Hello!
I’ve written 16 books (half fiction, half nonfiction). This October, I’ll be teaching writing in Provence, France, with Foreword Retreats. Want to join me? Apply here.
My first book, GIRLTALK: All the Stuff Your Sister Never Told You came out in a dozen languages, and I’ve been "Dear Carol" at Girls' Life for 32 years. I know, that’s a lot of years! I started writing for teens at 19—and never stopped.
I write for adults too: VERY PERSONAL ESSAYS. I’ve had 67 Letters to the Editor in the New York Times on everything from Gabriel García Márquez to reading to kids to helping the hurting. One recent letter asked: Is Reading Sexy? (Of course!) I’m on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. See? And here are my HALL OF FAME photos. How many famous people do you recognize? I also teach at the New York Society Library.
My novel SPEED OF LIFE came straight from the heart, as I explain on TikTok. Julia Alvarez wrote: “You won’t want to put it down.” Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm. May I read you the first page? The New York Times called it "perceptive, funny and moving.” The critic said, “I laughed out loud and I teared up while reading this novel”—and you know what? I teared up reading that review! Kirkus, School Library Journal, PW, and Booklist gave it stars. YALSA. Speed of Life Discussion Guide.
AVA AND PIP, AVA AND TACO CAT, and AVA XOX are my funny diaries of a fifth grader who’s obsessed with palindromes. Ideal for ages 8 to 12. The New York Times: "a love letter to language" that "perfectly captures the complexities of sisterhood." Order here. Knopf published The Diary of Melanie Martin, about Melanie and Matt the Brat and their travels to Italy, Spain, Holland, and NYC.
How did I get my start? Click Yale Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Writer Experience podcast, interview.
Bio: Byram in Armonk, NY; 12h grade in France (SYA); French/Spanish comp lit major at Yale (summa cum laude); M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury. I’ve been a guest onToday, The View, Oprah, Squawk Box, NY1, Twin Cities Live, CNN Español…
Husband Rob Ackerman spent 25 years at SNL. Honored at Working Theater, the New Yorker liked his play Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson. Daughter Lizzi and her husband started Birch Benders pancake mix (Today Show, Forbes) and E+Patrol! Daughter Emme just had a baby! Sweetness overload!
