Biography

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A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author whose narrative interests lie at the intersection of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship. He is the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, and Ana on the Edge, as well as the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG (with Nicole Melleby). All three books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections.

A. J. is the author of the upcoming middle grade book Just Shy of Ordinary (Little, Brown, 2024), the picture book Shabbat Is … (Little, Brown, 2024), and a contributor to the This Is Our Rainbow (Knopf Books for Young Readers), Allies (DK/Penguin Random House), and On All Other Nights (Abrams, 2024) anthologies.

When he’s not writing, A. J. figure skates and travels as much as possible. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and two cats who act like dogs. Visit him online at sassinsf.com and follow him @matokah on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

A. J. is represented by Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.

Notables

Essays

Interviews

Scholarships, Craft Mentorships, etc.

Et Cetera

Just the Facts

Name: I write under my initials A. J., but feel free to call me Andrew 🙂

Pronouns: He/him/his or they/their/them – your choice!

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Origin: I call California home now but I grew up all over the Midwest and South. At various points in my life, I lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, and Georgia.

Relationship (two-legged): Deven, my creative and wonderfully witty partner.

Relationship (four-legged): Amato (“Amo”) and Alistair, the cats who can fetch.

Education:

  • I studied psychology, Jewish studies, history, and languages (mostly Semitic, plus French) at the University of Minnesota.
  • I attended law school at University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento.

Hobbies:

  • Cartwheels on ice
  • Willing people and plots into existence with the mere tippety-tap of my fingers
  • Learning languages
  • Traveling to new places (bonus points if they have ice rinks)
  • Tea-tasting
  • Latte sampling
  • High-volume book accrual