive - How to survive in the wild.
Keeping Your Head Above Water - Basic sea kayaking skills.
Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow – the personal toll of extreme adventure

Each Session: 1 – 2 hours

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS with Maria

Sessions can be tailored according to the ages and interests of the students, in the format of small group seminars, workshops, or lectures.

The Path of the Journal: From First Entry to published piece. A workshop on turning a journal entry into a publishable piece of writing.
Rewrite, Rewrite, Rewrite! The art of self-editing. Why Write It and Who Reads It? A discussion on what to expect, and how to prepare for a life as a writer.
Writing for Children - A workshop on what makes a compelling children’s story, and tips on how to create one.

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS with Dag.
Hands-on workshops for small groups of students focus on the following topics:
Getting to Know Your Camera - Basic functions and how to use them
Telling Your Story - Creating a personal visual narrative.
Something from Nothing - Common everyday objects and scenes are transformed into photographic art with the help of basic compositional techniques.

EVENING PRESENTATIONS – (see Multi-Media Shows) can be included as part of Adventurers in Schools Program.

Dag and Maria are renowned for their public speaking skills and their stunning multi-media presentations. As key note speakers, lecturers and workshop leaders they have made over one hundred appearances, entertaining and inspiring thousands of people across North America and in Europe. Their digital multi-medial shows are professionally produced with state of the art software, Macromedia Director. A dynamic blend of stunning still images, digital video and an underlying music track provide a stunning backdrop for Dag and Maria’s live narration.
Sacred Water - Slowly down India’s Ganges River by Kayak.
Visions of the Wild - A Voyage by Kayak around Vancouver Island.
Sailing Back in Time - A Nostalgic Voyage along the Canada’s West Coast.
Jungle Islands – A Kayaking Adventure in the Solomon Islands.
Lambing Season in Ireland – Escapades of a Rural Vet
Vietnam: Off the Beaten Track – Haphazard Adventures by Boat and Bike
90 minutes

Recent Performances of these presentations:
Keynote speakers at the Kachemak Kayak Festival, Homer, Alaska, May 2005, with Sacred Water and Visions of the Wild
Ridge Theatre, Vancouver, April 2005 – sell out show of Vietnam: Off the Beaten Track
March 2005 –touring BC with Lambing Season in Ireland.
Fund raiser for WINGS, Edmonton, AB with Vietnam: Off the Beaten Track
Two keynote addresses at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival. Nov. 2004 with Sacred Water and Visions of the Wild
Keynote address at Canadian Camera Conference. June 2004 with Sacred Water
Richmond, Virginia, February 24, 2004, as representatives of the Banff Mountain Speakers Bureau, with Sacred Water
The Banff Mountain Summit, November 2003, with Sacred Water
The Florida Readers Association Conference, Orlando, October 2003 with Jungle Islands
The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, Sechelt, BC, July 2003 with Visions of the Wild and Sacred Water.
March-April 2003, 24 appearances across BC with Visions of the Wild and Sacred Water.