"Kathleen Patrick portrays humanity at its flawed worst and inspiring best." Patrick is a poet and fiction writer with an MA in Creative and Professional Writing whose work includes poetry, short stories, and novels. She writes for adults, teens, and children. Her work has received honors from the Academy of American Poets as well as Loft-McKnight Awards in poetry and fiction. _Airmail: A Story of War in Poems_was her first published book. _Mercy _is her first coming-of-age novel, and _Anxiety in the Wilderness _is her first book of short stories. Perfume River, is a contemporary novel about searching for happiness in trying times. _The Shoe Box Waltz _is a gripping multidimensional novel that will leave you unsettled until the very end. Her latest book, So Many Wings, is a collection of poetry that reminds us that being human is tricky business. Patrick describes herself as an "anxious optimist" full of hope; her books reflect that optimism and the importance of love and family. She taught middle school for over twenty years and said teaching seventh grade was the best job ever. She lives in Minnesota and enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and watching college basketball. She was once the hula hoop champion of Osceola County. ____________****