I was scrolling on Facebook when I saw a post from a parent of a former student of mine. Her high school friend, now an author and Director of Media, TV & Film for Blackstone Publishing, was looking for an author with K-12 educational experience to write a thriller. I had written a middle grade novel, a picture book, and several books about education, but never fiction for adults (other than a draft of novel I had on my computer).
I sent my most exciting scenes, and a resume of my experience in education as a public school teacher in small towns, and after a few conversations with my brilliant editor, Brendan Deenan, I had the gig.
THE BOARD was written in the early AM hours during the pandemic, before I would drive the 40 minutes to teach 5th graders in a scenic, small Vermont town. There was so much stress then– would one of my students be sick? Would the regulations change for how close students can sit? Would students have art or music that day, or would the teacher be sick? The mental health of students (and teachers!) was a constantly moving target and at times overwhelming. Families were under stress and the systems strained.
Waking up, grabbing coffee, and pulling my computer on to my lap I could create a world I could control, where I could try out themes of parenthood, parental anxiety, small town politics, and self-doubt. Writing THE BOARD felt like a place I could create based on my deep experience of watching students struggle with the reality of what was happening in their schools, homes and communities while also trying to learn and grow. It felt important to tell a story where women take on a large and oppressive system– trying and many times failing to make progress, while constantly feeling gaslighted and unheard.
So many parents doubt their decisions and actions, and this fuels their actions moving forward. I wanted to capture that parental unease and move through it, in a way that readers can see themselves and their children in. In a time where womenโs rights, titles, and access to power are being stripped away, I wanted to show the strength of both middle aged and older women, when faced with threatening and challenging situations.
In a way, this book carried me through that time of pandemic teaching, and political upheaval, providing a place to communicate about topics I care so deeply about, through the characters: the importance of creating schools and communities that are deeply committed honoring and protecting the identities and lives of their students and their families, in all of their glorious and beautiful differences.
Katy Farber is interested in stories, learning, exploration, connection, and ideas, not sticking to certain genres or lanes in publishing and education. Her writing spans the genres of fiction and non-fiction for YA, children, and adult audiences.
Katy has over 20 years of public education experience, including 19 years as a teacher and teacher leader, and four as a professional development coordinator at the University of Vermontโs Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education. She has conducted research about adolescent education and partnered with schools to help them personalize learning, engage students, and participate in action research. She earned her Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University in 2016 and is on the faculty of theย Middle Grades Instituteย (planning and facilitating learning for practicing and pre-service teachers during a week-long professional development experience). She is currently anย Assistant Professor of Education at Saint Michaelโs College,ย where she teaches pre-service and graduate level students. Katy works to elevate the voices of students, teachers, and parents, and advocates for childrenโs health, leadership, authentic, integrated learning and deep, powerful service for others and the natural world.
