Sheila O’Connor is an award-winning author of books for both adults and children. A passionate supporter of arts education and a long-time participant in the Writers-and-Artists-in-the-Schools program, Sheila believes her most important work has been encouraging writers of all ages to claim their lives on the page. Her debut novel for middle-grade readers, Sparrow Road, is a celebration of the power of imagination and the arts. Her second middle-grade novel, Keeping Safe the Stars, will be out in fall 2012 (Putnam). Her two novels for adult readers, Where No Gods Came and Tokens of Grace, feature young protagonists and have been taught in high school classrooms.

Sheila’s work with aspiring writers includes young people, graduate students, high school drop-outs and ordinary dreamers out in the community with a story or poem to share. Some days she goes from a third grade classroom to graduate students, urging them all to write the truth from their hearts. She really does believe sharing stories fosters empathy and empathy is good for us all. When she isn’t working with young people or teaching graduate students at Hamline University, Sheila’s tucked away in her writer’s shed dreaming her own stories and poems to life. Sheila shares her lucky world with her beloved family: two nearly-grown kids, a patient husband, a devoted dog, and a tough-minded cat. When she’s at the keyboard the cat wants her lap and the dog wants her feet, but neither one will help her write a word.