ERIN
ENTRADA
KELLY
Author of books for children & young adults
New York Times Bestseller | Two-Time Newbery Medalist |
Newbery Honoree | National Book Award Finalist |
APALA Children's Literature Award
YOUNG READERS
MIDDLE GRADE
YOUNG ADULT
ABOUT
Short Bio
Erin Entrada Kelly is a two-time Newbery Medalist and National Book Award Finalist whose work has been translated into more than dozen languages. She is a New York Times-bestselling author and teaches in the Master's Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University. She lives in Delaware.
Complete Bio
Erin Entrada Kelly has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the 2025 Newbery Medal for The First State of Being, 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe, a 2021 Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, the 2023 NAIBA Book of the Year Award for Those Kids From Fawn Creek, and 2017 APALA Award for The Land of Forgotten Girls, among many other honors. She is also a National Book Award Finalist and author/illustrator of Marisol Rainey and Felix Powell, stand-alone stories for younger readers. Her books are New York Times bestsellers.
Before becoming a children's author, Erin worked as a journalist and magazine editor in her home state of Louisiana. She received numerous awards from the Louisiana Press Association and the Associated Press for community service journalism, feature writing, and editing. She has published more than thirty short stories and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Philippines Free Press Award for Short Fiction.
Erin has a bachelor's degree in women's studies and liberal arts from McNeese State University and an MFA in fiction from Rosemont College. She lives in Delaware and teaches in the MFAC program at Hamline University.
FAVORITES
Animal: Dog
Beatle: George
Snack: Cookies
Star Trek Captain: Kirk
Candy: Mike & Ike
Place: The library
Colors: Red and yellow
Filipino Food: Pancit canton
TV Show: The Twilight Zone with Rod Serling
Video Game: What Remains of Edith Finch
Movies: Poltergeist, Aliens, Predator, The Thing, Repeat Performance
Books: Hurricane Child by Kacen Callendar, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
FOR TEACHERS
Erin has visited schools around the world. Her presentations are fun, dynamic, and interactive. No two presentations are the same. Her goal is to ignite curiosity, imagination, and a love of storytelling. Sometimes she builds stories with students. Sometimes they invent characters together. Sometimes she shares her writing process. Interacting with young readers is one of Erin's favorite parts of being an author.
In-person and virtual visits are available. For more information, contact The Author Village.
SCHOOL VISITS
INTERVIEWS
2024-2025 EVENTS
November 19, National Book Awards Teens Read Event, New York, NY
November 20, National Book Award Banquet, New York, NY
November 22-24, Miami Book Fair, Miami, FL
December 9-11, School Visits, Milton, MA
January 4, 2025, All-Day Writing Marathon on Zoom
January 9-19, Hamline MFAC Residency, St. Paul, MN
January 31-February 2, 2025, SCBWI Winter Conference, New York, NY
February 8, Keynote Speaker, Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts
February 11, Virtual Visit with BookBreaks
February 13-14, Appoquinimink School District Visits, DE
February 18-21, Appoquinimink School District Visits, DE
February 24-26, ABA Winter Institute, Denver, CO
March 28, Newark Charter School, Newark, DE
April 1-4, Texas Library Association Conference, Dallas, TX
April 5, Kweli Conference Keynote Speaker, New York, NY
April 9, Florence County Library, South Carolina
April 11, Carver Cultural Community Center, San Antonio, TX
April 12, San Antonio Book Festival, San Antonio, TX
April 15, ON AGAIN, AWKWARD AGAIN Book Release!
April 24, San Mateo County Libraries, San Mateo, CA
May 6, AT LAST SHE STOOD Book Release!
May 15, Cherry Creek Schools, Denver, Colorado
May 17, Gaithersburg Book Festival, Gaithersburg, MD
June 26-30, American Library Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA
July 10-22, Hamline MFAC Residency, St. Paul, MN
August 17-22, Highlights Whole Novel Workshop, Milanville, PA
CONTACT
Erin loves to hear from readers. Write to her.
For media inquiries, contact Sara Crowe.
For blurb requests, contact Sara Crowe.
For film interest, contact Jason Dravis.
Erin has visited hundreds of schools around the world. To invite Erin to your school, library, or festival, contact The Author Village.