Mark Oshiro (they/them) is the award-winning author of the young adult books Anger Is a Gift (2019 Schneider Family Book Award), Each of Us a Desert, and Into the Light, as well as their middle grade books The Insiders, You Only Live Once, David Bravo, and Star Wars Hunters: Battle for the Arena. They are also the co-author (with Rick Riordan) of the #1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 Indie Bestseller The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure. When not writing, they are trying to pet every dog in the world.
Mark Oshiro has spent their career as a kidlit writer speaking to readers of all age groups. They’ve taught at multiple professional workshops—Tin House, Lambda Literary Emerging Writers Retreat, Alpha, and more—as well as visited hundreds of schools across North America and Canada. They’ve also made countless appearances at book festivals and conventions across the country, from YALLFEST to NovaTeen to ALA’s Annual Conference.
Prior to their life as a novelist, Mark Oshiro ran the viral online community Mark Does Stuff, comprised of the sites Mark Reads and Mark Watches, where they chronicled their unspoiled journey through various book series and television shows. Through Mark Does Stuff, they booked and presented over 100 individual events/meet-ups for their community.
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 Hardcover
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 The Sun and the Star
A Nico di Angelo Adventure
Disney Hyperion
Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro.
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 Hardcover
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Tor Teen, Macmillan
It’s been one year since Manny was cast out of his family and driven into the wilderness of the American Southwest. Since then, Manny lives by self-taught rules that keep him moving—and keep him alive. Now, he’s taking a chance on a traveling situation with the Varela family, whose attractive but surly son, Carlos, seems to promise a new future.
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 Hardcover
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Disney / Lucasfilm Press
On the planet Vespaara lies the Arena—a series of battlefields where fighters known as Hunters face off in teams to compete in front of roaring crowds. Newest to their ranks is Rieve, a Force-sensitive orphan from Corellia with abilities she can barely control, and a past she desperately wants to leave behind. But Rieve gets off to a rocky start, strugging with her lack of confidence both inside the Arena and with her fellow Hunters. And when a mysterious stranger begins stalking the Arena, Rieve fears her troubled past has finally caught up with her….
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 Trade Paperback
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HarperCollins
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * An ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 Selection
From Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of The Insiders , this time-bending adventure is perfect for fans of Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and When You Reach Me .
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 Trade Paperback
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HarperCollins
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * An ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 Title for Young Readers
Three kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything.
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in.
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 Trade Paperback
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Tor Teen, Macmillan
From award-winning author Mark Oshiro comes a powerful coming-of-age fantasy novel about finding home and falling in love amidst the dangers of a desert where stories come to life.
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 Trade Paperback
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Tor Teen, Macmillan
The trade paperback edition of the highly buzzed about YA debut from Mark Oshiro, Anger Is a Gift follows a boy from Oakland as he falls in love amidst the chaos of modern America.
*31st Annual Lammy Finalist for LGBTQ Children’s/Young Adult category* *2019 ALA Schneider Family Book Award Teen Winner* *Buzzfeed's 24 Best YA Books of 2018* *Vulture's 38 Best LGBTQ YA Novels* *Book Riot's Best Books 2018* *Hyable's Most Anticipated Queer YA Books of 2018* *The Mary Sue's 18 Books You Should Read in 2018* |
CRAFT
Mark is available to give talks on various elements of the writing process. They’ve given lectures and taught workshops on the following topics: writing compelling dialogue, structure, outlining, editing, brainstorming, and more.
PUBLISHING
If you’re looking for an overview of breaking into the industry, navigating publishing, insight into the editorial process, or Mark’s experiences as an openly queer person of color in publishing, they’re also willing to speak specifically about publishing as a whole!
KEYNOTES
Mark has given numerous original keynotes to organizations, festivals, and conventions, and is absolutely interested in catering a talk to a specific theme. In the past, they’ve presented: “How Do You Do It?,” a keynote about writing, momentum, and mental health; “The Sun and The Star,” a presentation about the experience of co-writing with Rick Riordan; and “The Mathematics of Writing,” a personal piece in which numbers tell the story of Mark’s journey through publishing.
Visit Mark Oshiro’s website and follow them on Twitter, and Instagram.
Read Mark Oshiro and Rick Rioridan’s interview with The Mary Sue on The Sun and the Star.
Mark Oshiro and Rick Rioridan discuss Will and Nico and LGBTQ+ characters for Read Rioridan.
Mark shares with Tor/Forge Books how their own experiences as a teen led them to write Anger is a Gift.
Mark Oshiro 2022 Lambda Literary Writer’s Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices Reading of Into the Light.
Watch Mark Oshiro speak on Into the Light with the Library of Congress.
“I just wanted to thank you, again, for your generosity in engaging with our kiddos. You made a BIG impact that is still rippling through the community. I thought you'd like to hear a little story that my colleague shared with me this week; his advisee came into his office after you left, asked if she had permission to curse (to which he said yes) and she sat down, sighed, and said, "that was f---ing cool."
So, thank you for being really f---ing cool and for sharing that with all of us.”
- Erika Jelenik, Upper School Librarian, Oregon Episcopal School
"Thank you so much for your time and energy today! It was sensational. Please know that I preordered Into the Light and have had several kids ask me for it already!"
- Amanda, Educator in Rhode Island
"MARK! Thank you so much for taking AN HOUR out of your day to chat with the fifth graders and then the seniors! So awesome! You really made a difference in a whole bunch of kids today! Thank you!"
- Stacey, School Librarian in New York
Testimonials from Lambda Literary Writers in Schools Program “Mark: As always it was an absolute pleasure having you visit us and you will always be welcomed with open arms at MS 137!.”
“Mark Oshiro's March 21st virtual visit with my students was incredibly powerful. To quote one student's whisper to another during the presentation "WOW, he real!" Such a wonderful role model for my high school students. Students going through struggles with gender identity, homelessness, ethnic and cultural identity, and religious identity could all identify with Mark Oshiro. Mark shared his personal experiences which resonated with my high school students.”
“When I first applied and we matched with Mark Oshiro, I knew that the students would experience something they never have before. They were so excited to see a queer Hispanic person who was once in their shoes, telling a fantasy story, referencing their own experiences. The students who are LGBTQIA+, along with our students who are children of immigrants, have never felt more seen or validated. Our population is largely Hispanic, so Mark Oshiro's novel and Author's Visit was life changing for many of them. They saw themselves in Mark.”
“The presentation was well-timed, inclusive and multi-modal (loved the pictures), and exciting. Mark had a great presence and they really understood how to engage the students. The question and answer portion was particularly meaningful as Mark encouraged students to ask all kinds of questions, not just questions related to The Insiders.”
“We enjoyed not only the Mark Oshiro's powerpoint presentation which was amazing but also how much our students remained engaged and were excited about having book talk.”
“This program made the students extremely happy. Not only were they excited to meet an LGBTQ author but have the space to openly discuss their options and questions on the book was a great experience for them. They felt heard and appreciated by the author (Mark Oshiro). We enjoyed the Q&A portion. The open dialogue between students and the author great. Students felt so cool being able to ask their own questions and receive such honest responses.”
“Meeting Mark Oshiro was an amazing experience for our GSA students. The students enjoyed reading and discussing the book "The Insiders" as we led up to the author visit but they bursted with excitement and curiosity upon meeting Mark. The energy that Mark brought was contagious and their ability to connect with the students was wonderful. Mark put together a wonderful slide show from childhood to present, which really allowed for our students to connect. Mark shared about their process and gave students an inside scoop into their work, which students loved! In addition, Mark's candidness in which they shared their own struggles with being LGBTQ+ really resonated with the students. The experience exceeded my expectations.”
So, thank you for being really f---ing cool and for sharing that with all of us.”
- Erika Jelenik, Upper School Librarian, Oregon Episcopal School
"Thank you so much for your time and energy today! It was sensational. Please know that I preordered Into the Light and have had several kids ask me for it already!"
- Amanda, Educator in Rhode Island
"MARK! Thank you so much for taking AN HOUR out of your day to chat with the fifth graders and then the seniors! So awesome! You really made a difference in a whole bunch of kids today! Thank you!"
- Stacey, School Librarian in New York
Testimonials from Lambda Literary Writers in Schools Program “Mark: As always it was an absolute pleasure having you visit us and you will always be welcomed with open arms at MS 137!.”
“Mark Oshiro's March 21st virtual visit with my students was incredibly powerful. To quote one student's whisper to another during the presentation "WOW, he real!" Such a wonderful role model for my high school students. Students going through struggles with gender identity, homelessness, ethnic and cultural identity, and religious identity could all identify with Mark Oshiro. Mark shared his personal experiences which resonated with my high school students.”
“When I first applied and we matched with Mark Oshiro, I knew that the students would experience something they never have before. They were so excited to see a queer Hispanic person who was once in their shoes, telling a fantasy story, referencing their own experiences. The students who are LGBTQIA+, along with our students who are children of immigrants, have never felt more seen or validated. Our population is largely Hispanic, so Mark Oshiro's novel and Author's Visit was life changing for many of them. They saw themselves in Mark.”
“The presentation was well-timed, inclusive and multi-modal (loved the pictures), and exciting. Mark had a great presence and they really understood how to engage the students. The question and answer portion was particularly meaningful as Mark encouraged students to ask all kinds of questions, not just questions related to The Insiders.”
“We enjoyed not only the Mark Oshiro's powerpoint presentation which was amazing but also how much our students remained engaged and were excited about having book talk.”
“This program made the students extremely happy. Not only were they excited to meet an LGBTQ author but have the space to openly discuss their options and questions on the book was a great experience for them. They felt heard and appreciated by the author (Mark Oshiro). We enjoyed the Q&A portion. The open dialogue between students and the author great. Students felt so cool being able to ask their own questions and receive such honest responses.”
“Meeting Mark Oshiro was an amazing experience for our GSA students. The students enjoyed reading and discussing the book "The Insiders" as we led up to the author visit but they bursted with excitement and curiosity upon meeting Mark. The energy that Mark brought was contagious and their ability to connect with the students was wonderful. Mark put together a wonderful slide show from childhood to present, which really allowed for our students to connect. Mark shared about their process and gave students an inside scoop into their work, which students loved! In addition, Mark's candidness in which they shared their own struggles with being LGBTQ+ really resonated with the students. The experience exceeded my expectations.”