Curious about writing for kids or teens, improving your craft, or self-publishing?

Interested in a teen book about activism, the environment, and climate anxiety?

Join Stratford native Robin McCarthy Arehart to hear about her self-published young adult novel Ecofreak. The story follows a young activist whose challenges include a proposed local power plant, her relationships with fellow students, and her own grief-driven climate anxiety. Locals may recognize how the backstory for the main character’s grief is tied to a Stratford-like Superfund site:

Following her mom’s death from mesothelioma, ninth-grader and “ecofreak” Liz Masters is spurred to activism when a new power plant is proposed for her town. Nature-loving Josh is the only one who seems to “get” her, so Liz is devastated when it turns out his dad is the lawyer for the power plant. And Liz feels she can’t turn to her new school’s EcoClub for help, since it is led by Makena, a vapid queen bee. 

But Liz is determined. She wants to take the fight all the way to the town council chambers, even if it means a ride in the back of a police cruiser. Yet, only a dramatic shift in the way Liz relates to herself and to the people around her will give her a chance to heal and make an impact on the world.  

Robin’s passion for books grew during the many hours she spent at the Stratford Public Library. Her first job was as a library page in 1984. After graduating from Stratford High School in 1988, Robin studied English and Psychology at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and earned her masters degree at Brown University in Rhode Island. Robin began her career as an English teacher at Harding High School in Bridgeport.

A recovering “Ecofreak,” Robin Arehart writes poems, stories, and articles, and gives talks about life and teaching. She developed her craft through her participation in the Connecticut Writing Project, UCLA Extension Writers Program classes, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) workshops. She has published a series of articles on American culture in English Plus, an international journal, and won local awards for her poetry. When she is not reading, writing, or teaching, Robin is most likely walking her dog, Rolo.

Ecofreak is available for check-out at the Stratford Library and for purchase on Amazon.

No registration required.