Sherri L.

Smith

Middle Grade & Young Adult Author

Golden Kite Award Winner

Travels from: Los Angeles, CA

“A dynamic, heartfelt novel.” — The Washington Post

Sherri L. Sherri L. Smith is the author of award-winning fiction and nonfiction books for young people including the 2021 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award winner, The Blossom and the Firefly, and the California Book Awards Gold Medalist, Flygirl. Her novels appear on multiple state reading lists and have been named Amelia Bloomer, Junior Library Guild, Children’s Book Council, Southern California Independent Booksellers Award, and American Library Association Best Books for Young People selections. Sherri also writes graphic novels and comics, including Bart Simpson Comics, Wonder Woman, and James Cameron’s Avatar.

Born in Chicago, IL, she has lived on all three coasts (West, East and Lake Michigan!). She has worked in film, animation, comic books, construction, and at a monster factory. Highlights included working in stop-motion animation on Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!, and three years at Disney TV Animation, helping to create stories for animated home video projects.

Currently, Sherri teaches in the MFA in Children’s Writing Program at Hamline University. She has also taught creative writing at Goddard College, and was the 2021 Mina Hohenburg Darden Visiting Professor at Old Dominion University. Sherri holds a certificate in the Art of Archetypal Fairy Tale Analysis from the Assisi Institute, and certificates in Applied Mythology and Enchantivism—a form of “activism for introverts” that uses deep storytelling, mythology, dreams and the environment to enact positive change in the world— from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

In addition to public speaking, Sherri offers creativity courses a member of the Two Trees Writers’ Collaborative and the founder of Story Forest, a liminal space where writers follow the old tales to find their own path.

Pro Tip: Her first name rhymes with Capri!

Sherri L.'s Featured Titles

Red Tail, WASP And Firefly: Aviators Of World War II

Take to the skies of World War II in this talk about the research behind Sherri’s stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots in the United States, and Special Attack, or kamikaze pilots of Japan for her historical fiction and nonfiction books Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?, Flygirl, and The Blossom and the Firefly. A/V Slideshow.

The Road to Pearl

Sherri discusses the origins of her five-starred graphic novel PEARL, and how she applied her personal experiences as a kid visiting Japan and learning new languages to inform Christine Norrie’s art. Topics include traditional Japanese art, World War II, the bombing of Hiroshima, and the story of Sadako Sasaki, the young girl whose story lead to the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima. Recommended for grades 5-8+

Upcycling Story: Turning Tidbits Into Stories

“Trash to treasure” is something you hear about old furniture or clothes that are remade into something new and wonderful. But did you know it can apply to storytelling, too? In this fun talk, Sherri approaches storytelling like a yard sale, answering the one question every writer gets asked: Where do you get your ideas? A/V Slideshow.

Story Improv: How To Dream Up And Outline A Story

in this is a vibrant interactive experience, Sherri walks students through how she creates her own novels. Students offer up three things to build a story around then brainstorm with Sherri to create a three-act outline—the perfect springboard for writing their own version of the group’s idea. Requires a whiteboard/blackboard or flipchart and markers.

Time Travel In Fact And Fiction: Writing Historical Fiction And Nonfiction

Have you ever wondered about the work that goes into writing the past? Whether fiction or non-fiction, Sherri walks you through the historical record that forms the backbone of her history-based books. A/V Slideshow.

The Enchantivist Plot: Writing To Change The World (For Adults/Educators)

Enchantivism is a type of “slow” activism that uses deep storytelling, dream work, mythology, and ecology to bring about positive change in the world. Through this lens, imagine what a writer can do! In this talk, Sherri shares her experiences in re-enchanting the work of graduate students, how they’ve gone on to plant the seeds of change in their own communities, and how you can, too. A/V Slideshow.

Road Map To Finishing Your Novel, Or How To Outline Without Freaking Out

This is a hands-on session in which Sherri discusses how and why to map out a novel, and get your internal editor to stop criticizing and start helping your creative process. Participants leave with a better grasp on their story, and a road map to finishing their book!

Customized Talk On Creativity, Education, And Positive World Change

What message does your community need to hear right now? Work with Sherri to craft a useful conversation or presentation to inspire creative growth.

American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky

Learn the exciting history behind Chicago’s daring Black aviators in the 1930s.

Bite-Sized Histories

In this workshop, students learn how Sherri writes short non-fiction, and create their own little “golden” histories about the person or event of their choice.

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Sherri L. Smith. Her presentations were thoughtful, motivating, and full of actionable takeaways. Sherri has a presence that is warm and it’s clear that she is truly grounded in her gift for teaching and inspiring her students to look further. We are already looking for ways to work with Sherri again.” — SCBWI, 2024

“Sherri is truly an inspirational speaker. She kept our students engaged from beginning to end. Her story improv activity was not only fun and enriching, it was empowering. Students arrived with little more than a notebook and a pencil and left with a complete outline for a story they could make their own.” — Jennifer Brown, Brookfield Public Schools

“You visit has inspired our students to overcome all obstacles in pursuit of their dreams.” — E. Swafford, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy

“For me, having a published author in our school is like a rockstar stopping by for an exclusive concert.” — Happy Teacher

“Sherri spoke to our group of 70 or so about finding the structure for her latest novel, The Blossom and the Firefly. It was a master class in the craft of fiction: a detailed explanation of the structure she had wanted to use (along with diagrams), examples of how other stories have used it, and a narrative about her own attempt to write within it and the changes she made according to the needs of her manuscript. Her lecture was funny, personable, and incredibly useful to writers of all experience levels. Several people came up to me afterwards to say that the structure Sherri described might be just the thing to get their manuscripts unstuck. I can’t recommend Sherri as a speaker highly enough.” — Writers’ League of Texas

“You made the art of writing come ALIVE with both your passion and a wonderful sense of imagination.” — Rancho Santa Margarita Library

“To say the program was deep and impactful sounds too trite; I’m still digesting the material and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it has changed the way I look at my own motivation to write and the material I am creating.” — Story Forest Participant

Sherri’s Blog

Story Forest

Sherri’s Upcoming Events

Teaching Guides

Sherri’s Simpsons Comics Page

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Awards and Residencies
2021 Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, Writer-in-Residence
2020 University of Kansas Alyce Hunley Whayne Visiting Researchers Travel Award
2017 Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, Writer-in-Residence
2015 Wassard Elea, Writer-in-Residence
2011 Hedgebrook, Writer-in-Residence February
2009 Hedgebrook, Writer-in-Residence
2009 Elizabeth George Foundation Award

The Blossom and the Firefly
2021 Golden Kite Award, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
2020 South Pasadena Public Library’s “One City, Many Stories” Citywide Reading Event
2020 School Library Journal starred review
2020 The Horn Book starred review
2020 Amazon’s Best Books for February
2020 Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction
2020 Texas Library Association TAYSHAS Selection

Pasadena
2017 Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Book Award
2016 Junior Library Guild Selection

The Toymaker’s Apprentice
2016 Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Book Award

Orleans
2016 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Nominee
2015 Magnolia Book Awards Nominee
2014 Honorable Mention for the Westchester Fiction Award
2014 Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year list
2014 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Best Fiction for Young Adults
2013 Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book

Flygirl
2010 – 2013 Fourteen State Awards Lists
2010 California Book Awards Gold Medal in the Young Adult Category
2010 American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
2010 Young Adult Library Services Association Teen’s Top Ten Nominee
2010 Amelia Bloomer Project Selection
2010 Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
2009 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book List
2009 Washington Post Best Books for Teens
2009 Booklist starred review

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet
2011 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee
2009-2010 Florida Sunshine State Young Reader Award master list nominee, grades 6-8
2009 California Book Award Finalist

Sparrow
2009 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee
2006 NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
2006 New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Lucy the Giant:
2005 De Gouden Zoen Honorable Mention, CPNB, Netherlands, for Dutch translation
2003 American Library Association Best Books for Young People
2003 American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Selection
2003 New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
2003 Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year
2002 Book Sense 76 Pick
2002 Junior Library Guild Selection
2002 Cleveland Public Library Celebrate With Books Selection

Pearl:
5 Starred Reviews
Washington Post Best Books for Kids Fall 2024 Selection

Media clips

Publishers Weekly | Weekly Review: THE BLOSSOM AND THE FIREFLY

BCCB Bulletin Review | THE BLOSSOM AND THE FIREFLY

NPR | LA writer Sherri L. Smith tells story of Women Airforce Service Pilots

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.