Kathryn Mitchell Pierce currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Literacy at Saint Louis University in Missouri. Previously, Kathryn spent a decade teaching at the university level before returning to teach in K-12 settings where she spent a decade teaching in the primary grades and another decade teaching and coaching in middle school. Her research interests focus on classroom talk, specifically supporting teachers and students engaged in critical conversations about literature written for children and young adults. Her publications include numerous articles, chapters, and journal columns as well as two co-edited books about literature study and Going Public with Assessment: A Community Practice Approach co-authored with Rosario Ordoñez-Jasis (NCTE, 2018).