Carolee Dean (1962-)

Carolee Dean told SATA: "After spending most of my early years in southern California, I moved to Lubbock, Texas, with my family when I was a high-school sophomore. When I turned seventeen, we moved to a tiny little farming town in west Texas called Happy (population 614). There were twenty-three students in my graduating class, but by the end of the year only sixteen made it through the final ceremony because seven girls got pregnant and dropped out.

"At the beginning of my senior year, out of desperation, boredom, and a yearning to write, I joined the school newspaper. My teacher, Ilona Smith, required all of her journalism students to participate in the University Interscholastic League (UIL). I competed in news writing and editorial writing and became a state alternate in poetry interpretation. As a result, I was awarded a four-year scholarship and was the first person in my family to receive a college education.

"When I wrote Comfort, a story about a boy from a small Texas town, I drew heavily upon my experiences with small towns, poetry competitions, and the UIL. Like the protagonist, Kenny Willson, I have often turned to poetry in times of crisis. Through poetry, Kenny finds his voice. In much the same way, through Comfort, I was able to find mine."