Category Archives: teachers

The Board signed pre-orders open (from Bear Pond Books!)

After a long day of teaching and hosting 120 kids on campus, I opened this box of Advanced Reader Copies and THE BOARD became real. Calm is my middle name, obviously.

(cross posted on my Substack newsletter, Draft and Drift)

Okay, as you can see, I’m super chill about getting the Advanced Reader Copies of my new thriller, THE BOARD, out with Blackstone Publishing on September 9th, 2025. This is my debut fiction for adults, and it feels like a fever dream that it is even real. (Here is the moment I opened the box— I fear I screeched).

I wrote this book in the early AM hours, on my couch, while slugging coffee, before heading in to teach fifth graders during the pandemic. My nerves were shot. My eyes were red and barely open. But the world of small town school politics, board takeovers, and narcissistic leaders, took shape in my mind. And the story, well, it is eerily familiar to what many communities (and dare I say, the country) are facing right now, with book banning, funding being pulled for teaching accurate history and practicing inclusion, though taken to the extreme. THE BOARD, over many early mornings and cups of coffee, was born.

THE BOARD is now open for SIGNED pre-orders from my brave, steady, and super informed local bookstore, Bear Pond Books. For these pre-orders I will go down to Bear Pond, happily sit there, and sign them before they ship. In fact, I am super excited to do so. I LOVE this bookstore and effort to support them while also sharing this story with you. And, you’ll get the first signed copies of THE BOARD, delivered to you on the pub day of September 9th!

Here is a blurb about the book (for which I am so grateful):

“Katy Farber writes with verve about the Machiavellian politics of small towns, and the dark secrets they hide. Clever and propulsive, this taut mystery will keep you turning pages until the end.” —Thomas Christopher Greene, bestselling author of The Headmaster’s Wife

Thank you for considering, for reading, and for supporting your local indie bookstore!

New Substack Newsletter: Draft and Drift (join me!)

In an effort to reclaim those by-gone days of early blogging, and connect to fantastic writers and readers, I started a new newsletter called Draft and Drift.

Why Draft and Drift? Because I do both!

If you don’t like being stuck in boxes with your creative projects, this is the place for you. This is the place for lane hoppers and drifters.

As you know if you are here, I’m interested in stories, learning, exploration, connection, and ideas, not sticking to certain genres or lanes in publishing and education. My writing spans the genres of fiction and non-fiction for YA, children, and adult audiences. I have 4 (soon to be 5!) education books, a middle grade novel, a picture book, and a thriller for adults (coming in Sept. 2025- more on this soon!).

Hence, Draft and Drift…

Here are some recent posts:

On the Spring Amphibian migration (and using spring and nature to soothe sadness and extensional dread).

And on the story of Real Talk for New Teachers: Tools for a Sustainable Career, moving from Why Great Teachers Quit to how to STAY teaching sustainably for years to come.

Hope you can join me over at Substack for more regular updates! I’ll try to cross post content over here as well.

Cover and Pub Date for Real Talk for New Teachers: Tools for Building. Sustainable Career

Black background, a table with busy teachers sitting with their computers, coffee, phones, student work and notebooks. Two speech bubbles, one that says the title of the book, Real Talk for New Teachers, and the others, the authors names, Katy Farber and Penny Bishop

Here is the cover for our upcoming book, Real Talk for New Teachers: Tools for Building a Sustainable Career! We hope it conveys the busy lives of teachers working together to help students, plan powerful learning, and collaborating to support each other and families. What do you think?

We also learned that the book is going to be published on June 2nd and that pre-orders from Routledge start on May 12th. This is happening fast now!

Here is a sneak peak at one of our early reviews:

“Real Talk for New Teachers is a MUST for anyone entering the teaching field or in their first years of teaching! This book makes teaching feel “doable” in a holistic manner that starts with the self (living healthily) and moves toward collaborating with others and becoming a leader in the profession.”

—Dr. Stacy Simonyi, Assistant Professor of Education at Saint Michael’s College

Stay tuned for more information about upcoming events, giveaways, and information about this and please be in touch with any questions or if you want a review copy for your consideration in use with your district, mentoring program, or school.