About Me

By day (and night and weekends) I’m an English Professor at the University of Arizona. I’m also an Affiliate Faculty member of Worlds of Words: Center for Global Literacies and Literatures. In the spaces between teaching, parenting, community engagement, and other obligations, I’m an author. My household – me, my husband, two kids, a dog, two rats, and one snake – is always bustling as we travel, dance, run, swim, sing, work, entertain, and play.

I grew up in a tiny mountain town, then a tropical island, and now reside in the Sonoran Desert. I’ve loved reading and been called to writing and teaching ever since I can remember. In 7th grade I did my “dream career report” on writing. I interviewed three of my favorite writers at the time – the most famous being Stephen King. Mr. King kindly put my short questionnaire into his typewriter and responded to my questions. (I still have that letter!)

My high school bio stated, “I hope to one day be an English teacher, actor, and world traveler.” Travel, like a book, opens up the world and provides new perspectives. I’ve been lucky enough to visit many U.S. states and other countries. There’s a lot of performance in teaching, so I feel like I reached those goals!

As an English Professor, I spend my time editing, teaching (children’s and YA literature), and overseeing Pine Reads Review, an online YA literature publication run by an incredible team of undergraduate interns at the University of Arizona. In addition to the work we publish online, our mission includes local outreach engaging our community through writing contests, book drives, hosting events, and doing volunteer work…including helping out at the Tucson Festival of Books!

I enjoy visiting schools and empowering children to love and interact with books and writing in customized presentations that showcase the rich diversity of children’s literature. From university teaching to talking with children, I love opening the world of kidlit to students of all ages! As a Writing Coach and Mentor, I enjoy helping writers find their voice while polishing their work to its strongest form.

Select Honors & Awards

  • Artist Opportunity Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts (2025)
  • Experiential Learning Design Faculty Fellowship, UA Student Engagement
  • Marshall Foundation Grant 2022 (co-PI) for the project: “Cooking up Science: Engaging Kids 3-5 in Scientific Thinking”
  • Undergraduate Teaching Award from the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Experiential Learning Faculty Grant, UA Student Engagement (to support intern community outreach)
  • Poets & Writers, Inc. Grants to support Guest Speakers Mahogany Brown & Dhonielle Clayton
  • Professional Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts (2010, 2016)
  • Career Development Grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW)
  • Hispanic Scholarship Fund Grant Recipient

Official Bio

Stephanie R. Pearmain is a children’s book author and Professor in the English Department at the University of Arizona. She teaches English and Honors courses in Children’s and YA Literature and publishing and is the Coordinator of Undergraduate English Internships. Stephanie is also Affiliate Faculty in the Worlds of Words: Center of Global Literacies and Literatures. She has been a Reader for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency as well as a book reviewer for Children’s Literature Database (picture books through novels), and a Fiction Reader for YARN, an award-winning young adult literary magazine. She oversees Pine Reads Review, an online children’s and YA literature publication run by UA undergraduates. Stephanie’s first nonfiction book is Animal BFFs, (Scholastic, 2012). She has forthcoming picture books from Bloomsbury, Macmillan FSG Books for Young Readers, and Penguin Random House. Her writing has been published in anthologies and magazines, including the Nancy Drew Anthology. She resides in Tucson, Arizona and is represented by Analía Cabello of Andrea Brown Literary.

MENU