APPLY TO HOST MATTEO L. CERILLI (IN PERSON)

BIOGRAPHY

Matteo L. Cerilli (he/him) is a transmasc author and activist specializing in speculative fiction for all ages. His work features the YA horror novel Lockjaw (Tundra, 2024); middle grade ghost story Something’s Up with Arlo (Harper Collins Canada, 2025); YA noir Bad in the Blood (Tundra, 2025); young YA gamer action Fathom Fall (Bloomsbury, 2026); a featured short story in Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror (Ghoulish Books, 2024); and poetry in Augur magazine. His activism work has included setting up gender care for trans students at York University, helping to found the Students for Queer Liberation—Tkaronto, and organizing with the No Pride in Policing Coalition.

Home Location: Toronto, Ontario
Creator Type: Author
Genres: Middle-grade fiction, young-adult fiction
Website: www.matteolcerilli.com
Tour Region: Quebec
Target Audience: Grades 5 to 12
Cost: For one 60-minute presentation: $300 plus 5% GST

NOTE: The fee of $300 (plus tax) will be paid to The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) upon receipt of an invoice from the CCBC. After Book Week, the CCBC will pay the author their presentation fee of $250 (plus taxes, if applicable).  

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS

Fey-ology

Target Audience: Grades 10 - 12
Preferred group size: 12 – 25 students 
Maximum group size: 45 students (or two classes)

Using a PowerPoint presentation, Matteo speed-runs the Western history of neurodivergence (and the “care” associated with it), and explains how this real-life history has been turned into a fantastical allegory in his novel Bad in the Blood, which takes the “challenging” myth forward into a 1920s-esque world of rising industrialism. Discussions of eugenics and rising fascism in the 1920s tie easily into the Grade 10 history curriculum, discussions of disability access tie in with social science and social justice courses, and broader discussions of how authors createallegories align with English and Writer’s Craft. The presentation concludes with a framework for building historical fantasy that young writers can use for their own work, and readers can use for analysis. 

Required equipment: LCD projector, whiteboard or screen
Required materials: students should have paper and pencil for optional note taking

Build a Ghost 

Target Audience: Grades 5 - 8
Preferred group size: 12–25 students
Maximum group size: 45 students (or two classes)

Using a PowerPoint presentation, worksheets, and reading from his novel Someting’s Up with Arlo, Matteo outlines the “creation process” for building a new character with a plot-relevant purpose. Students will listen to a reading of the first chapter and use “clues” from the text to fill in a sample worksheet about the main character. They will then move on to creating their own ghosts using the worksheet as a guide. Aligns with Language Arts curriculum.

Required equipment: LCD projector, whiteboard or screen 
Required materials: worksheets (I’ll send the PDF, and ask that teachers print two for each student), and pencils. Also pencil crayons if students would like to draw a character. 

This is What Community Looks Like 

Target Audience: Grades 9-12
Preferred group size: 12-25 students
Maximum group size: 45 students (or two classes)

Using a PowerPoint presentation and readings from Lockjaw, Matteo explains how his life from an isolated suburban childhood to a young adulthood of trans activism fuelled the world of Lockjaw. Includes conversations about how students can get involved in their own communities (relevant to Civics classes), as well as discussion of transgender lives and activism. Concludes with a Q&A where students are encouraged to ask questions about activism and trans people in a safe environment either out loud or through the use of an anonymous question box.

Required equipment: LCD projector, whiteboard or screen 
Required materials: students should have pencils and lined paper. Matteo will bring the question box.
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lockjaw. Tundra Books, 2024
Something’s Up with Arlo. HarperCollins Canada, 2025
Bad in the Blood. Tundra Books, 2025
Fathom Fall. Bloomsbury, to be released March 3rd 2026 (sequel to follow)