Featured Author: Karen Krossing

Bibliography at Orca

[New!] The Yo-Yo Prophet: Small, shy Calvin becomes the Yo-Yo Prophet when his street tricks get the attention of a bully named Rozelle.

Interview

Why do you write, and why children's books? I write to understand the world. I love how a gorgeous string of words can alter my perceptions, widen my view of the world. Words have incredible power. They can inspire us to do great things. They can make us laugh or cry. I'm continually fascinated by the power of words to move me.

Do you have any strange writing habits? I prefer absolute silence when I'm writing, except for birds twittering outside, or the sound of rain and wind. And I cannot write if I'm wearing jewellery on my wrists or fingers. I have to remove my watch and even my wedding ring before I begin. If I don't, my hands feel constrained.

What is your funniest teenage memory? When I was a teenager, I decided that sleeping was a waste of time. If I didn't have to sleep, I could have more time to do important things, like listening to music or hanging out with my friends. Then I read about certain enlightened yogis who don't sleep but only meditate. I decided that if I could meditate for four hours a day, I wouldn’t need to sleep. My plan lasted less than a week.

You teach writing workshops for kids and teens. What is the most inspiring experience you've had in a workshop? One of my favorite experiences teaching a writing workshop happened at a summer arts camp in Toronto. When we began creating imaginary worlds, the two-session activity grew into a week-long one, and beyond. The kids and teens begged to take home their maps and notes about their worlds each night, with promises that they would bring them back the next day. I was wary that they'd forget, but they returned with detailed maps, notes and legends about their worlds. One girl had written 33 pages of her story. It was awesome to witness their enthusiasm. The next summer, when I taught at the arts camp again, one teen greeted me with a full manuscript based on her imaginary world. It was 30 chapters long and a pleasure to read.

Biography

Karen Krossing grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, with a family who loved to read. What could she do but read, too? Karen began to create stories when she was eight, and she continued this habit by writing poetry in high school. By then she was hooked on books, so she studied English at university then became a book editor and a technical writer.

After Karen had kids, she began writing fiction for children and teens. Karen uses writing to understand the world around her. In Take the Stairs, which was nominated for the Ontario Library Association White Pine Award, she writes about turning adversity into opportunity through the troubled lives of inner-city teens. In Pure, her latest novel, she explores sticky ethical questions about genetic engineering that today's teens will have to face in their lifetimes.

Karen is a writing instructor at Centennial College and she teaches an after-school writing program for kids and teens through Pegasus Studios in Toronto. She led workshops at the 2003 Canadian Children's Book Camp in Toronto and was on tour with TD Canadian Children's Book Week in 2005. Karen regularly conducts writing workshops and book talks at Canadian schools.