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    Ms. Katie Storms

                                katiestorms@claytonschools.net

                                                                                                                                             follow me on Twitter @Ms. Storms

    “If one tree fruits, they all fruit—there are no soloists. Not one tree on a grove, but the whole grove; not one grove in the forest, but every grove; all across the country and all across the state. The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don’t yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to all of us. We can starve together or feast together. All flourishing is mutual.”

    –Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer   

    About Me:
    When I’m not reading or writing, you can find me creating art, running the roads in my neighborhood, listening to music, hiking in the mountains, or singing lullabies and reading stories with my daughters. And maybe drinking too much coffee. I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri—I even worked for the Kansas City Royals for eight years when I was a teenager. Then I moved on to Kirksville to earn my BA in English and my MA in Secondary English Education. I currently reside in St. Louis with my husband, Johnny, and my daughters, Penelope Belle and Della Irene. I teach College Prep English I and Social Issues at Clayton High School in St. Louis.
    We Read to Grow in Head and Heart

    I have always loved reading…from the moment I read Maniac Magee over and over and over, I’ve always found comfort in falling into a story. Over the years, I’ve fallen into many stories. Stories that made me think: Complex books about complex topics. And beautiful books about beautiful topics. My favorites over the years are Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin, The Afrominimalist by Christine Platt, and Carry by Toni Jensen, and The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. Beartown by Frederick Backman, There, There by Tommy Orange, Romona Blue by Julie Murphy, Circe by Madeline MIller. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. The nonfiction I love: Citizen by Claudia Rainke (essays and poems), Black Girl Baking by Jerrelle Guy, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, We Should All Be Feminists by Chimanda Ngozi Adiche, Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai, and Rosewater and Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood. And if you asked me to tell you my favorite novels, I'd start with a list something like this: LaRose by Louise Erdrich, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell, Claire of the Sealight by Edwidge Danticat, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Half a Yellow Sun by Chimanda Ngozi Adiche, The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah, Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith, Counting Descent by Clint Smith, Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing, Good Morning, Goodnight by Lin Manual-Miranda, Where to Begin by Cleo Wade, Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer…..my list can go on forever, and I am always asking friends, family, students, and families for new titles. 

    Course Overviews:

    College Prep English One Course Overview 

    Social Issues: Literature, Semester One

    Social Issues: Film and Art, Semester Two

     

     
    I always look forward to conversations with students and parents. Please email mail me, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

     

     
    		 
Last Modified on January 12, 2023