Emily Wing Smith is the award-winning author of The Way He Lived, Back When You were Easier to Love, and All Better Now (Dutton/Penguin Books for Young readers). While her first two titles are young adult fiction, All Better Now is a memoir chronicling Emily’s journey growing up as the “Thank-God-she-got-hit-by-a-car Girl.” She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English, and went on to earn her Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. Now Emily lives with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she writes, speaks, and occasionally substitute teaches students not that different from herself—or the characters in her books.

Presentation Description: All her life, Emily has felt different from other kids. Between therapist visits, sudden uncontrollable bursts of anger, and unexplained episodes of dizziness, things have never felt right. For years, her only escape was through the stories she’d craft. But it isn’t until a near fatal accident when she’s twelve years old that Emily and her family discover the truth: a grapefruit-size brain tumor at the base of her skull.

With her experience both as a successful author of young adult books and as a brain injury survivor, Emily has addressed a variety of diverse groups. Audiences range from older elementary school students wondering how to write their story, to state-wide organizations supporting those with brain injuries. Emily uses humor and candor to tell her own remarkable story. Although it’s a story few have lived through, it’s one most will relate to. Her message is about hard things and hope—about beating the odds and navigating your own path.

Speaks to groups of all sizes, from classroom to keynote. General presentation length is forty-five minutes to one hour, but this can be adjusted as needed. Available for breakout sessions.