Advisory Board - Rūta Šepetys

Rūta Šepetys is an internationally acclaimed author of historical fiction and is published in over forty­five countries and thirty­three languages. Her novels, Between Shades of Gray and Out of the Easy are both New York Times bestsellers, international bestsellers, and Carnegie Medal nominees. Her books have won or been shortlisted for over forty book prizes, twenty state reading lists, and have been selected for several all­city read programs. Šepetys is the first American novelist of young adult literature to address European Parliament and was recently awarded the prestigious Bellagio Literature Fellowship by The Rockefeller Foundation. In 2013 Rūta was presented Lithuania's Cross of the Knight of the Order for her contributions to education and memory preservation.

Rūta is the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee. Born in Michigan, she has a fierce love for all things related to the city of Detroit. Prior to becoming an author, Rūta spent over twenty years in the music business managing the careers of recording artists and songwriters. She now lives with her husband in the hills of Tennessee.