Ren Koppel Torres

I've adored fantasy books since the dawn of time. I started my debut fantasy novel, The Shadow in Her Pocket, at nine years old, and published it at sixteen. I wanted to prove that Middle Grade authors don't have to talk down to their audiences. I wanted to flip the script on white- and male-dominated adventure stories. And I wanted to write about magic! Read more about my book here.

I'm passionate about advocating for child literacy. I'm donating 10 percent or more of the proceeds from my book sales to Bookspring, a nonprofit Central Texas. 

I write articles for several publications including Writer's Digest and Pipeline Artists. I'm featured in cartoon in both The New Yorker and LiteraryHub. I've presented at events including the NISD NerdvanaCon (2018-19) and The Library Foundation's Badgerdog Young Author Series. Several teen-focused magazines including Teen Ink and WONKedition have featured my book. My poetry is forthcoming in literary magazines Ample Remains and The Hearth. I love speaking at book events, conferences, libraries, and schools.

I was born in New York City in a Jewish-Mexican-American family. I now live in Austin, Texas with my family and a dog, a rabbit, and a lovebird. When I'm not writing, I'm a visual artist, a guitarist in a rock band, and a high school student. 

Find me on Twitter at @KoppelTorres. Email me at lorenawesome123@gmail.com.


Some of my Publications Include (from most to least recent):

Motive Magic for the Middle Grade/Young Adult Writer (Writer's Digest)

Four Women-Written Albums That Revolutionized Music (Pipeline Artists) 

‘Shadow in Her Pocket’ by teen Ren Koppel Torres: An excerpt (WONKedition)

Slaying Stereotypes One Story At A Time: Interview with Teen Author Ren Koppel-Torres (Teen Ink)

Layers of Self: How My Novel Grew Up With Me (Pipeline Artists)

"YA and MG Author's Guide to Strong Female Characters" article in Writer's Digest September/October print issue 

Talking Shop with Teen Author (Kaisee Bailey)

Quarantined? Here’s The Feel-Good Latinx Playlist You Need Right Now 

A Student’s Reminder that We are Strong Together but Apart 

From YA to YEAH: 4 Ways to Keep Teen & Young Adult Readers Hooked (Writer's Digest)

15-year-old Fantasy Writer... is Slaying Stereotypes

Books to Read This Summer (Bookspring)

Community Connections Resource Fair (Bookspring)

Escape into a World of Fantasy (Bookspring)

my article, "YA and MG Authors' Guide to Strong Female Characters," featured on the front page of WD print magazine!

hosting a read-aloud event at the Austin Public Library

reading at a Bookspring event

hosting a book drive for Bookspring!

featured in a cartoon cartoon by Bob Eckstein for LitHub magazine