Kristen Tracy grew up in a small town in Idaho, near Yellowstone Park, where she learned a tremendous amount about bears. Her deep curiosity in all things, a love of language, and her desire to eat less potatoes led her to exit Idaho and earn an M.A. in American Literature, an M.F.A. in poetry, and a Ph.D. in English. Her poetry manuscript, Half-Hazard, earned the prestigious Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation, and her poems have appeared in dozens of literary journals including the New Yorker, Poetry Magazine, and Southern Review. She writes board books, picture books, middle-grade novels, and Young Adult books. At one time in her life she was a college professor and aerobics instructor. At another time she was a volunteer gardener on Alcatraz and aspiring bird docent. Now she makes her home in Los Angeles with her husband Brian Evenson and their young son. If you ever go hiking with Kristen, please be aware she attracts seriously injured birds, apex predators, and large, nonvenomous snakes.