Tae Keller

Tae Keller serves as a Graduate Adjunct in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children & Young Adults (MFAC) program at Hamline University. As a Newbery Medal-winning and New York Times bestselling author, she brings acclaimed literary expertise to her academic role while focusing on narratives that amplify underrepresented voices in children's literature.

Her creative scholarship centers on intersectional identity exploration, particularly biracial experiences within Korean-American and Hawaiian cultural contexts. She integrates themes of mental health, familial bonds, and cultural heritage through innovative narrative techniques blending scientific inquiry with magical realism. Her pedagogical approach emphasizes empowering writers to discover their unique storytelling voices through vulnerability and craft mastery.

Keller's publication trajectory reveals consistent thematic evolution across middle-grade fiction, progressing from scientific exploration of depression in The Science of Breakable Things (2019) toward deeper cultural investigations in the Mihi Ever After series (2022-2025), with her Newbery-winning When You Trap a Tiger (2020) establishing foundational motifs of intergenerational healing.

Her distinguished recognition includes:

• Newbery Medal for When You Trap a Tiger
• Boston Globe Horn Book Honor Award
• Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature
• New York Times #1 Bestseller status

In her Hamline MFAC advising practice, Keller cultivates psychologically safe workshop environments where students' emotional vulnerability fuels artistic growth. Her mentorship philosophy centers on identifying each writer's singular narrative strengths while developing craft techniques tailored to their authentic storytelling needs, creating what she describes as 'a community of kindness' through the writing process.