Biography
Shelley Stoehr is the author of four award-winning young adult novels and many short works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. She has received awards from The DeGroot Foundation, The North American Review, New Millenium Writings, Writer's Digest, WOW: Women on Writing, The New York Public Library, and the ALA. Her poetry chapbook, Glitterotica, was published by Dancing Girl Press and her memoir will be published by Legacy Book Press in 2026. Shelley identifies as disabled and is a former sex worker.
Stoehr's first novel, CROSSES, was published while she was a student at Connecticut College. CROSSES has been an ALA “Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Readers,” an ALA “Best Book,” and a YALSA “Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 1999."
Stoehr has appeared as an expert on the Maury Povich show, Real Life With Mary Amoroso, and several radio talk shows to talk about self-injuring or “cutting," the subject matter of CROSSES. Her speech to the NCTE, “Controversial Issues in the Lives of Contemporary Young Adults” has been reprinted in The ALAN Review.
Blogger Dave Kiersh writes, “Stoehr writes about young women in a way that few others do. She presents characters and gives a voice to girls that are seldom heard about in today's commodified popular culture”, and The Voice of Youth Advocates praises Stoehr’s work as writing which “graphically describes the cry for help of many adolescents and how far they have to fall before they are even noticed.” “Stoehr’s narrative flow is a strength, as is her ability to capture the rhythms, attitudes, and feelings of teens facing a violent, drug-filled world of big dreams with little chance of making it.” (School Library Journal)
Shelley is available for readings, signings, and speaking engagements.