About Trisha
Trisha Speed Shaskan is the author of 50 books for children, including the picture books The Itty-Bitty Witch illustrated by Xindi Yan, and Seriously, Cinderella is SO Annoying!: The Story of Cinderella as told by the Wicked Stepmother illustrated by Gerald Guerlais. Trisha has taught storytelling or creative writing to students at every level from kindergarten to graduate school. Trisha has an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She travels all over the country to visit libraries and schools by herself or with her husband/author/illustrator and frequent collaborator Stephen Shaskan who is the creator of the Pizza and Taco graphic novel series. Trisha and Stephen live in Minneapolis, MN, with their dogs, Beatrix and Murray.
“As a new Ojibwe (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, ND) children’s lit author, Trisha Speed Shaskan has welcomed me with open arms into the writing community. Trisha has supported, upheld, and encouraged me as an author. Coming from a marginalized experience, I have treasured Trisha’s interpretation of the many nuances in the writing business. Trisha is truly a champion of us all, and is a wonderful mentor and advocate for our community.”
Dawn Quigley
Ph.D., assistant professor, educator, and award-winning author of books for children and young adults, including the JoJo Makoons chapter book series
“I have watched Trisha Speed Shaskan move obstacles and expand conversations to make our children’s literary community more inclusive, more vibrant, more fair, and more aligned with the needs and imaginations of our wonderful readers and learners, each marvelous kid. She is the heart and soul of our community.”
Kelly Barnhill
author of award-winning fantasy novels for children and adults, including The Girl Who Drank the Moon, which won the Newbery Medal in 2017
More About Trisha
When Trisha Speed Shaskan was six-years-old, she dreamed of becoming Wonder Woman™. Her parents gave her the costume for her birthday. Her dad handcrafted bracelets and a tiara to match. ZOOM! Trisha raced through the neighborhood, fought villains, and saved the world!
Trisha lived one house and one street away from a park where she, her brother Jesse, and her sister Nicole played all day. On the swing, Trisha pumped as high as possible and: WHOOSH! Jumped off. She also tried every sport she could, including flag football, baseball, and basketball.
In the winter, Trisha built snowmen, went sledding, and finally learned to ice skate backwards.
Since her hometown Winona, Minnesota is in a river valley, Trisha enjoyed spelling, “M-i-ss-i-ss-i-pp-i,” and fishing and swimming and in that river and the lakes. SPLASH!
When Trisha wasn’t playing outside, her family nurtured her love of stories. Each night, her dad read picture books aloud. Everyone’s favorite story was In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. Trisha’s mom called their milk, “Mickey milk,” after the boy in the book.
Because Trisha enjoyed reading books and using her imagination, she wrote her own poems and stories. In one of the stories, sisters Ann and Maria find a spell book. POOF! Ann casts a spell that turns her sister into a mouse!
Trisha also sewed handmade puppets to tell stories. The ones below are exact replicas of her parents.
One of Trisha’s favorite days of the year has always been Halloween because she can pretend to be anybody or anything!
In fourth grade, when Trisha created a neighborhood newspaper, her mom took her to the grocery store where they made copies for ten-cents-a-piece. Then, Trisha delivered the papers to all the neighbors who eagerly awaited the breaking news.
In fifth grade, due to her love of music, Trisha learned to play the drums at school. When she played her drum kit at home, she enjoyed the sound of the CRASH, BAM, BOOM much more than the rest of her family did.
During middle school and high school, Trisha played basketball and skateboarded. Her parents bought Trisha a typewriter to nurture her writing. When Trisha typed her stories, they looked official!
Currently, Trisha’s books contain a mix of her childhood and adult experiences, plus imagination. When she wrote a book about compound words, she began the story with a southbound steamboat on the Mississippi River.
The picture book, Punk Skunks, which Trisha wrote and her husband Stephen illustrated, features a skunk named Kit who skateboards, writes poems, and plays the drums.
As an adult, when Trisha saw the Perseid meteor shower: WOW! She knew kids would feel the wonder she felt, so she included the experience in this book:
Q & Ray: Meteorite or Meteor-wrong? is part of a 3-book graphic novel series illustrated by Trisha’s husband Stephen Shaskan who is best-known for the graphic chapter book series he wrote and illustrated, Pizza and Taco.
The picture book, The Itty-Bitty Witch illustrated by Xindi Yan, captures Trisha’s love of Halloween.
Besides writing books, Trisha has also worked in a children’s library and as a bookseller at Wild Rumpus Books, a nationally-known children’s bookstore that is also home to a variety of animals. While there, Trisha wrangled ferrets, chickens, and cats! Oh, my! But the best part was finding the perfect book for every child.
Trisha and Stephen live in a house filled with art and imagination. In Trisha’s office, you’ll find the dragon Stephen gave her for her birthday and the Wonder Woman™ bracelets her father handcrafted for her.
Because she feels most at home by the water, Trisha and Stephen live near a lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota where they walk their beloved dogs Beatrix and Murray.
