Courtney Stevens

Courtney “Court” Stevens grew up among rivers, cornfields, churches, and gossip in the small town south. She is a former adjunct professor, youth minister, and Olympic torchbearer. She has a pet whale named Herman, a bandsaw named Rex, and several novels with her name on the spine: Faking Normal, The Lies About Truth, the e-novella The Blue-Haired Boy, and forthcoming Dress Codes for Small Towns. As an educator and author, she teaches workshops on Channeling Your Brave. She also likes chips and queso and feels deeply sorry for the lactose intolerant.

"It was a wonderful experience having Court at our school. She connected so naturally with the students and was an inspiration to all of us. It was really neat to watch how the students responded to her-they were completely engrossed in her presentation! She was extremely flexible with the different sessions and content throughout the day, and she even took the time to create a custom presentation for our students since they were working on an extended writing project. Court is a gem, and we would love to have her back to visit Central any time!"

-- Erin Alvarado, Media Specialist, Central Magnet High School, Murfreesboro, TN

"Court exceeded expectations! Her presentation was both informational and inspirational. It was the boost my class needed to push through our writing project. "

-- Cynthia Savage, Teacher, Central Magnet High School, Murfreesboro, TN

"Through exploration of her own past, Courtney Stevens raises engaging questions for adolescents. What do I want out of life? How can I reach for my dreams when they seem so far away? A charismatic and down-to-earth author and public speaker, Stevens captivates her audience through a mix of readings, multimedia, and storytelling. At the conclusion of her presentation our students felt motivated, uplifted, and hopeful about their future prospects. Her visit also ignited their desire to read for enjoyment, something desperately missing from our Common Core-driven curriculum. Ever since her visit, our students have engaged in impromptu classroom discussions about her book Faking Normal, and they eagerly look forward to reading more from her in the future."

-- Lisa Williams, NBCT, Allen County-Scottsville High School

"We, at Ballard Memorial High School, were honored to have Courtney Stevens come home to Ballard County to debut her novel, Faking Normal. Courtney exceeded all of my expectations and did so much more than talk about her book. She spent the day inspiring our students and helping them to see that anything is possible if you dream, set goals, and "Channel your brave!" My students left her presentation feeling like anything was possible! Our whole community-students, faculty, parents and friends joined in celebrating Courtney's success and were motivated to set lofty goals and work hard to attain them."

-- Kristin Sickling, Media Specialist, Ballard Memorial High School, LaCenter, KY

"Courtney has the gift of connecting with young people while inspiring them to be their very best selves. I have never seen our students so riveted by a speaker before—everyone was completely engaged during her entire presentation. In the words of one of our students, "when she spoke, it felt more like a conversation with each and every person." I loved the real world lessons about writing and following your dreams she imparted. Her visit was, hands down, the best author visit we have ever had!"

-- Brittany Butler, Librarian, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, KY

For more about Courtney and her works, go to http://www.courtneycstevens.com/