Teddi Ahrens: Biographical Notes
Teddi Ahrens has roots in Chicago, Illinois, but she grew up in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. Family vacations by car and then her long trips to college by train gave her a lasting taste for travel. Her later adventures filled photo albums and became kindling for her stories.
Earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in sociology, she graduated from Catholic University in Washington, DC. By that time, she had shed the name Rita for Teddi, thanks to her college roommate. During those years she made life-long friends, edited the college newspaper, got married, and got serious about her writing.
Research and teaching are listed among a variety of positions on her resume. She taught sociology in college classrooms, English and writing in high school and middle school, and she worked with early readers. She also taught brief courses in creative writing and American literature during trips to St. Petersburg, Russia. She especially enjoyed her role as Overnights Program Coordinator at the Boston Children’s Museum where she planned multicultural crafts and activities. At that time, she and her husband and three children lived in a big house in a small town in New England, where every person could make a difference. Teddi continued to focus on children, and volunteered in different ways. She wrote publicity for the PTA, League of Women Voters, and local political campaigns, and she served three terms on the local School Board. To foster her writing, she joined SCBWI and her first writers group.
Never tiring of new adventures, Teddi planned family vacations and also trips with friends. She’s visited countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Central and South America.
Her long-time hobby, researching her family history, inspired her to write historical fiction, and her close friendships in Russia informed her of still-untold stories of World War II, a current work in progress. For several summers, she has volunteered in San Salvador and Guatemala, providing arts and crafts activities for children. And that’s when she met artist Fernando Llort and was inspired to write his story—Painting Joy: the Art and Life of Fernando Llort, published in May, 2022.
Children, arts, and travel continue to inspire Teddi and her writing.
