Sharon M. Draper – American author and educator, best known for Out of My Mind and Copper Sun. She taught English for many years before turning to full-time writing. Her novels explore race, adolescence, and the power of unheard voices. A five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner, she is among the most celebrated writers for young readers in the US.
✨ Began writing after her students dared her to enter a short story contest. 📚 Copper Sun won the Coretta Scott King Award. 🌟 Out of My Mind has been translated into dozens of languages and is a global bestseller. 🎓 Taught for over 25 years, inspiring generations of students. 🖋️ Her books are part of US school curricula. 🎤 Frequently speaks to students and teachers nationwide. 🌍 Inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. 📖 Writes about hardship but always with a thread of hope. 🙃 Quirk: once her students signed her book and gave it back as a “reverse autograph.” 😄 Amusing: jokes that classroom teaching was her “best creative writing workshop.”