Outside In and the Inside Out

As a child you could find Emmy Kastner with some crayons or a pencil, a typewriter, or a paintbrush. When anyone would ask what she’d like to be when she grew up, Emmy would let them know, “A writer … or everything. And I’m not waiting until I grow up.” Emmy taught high school English and science for a handful of years in the Midwest, and then in San Francisco. After moving back to Michigan, she co-founded literacy nonprofit Read and Write Kalamazoo in 2012, and was named Western Michigan University Distinguished Alumna for 2018-19. She lives with her husband in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with their three young kids who keep them on their toes. Emmy’s arts and writing studio lives above the family’s coffee shop, which makes caffeinating her days quite efficient.Kastner writes and illustrates the Nerdy Babies series.