Karen Hesse

Karen Hesse grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, before attending the University of Maryland, where she graduated with a BA in English. While at the University of Maryland, Hesse wrote poetry and began developing as a writer. Hesse married her husband, Randy Hesse, in 1971, and the two of them moved to Brattleboro, Vermont after she completed her studies. In Brattleboro, Hesse worked in publishing, and she began working on children’s books after having two children. Hesse published her first book, Wish on a Unicorn, with Henry Holt in 1991. Wish on a Unicorn is a children’s fantasy novel that brought Hesse some positive attention from critics. Hesse continued publishing children’s fiction throughout the 1990s, though she would not become a household name until the publication of Out of the Dust in 1997, which became very popular and widely read in schools. Teachers and critics alike praised the book for its poetic sensibility and approachability despite its subject matter. Hesse published her second-most-famous work, Witness, in 2001. Like Out of the Dust, Witness is a historical fiction novel—this time focusing on racism and the KKK—written in free verse. Following Witness, Hesse continued publishing works for children and young adults. Her most recent publication is a children’s picture book titled My Thumb from 2016.