Laurie Halse Anderson

Life  Born October 23, 1961 in Potsdam NY  Father was a Methodist minister who wrote poetry and as a girl, Anderson loved playing with his typewriter  Began career as freelance The Philadelphia Inquirer

She once commented, "I decided to become a writer in second grade. My teacher, Mrs. Sheedy- Shea, taught us how to write haiku. The giant light bulb clicked on over my head: 'Oh, my goodness! I can do this!' I hope every second grader learns how to write haiku."

 Began official writing career as a picture book author  Best known for young adult novels [YA]: Speak Speak Catalyst Catalyst Prom Prom Twisted Twisted Wintergirls Wintergirls Numerous awards and honors for these!

Of interest:  Still lives in NY with husband, 4 children, and dog!  Quoted from Anderson, “When not enjoying her family and her large garden, she spends countless hours writing in a woodland cottage designed and built just for that purpose by her Beloved Husband. She also likes to train for marathons, hike in the mountains, and try to coax tomatoes out of the rocky soil in her backyard.”

 “Writing keeps me healthy and sane. When I am working on a story, I channel the dark, sad, confused, angry bits of me into something constructive and healing. I always feel better after a day of writing. “

 Advice on becoming a writer:  Turn off the television.  Don’t major in Creative Writing in college. Chances are it will drain the life out of your creativity.  Never, ever criticize yourself during a first draft.  Have the courage to revise your work.  Read every night before you go to sleep.  Write the story in your heart.  Pay attention to William Faulkner’s wise words. “Don’t be ‘a writer.’ Be writing.”

Anderson’s Childhood Ambition:  To read all the books in the library and climb to the top of the rope in gym class.

Her life mottos: 1. Adapt and overcome. 2. Read or die. 3. It’s not a mistake if you learn from it.

 “ I get new ideas constantly. Generally, it’s a person trapped in an interesting situation, or facing a conflict that forces her to change and grow. These ideas pop into my head out of nowhere. Sometimes I stumble across them because of something I’m reading, some fragment of dialouge I overhear, or a scene I witness at an airport or the grocery store.”