Andrea O’Brien

Hi, my name is Andrea O’Brien and I am a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where I taught Children’s Literature. Before I became a professor, I was a middle school English teacher. Stories are everything to me, both reading and writing them. As a child I was always reading, even during math class and when I was supposed to be paying attention to something else. Animal stories like King of the Wind, Old Yeller, and Where the Red Fern Grows were among my favorites. It would take a lot of time to list all my favorite books, I have eleven full bookcases in my house in Madison, Wisconsin. When I was young, I also wrote stories, about girls who had adventures. I never imagined where my story habit would take me when I grew up.

As a mom reading to my son, I watched him fall in love with stories and spend hours writing his own adventure stories about knights and castles. I can still see him sitting on the floor in the sunshine with his black lab, Belle, and a pencil creating adventures. It has been the pleasure of my life to read the stories of the children and adults in my classes and to share the books I love. When I am not reading, I like to travel, kayak, swim, and paint watercolors. 

Good writers are also big readers. Think about what you like about your favorite authors and books. How can you use that in your stories? Everyone has stories inside of them. Tell your story. I can’t wait to read it.