Me/Teacher Resources

"Kephart is a linguistic Midas—everything she puts to paper is golden."

— Darcy Jacobs, Family Circle

I write. I teach at Penn. I co-founded Juncture Workshops (memoir news, contests, interviews). I work for an Emmy award winning PBS arts and culture show. I review for the Chicago Tribune. I write about health care for corporate clients. I stage teach-the-teachers sessions and Skype conversations and empathy projects and other fun things for people of all ages. I go brain deep with cool writers. 

I have a new book coming out from Simon & Schuster. It's called Wild Blues.

This page is usually a mess. Like my hair.

Education:
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, BA, (Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude)
Bread Loaf Writing Conference, with Jayne Anne Phillips, 1996
Prague Writing Conference, with William Gass and Jayne Anne Phillips, 1995
Spoleto Writing Conference, with Rosellen Brown and Reginald Gibbons, 1994

Books:
Wild Blues, Atheneum Books for Young People, Simon & Schuster 
Tell the Truth. Make It Matter.: A Memoir Writing Workbook, CreateSpace, 2017 
This Is the Story of You, Chronicle Books, April 2016
Love: A Philadelphia Affair, Temple University Press, October 2015
One Thing Stolen, Chronicle Books, Spring 2015 (more here)
Going Over, Chronicle Books, Spring 2014 
 Nest. Flight. Sky.: On love and loss, one wing at a time, January 31 2014, Shebooks
Nest. Flight. Sky. (Audibles recording)
Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir, Gotham Books, August 6, 2013
Dr. Radway's Sarsaparilla Resolvent, New City Community Press/Temple University Press, May 2013
Small Damages, Philomel Books, July 2012
You are My Only, Laura Geringer Books: Egmont USA, Fall 2011
Dangerous Neighbors, Laura Geringer Books: Egmont USA, August 2010
The Heart is not a Size, Balzer and Bray: HarperTeen, March 2010
Nothing but Ghosts, Laura Geringer Books: HarperTeen, June 2009
House of Dance, Laura Geringer Books: HarperTeen, June 2008
Zenobia: The Curious Book of Business, (with Matthew Emmens), Berrett-Koehler, January 2008
Undercover, Laura Geringer Books: HarperTeen, 2007
Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River, Temple University Press, 2007
Ghosts in the Garden, New World Library, 2005
Seeing Past Z, W.W. Norton, 2004
Still Love in Strange Places: A Memoir, W.W. Norton, 2002
Into the Tangle of Friendship: A Memoir of the Things that Matter, Houghton Mifflin, 2000
A Slant of Sun: One Child's Courage, W.W. Norton, 1998

Stories and essays appear in these selected anthologies:
Behind the Song, Sourcebooks, ed. K.M. Walton 
use your words: a writing guide for mothers, Viva Editions, ed. Kate Hopper, 2012
No Such Thing as the Real World, HarperTeen, April 2010
Big Shoes: In Celebration of Dads and Fatherhood, Al Roker and Friends, Hyperion, 2005
Because I Said So, HarperCollins, 2005
Best American Sports Writing, Houghton Mifflin, 2003
New York Times Writers on Writing, Volume II, Times Books, 2003
The Kindness of Strangers, Lonely Planet, 2003
Best American Sports Writing, Houghton Mifflin, 2001
Wanderlust: Real-Life Tales of Adventure and Romance,Villard, 2000
Mothers Who Think, Villard, 1999
The Leap Years, Beacon Press, 1999

Awards and honors:
This Is the Story of You, Top Ten VOYA 
This Is the Story of You, NJ.Com Best of the Year List 
This Is the Story of You, Junior Library Guild Selection
This Is the Story of You, Starred Review, School Library Journal
This Is the Story of You, Starred Review, Kirkus
This Is the Story of You, Starred Review, VOYA
One Thing Stolen, Parents Choice Gold Medal 
One Thing Stolen, Starred Booklist Review
One Thing Stolen, Starred Shelf Awareness Review
One Thing Stolen, Amazon Editor's Pick (April)
One Thing Stolen, Bustle Top 14 Pick (April)
One Thing Stolen, The Book Riot April-June Radar List 
Going Over, Audio Rights sold to Audible
Going Over, 2014 Booklist Editors Choice
Going Over, 2015 TAYSHAS Reading List
Going Over, 2014 American Booksellers Association Best Books for Children and Teens
Going Over, 100 Children's Books to Read, in a Lifetime/Readers' Choice
Going Over, Gold Medal, Parents' Choice Award, Historical Fiction 
Going Over, a Scholastic Book Club books
Going Over, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults List
Going Over, Starred Booklist Review 
Going Over, Starred School Library Journal Review 
Going Over, Starred Shelf Awareness review
Going Over, A Junior Library Guild Selection
Going Over, A School Library Journal Pick of the Day
Going Over, a Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth
Going Over, a five-star Common Sense Media selection
Going Over, an Indigo Best Teen Books of 2014 So Far
Going Over, an iBooks Big Spring Book
Going Over, an Amazon Big Spring Book 
Going Over, a Main Line Today Magazine Top Ten Beach Read 
Going Over, excerpted in the Philadelphia Inquirer, here.
Nest. Flight. Sky.: On love and loss, one wing at a time, The Main Line Today Magazine review
Nest. Flight. Sky., Audibles Selection
Nest. Flight. Sky., Whatever Doesn't Kill You Anthology
Nest. Flight. Sky., Whatever Doesn't Kill You, Silver Ippy Award

Philadelphia Literary Legacy Exhibition at Philadelphia International Airport (2013/2014)
Radnor High School Hall of Fame: inducted Fall of 2010
Pennsylvania Gazette:  Feature Story Subject, November/December 2010
Beth Kephart Books blog named a 2009 and 2011 Top Author Blog by BBAW 
Handling the Truth, Winner Motivational Category, Books for a Better Life  
Handling the Truth, Top Writing Book, Poets & Writers  
Handling the Truth, Named to the North Shore Year-End List
Handling the Truth, Named Top Ten September 2013 Book, BookPage
Handling the Truth, Starred Library Journal Review
Handling the Truth, Starred Kirkus Review 
Handling the Truth, Featured in O Magazine, July 2013
Dr. Radway's Sarsaparilla Resolvent, Named to Kirkus Best Children's Books of 2013 List
Dr. Radway's Sarsaparilla Resolvent, Starred Kirkus Review
Dr. Radway's Sarsparilla Resolvent, Philly.com review
Dr. Radway's Sarsaparilla Resolvent, Philadelphia Inquirer Review
Small Damages, 2013 Carolyn W. Field Honor Book, Pennsylvania Library Association
Small Damages, Outstanding Merit, Today category, Bankstreet Best Children's Books of the Year
Small Damages, Best YA Novel of the Year, Armchair BEA
Small Damages, Nominated for YALSA's 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults
Small Damages, Named to Armchair BEA Best YA of the Year List (top three)
Small Damages, Most Lyrical YA Novel of the Year (Atlantic Wire)
Small Damages, Best Contemporary YA Novel of the Year (Bookalicious)
Small Damages, One of 25 Most Wonderful Book Covers of the Year (Atlantic Wire)
Small Damages, One of Best YA Novels of the Year (Sarah Laurence) 
Small Damages, French rights sold (La Martiniere Group)
Small Damages, New York Times Book Review, July 13, 2012
Small Damages, Kirkus Teen Pick of the Week, July 18, 2012
Small Damages, Publishers Weekly, Best New Books for Week of July 16, 2012
Small Damages, BookPage Feature
Small Damages, BookPage, Handful of Books that Adults Need to Read
Small Damages, Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
Small Damages, Family Circle Featured Selection, August 2012
Small Damages, Hot Beach Read, Bella Magazine
Small Damages, LA Times, Summer Read Selection 
Small Damages, Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Small Damages, Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Small Damages, Dear Reader Teen Book Club Pick, September 3, 2012
Small Damages, Publishing Perspectives Interview
Small Damages, Dutch rights sold to Callenbach 
You Are My Only, German rights sold to dtv-Reihe Hanser
You Are My Only, Brazilian-Portuguese Rights sold to Novo Conceito
You Are My Only, Family Circle Teen Week Read Pick
You Are My Only, Main Line Today Citation
You Are My Only/2011 A Top YA Novel, Most Beautifully Written Novel, There's a Book
You Are My Only/2011 Short List for Best Fiction/Caribousmom
You Are My Only/2011 Buzz Books Which Did Not Disappoint/Caribousmom
You Are My Only/Dear Author Best of 2011
You Are My Only/2011 Favorite Reads/My Friend Amy
You Are My Only/Top Book of 2011, Two Heads Together
You Are My Only, Top Books of 2011, 3R's Blog
You Are My Only, Dear Author Best of 2011/Best of October
Dangerous Neighbors, Scholastic Reading Counts list
Dangerous Neighbors, 2010 Autumn Indiebound Children's Pick
Dangerous Neighbors, Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Dangerous Neighbors, 2010 Autumn Booklist Hot Teen Title
Dangerous Neighbors, landing-page Girls' Life review
Dangerous Neighbors in PW’s “Bookexpo America 2010: “Big Children’s Books of the Show”
Dangerous Neighbors, nominated for DABWAHA
The Heart is Not a Size: Starred VOYA review
The Heart is Not a Size: Spring 2010 Children’s Indie List
The Heart is Not a Size: 2011 Nominee for Best Fiction for Young Adults/YALSA
The Heart is Not a Size: German Rights sold to Hanser
The Heart is Not a Size: Featured Story, El Paso Times
The Heart is Not a Size: Featured Story, Presbyterian News Wire
Nothing but Ghosts: Summer 2012 German translation (DTV), Lead Summer Title
Nothing but Ghosts: Starred Publishers Weekly
Nothing but Ghosts: Starred BCCB
Nothing but Ghosts: Family Circle Must Read
Nothing but Ghosts: Boston Globe Feature
House of Dance: A Best Book of the Year, Kirkus (2008) and Bank Street (2008)
House of Dance: Nominated for Georgia Children’s Book Award
House of Dance: 2010-2011 Tayshas High School Reading List
House of Dance: Family Circle Must Read
Undercover: A Best Book of the Year, School Library Journal (2007), Kirkus (2007), and Amazon.com (2007), and Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year
Undercover: Family Circle Must Read
Undercover: New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
Undercover: Translated into Dutch, Callenbach Publishing House
Undercover: Audio Recorded Books
Undercover:  Translated into Simplified Chinese, Shanghai 99 Readers' Cultare Co.
Undercover: Translated into Complex Chinese, Shing Shing Publishing
Undercover: Texas Library Association pick
Undercover: Tayshas High School Reading List
Undercover:  Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist
Zenobia: now translated into Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Chinese Complex, Chinese Simplified, Dutch, Arabic, Korean, Spanish, Italian, and English Reprint in India
Flow: Pew Fellowships in the Arts (2005) recipient
Speakeasy Poetry Prize (2005)
Ghosts in the Garden: March 2005 BookSense Pick
Into the Tangle of Friendship: National Endowment for the Arts Grant (2000)
Into the Tangle of Friendship: Leeway Grant for Creative Nonfiction (1998)
A Slant of Sun: Salon Best Book of the Year (1998) (among other best of lists)
A Slant of Sun: National Book Award, Nonfiction Finalist (1998)
Short Stories: Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Top Fiction Grant (1997)
Short Stories: Bread Loaf Merit Scholar for Fiction (1996) 

Teaching:

University of Pennsylvania, Honors Thesis Projects
University of Pennsylvania, Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
University of Pennsylvania Advanced Nonfiction
University of Pennsylvania Nonfiction
Miami YoungArts Master Teacher, Writing, 2013
Readergirlz Author in Residence (Fall 2009)
Chanticleer Garden Summer Writers Program
Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center

Selected featured talks:

Radnor Senior High School Commencement Address, 2016
National Book Awards
National Council of Teachers of English
Radnor High School Hall of Fame Ceremonies
Publishing Perspectives Keynote Talk on the Future of YA 
Decatur Book Festival 2013, with Stacey D'Erasmo
The Pennsylvania Gazette Centennial Celebration
Writers House, University of Pennsylvania
Glory Days Bruce Springsteen Symposium
Loyola University
St. Joseph's University
Johns Hopkins University
Villanova University
Rutgers-Camden
Rosemont College
Goucher College
Philadelphia Free Library
Radnor Memorial Library
Tredyffrin Township Library Grand Opening
Rosemont Presbyterian Village
Fairmount Water Work
Schuylkill River Heritage Area
St. John's Presbyterian Church
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Blue Sky Memoirathon
Push to Publish Conference/Keynote
Conestoga High School
Downingtown West
Science Leadership Academy
Delaware Valley Regional High School
Norristown High School
T/E Middle School
Moravian Academy
Masterman High
Agnes Irwin High School
The Baldwin School
Villa Maria Academy
Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
2010 Fox Cities Book Festival (three middle schools, three high schools in Wisconsin)
2010 Philadelphia Book Festival
2011 Mt. Airy Kids Literary Festival 
2011 Central League Writing Championship
2012 Young Writers Take the Park (teen writing contest, workshops, readings, and author appearances, organized by Beth Kephart with The Spiral Bookcase)
2014 Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls Writing Festival

Selected featured workshops and appearances:
T/E School District Teach the Teachers Program
Lower Merion School District Teaching
Free Library of Philadelphia
BookExpo America
American Library Association
Loyola University
University of Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr College
Musehouse
Chanticleer garden
The San Francisco School
Radnor High School
The Eighth Grade Center at Springford
Litiz Kid Lit Festival

Interviews/Talks:
My 2016 Radnor High School Commencement address is here. 
Articulate TV (WHYY), link here.
Medley of readings and conversation, here, on YouTube, filmed at Rosemont College.  
All the Wonders, here.

Selected judging:

NEA grant program (2000)
National Book Awards Young People's Literature Award (2001), chair
PEN First Nonfiction Award (2004), chair
University of Pennsylvania, various student contests
Ann Arbor District Library It's All Write Short Story Contest (2012)

Freelance reviews, essays, blogs:

LitHub
LA Review of Books
Woven Tale Press
New York Times
Chicago Tribune
The Millions
Speakeasy, The Wall Street Journal Blog
The Huffington Post
Salon.com
Washington Post Book World
Wall Street Journal Europe
Philadelphia magazine
Philadelphia Inquirer
Family Circle
Parenting
Real Simple
Good Housekeeping
Reader’s Digest
New Jersey Life
Pennsylvania Gazette
Main Line Today
Shelf Awareness
Publishing Perspectives
Psychology Today blog
Marion Roach Smith blog
Creative Nonfiction
Brevity 

School Visits:

I can often be found within classrooms conducting writing workshops and engaging others in conversations about the writing life.

I've introduced middle school and high school students to the making of memoir, engaged with young poets keen on extending their craft, conducted teach-the-teachers sessions, and sat with high school seniors consulting on the realities of the writer's life.  I've talked research, rejection, and staying true. I've taken students behind the scenes and back to the pages of stories I have both loved and written. I'm equally comfortable in large lecture halls and intimate classrooms. I'm also a cool chic via Skype.


Honorarium:   

$1,000 - $1,200  plus expenses for a full day; $650 plus expenses for a half day.

On Teaching the Berlin Wall
Listen in on WHYY Morning Edition, with Jennifer Lynn: here
At Science Leadership Academy: the Huffington Story
At Downingtown West: poems and graffiti art
At Masterman High: poems and graffiti art 
At Radnor High: poems and graffiti art
At Radnor High: photographic outtakes
Teacher's Guides

Please go here to download the Teachers Guide for This Is the Story of You.
Please go here to download the Teachers Guide for One Thing Stolen.
Please go here to download the Teacher's Guide for Going Over. 

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