Katie Bayerl
I didn’t start out as a writer. I wasn’t that kid who dreams of holding her own novel one day. I was a voracious reader, though, and I loved being around young people, so I found my way into a career as a teacher. I thrived on those moments when one of my students discovered a book that connected. Being “on” ten hours a day was probably a bad idea for a person with my emotional makeup, though, and the anger I harbored against a system that treated my students as disposable took a serious toll. I left teaching abruptly. It was awful. Also, brave.
During my recovery, I caught a movie version of one of my favorite young adult novels (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson) on late-night TV. Something clicked: teens and books, my two great loves. I needed to be writing books for teens! I outlined my first young adult manuscript that night.
I now teach part-time in addition to my work as a young adult author. It’s a much better mix. In my own books, I explore personal themes and ideas, but I also get to be part of all of these other young writers’ stories. I can only write so many books in my lifetime, but I can also be part of bringing powerful, diverse new voices into the world. That feels like the perfect place to be.