Anica Mrose Rissi is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for kids and teens, including The Teacher’s Pet; the Anna, Banana chapter book series; and Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories. Her latest book, Girl Reflected in Knife, is a “breathless, mesmerizing” (Kirkus, starred review), “truly immersive” (The Bulletin), “lush, harrowing” (Booklist), “emotional” (Shelf Awareness, starred review), and “propulsive” (PW) modern fractured fairy tale about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. Anica’s essays have been published by The Writer and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. She currently lives near Princeton, New Jersey, with her very good dog, Sweet Potato.

Anica loves visiting schools and talking with kids and adults about all stages of the writing process, from ideas and drafting to revisions and beyond. She teaches in the Writing for Children & Young Adults low-residency MFA program at VCFA and is available for in-person and virtual writing workshops and presentations for groups of all sizes and ages.

NEW! My electro-country band, Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves, is releasing a new album, Bury Deep My Heart, on July 24. I cowrote all the songs, play fiddle throughout the album, and sing background vocals on two of the tracks. Bury Deep My Heart is up for preorder on Bandcamp (vinyl, cd, and digital) and will be available July 24 on Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, or any of the major online music services. The band will play record release shows in Brooklyn, NY (July 23), Princeton, NJ (July 25), and Nashville, TN (August 18 & 19). Come dance and cry along!

NEW! The Teacher’s Pet, Zachariah OHora’s and my “very funny” (PW, starred review), “wonderful and whimsical” (BookPage) picture book filled with “brilliant illustrations and silly hijinks” (BookRiot) that are “bound to make any child giggle” (Deseret News) comes out in paperback—with a brand new cover!—in July 2026. If you’re looking for “a guaranteed chuckle” (USA Today) that’s “perfect for classroom read-alouds” (SLJ), preorder a copy and enjoy Zach’s and my “over-the-top sensibilities that mesh fantastically” (The New York Times).

NEW! Girl Reflected in Knife, a “emotionally immediate yet ethereal and darkly fantastical” (Kirkus, starred review), “tragic and mesmerizing” (Shelf Awareness, starred review) YA novel that weaves together concepts of fantasy and reality and unravels notions of logic and time, about a heartbroken teen who tells a desperate lie and starts to lose track of her own truth. Available now in hardcover, audio, and ebook.

NEW! In Issue 3 of The Eavesdrop, a quarterly newsletter about process and craft, authors Anna-Marie McLemore, Emily X.R. Pan, Sara Ryan, Nova Ren Suma, and I are discussing plot, from the ways we define, conceptualize, and approach it to the strategies that save us when we’re stuck. Read the conversation and subscribe for free at ThisIsTheEavesdrop.com. (And don’t miss Issue 1: Beginnings and Issue 2: Voice.)

Now booking virtual and in-person AUTHOR VISITS for 2026 and 2027. For more information, please see the school visits page.