Anica Mrose Rissi

@anicarissi

Author of books for kids & teens · Fan of dogs & ice cream · Faculty at VCFA WCYA Most recent book: GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE (2026) ⭐️ "Breathless, mesmerizing." --Kirkus, starred review

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Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jul 12

If you, too, feel like dancing, come to my band's record release shows in NYC and Princeton! You can preview three tracks from our new album (and preorder it on vinyl, cd, or digital) here: owenlakeandthetragicloves.bandcamp.com/album/bury-d... I cowrote all the songs and play fiddle throughout

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jul 10

The $15 cover includes a digital download of the new album, Bury Deep My Heart. If you prefer to listen on vinyl or cd, we'll have those formats for sale at the show. (If you'd like to come but the ticket price is stopping you, let me know. I'll hook you up.) tickets.gallery198.app/events/90f9d...

Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves' record Bury Deep My Heart, on top of a Snyderphonics Electrosteel. Art and design by Angela Guyton.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jul 7

Anyway. I'm grateful to the team at @littlebrownyr.bsky.social for giving THE TEACHER'S PET a 2nd life in paperback so Bruno can crash his way into more hearts, homes & classrooms. Here's the link in case you know a teacher, kid, or pet who might love it ♥️📚🦛 www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/anica...

Author selfies with the paperback edition of the book and a very good dog who is not supposed to lick his person's face.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jul 7

As I tell my MFA students—and anyone else who asks—always leave space for the illustrator! After creating this book with Zach and seeing the incredible/hilarious ways he chose to tell the visual story that I *never* would have thought of, my art notes for future manuscripts got even sparser.

Zachariah OHora and Anica Mrose Rissi, grinning at a book festival that happened when they were babies (2018-ish).

Anica Mrose Rissi holding a copy of her and Zachariah OHora's picture book, The Teacher's Pet, which is out in paperback today with a fun new cover.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jul 7

Fun fact: It was a complete surprise to me, the author of the book, when I saw Zachariah OHora's early sketches and learned what Bruno, the class tadpole, would grow up to be. My art note said only: “Whatever Bruno is, he’s most definitely not a frog,” and I absolutely love how Zach ran with that.

Left side of an interior spread from The Teacher's Pet, written by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Text: "Our teacher was right. Bruno grew and grew. and grew. And grew." Art: The Mr. Rogers-like teacher at the front of the classroom, using an enormous hippo's side as a chalkboard. The kids in the foreground look appropriately alarmed.

Right side of that same interior spread from The Teacher's Pet. Text: "Everyone could see that Bruno was trouble. Everyone except Mr. Stricter." Art: Bruno the hippo crunches on the chair of a kid who is trying to pull it out of the hippo's mouth. Other kids in the foreground look dismayed.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jul 7

If you like “wonderful and whimsical” (BookPage) picture books with “brilliant illustrations and silly hijinks” (BookRiot) “bound to make any child giggle” (Deseret News), I hope you’ll pick up a copy (or three!) and enjoy Zach’s and my “over-the-top sensibilities that mesh fantastically” (NYTimes)

Praise for The Teacher's Pet
"Very funny....Cut from Amelia Bedelia's cloth." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Wonderful and whimsical....Irresistible illustrations....There's nothing average about this madcap classroom adventure." --BookPage
"Highly recommended. Perfect for classroom read-alouds and lessons on problem-solving or pets." --School Library Journal
"Rissi, with her edge-of-grossout humor, and OHora, with his giant-headed, candy-colored people, have over-the-top sensibilities that mesh fantastically." --The New York Times Book Review.

A very good dog next to a paperback copy of the very good book The Teacher's Pet, written by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Zachariah OHora.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jul 7

GULP! Zachariah OHora’s and my “very funny” (PW, ⭐️ review) picture book, THE TEACHER’S PET, is out in paperback today with a bendier, floppier, more hippo-tastic cover. It's “a guaranteed chuckle” (USA Today) that’s “perfect for classroom read-alouds” (SLJ) www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/anica...

Open-mouthed selfie of the author with the book.

Selfie of the author peeking out from behind the book, with the back cover shown. Text: "Mr. Stricture always wanted a pet. But when Bruno starts wreaking havoc in the classroom, it's up to the kids to solve one BIG problem!" Art of Bruno the hippo standing on a globe, balancing a plant on his nose, and a horrified kid watching him.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 25

BURY DEEP MY HEART is Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves' 2nd full-length album, but it's our first of all original songs (written by Jeff Snyder & me). I also play fiddle throughout. I'm super proud of this album. We can't wait to share it with you owenlakeandthetragicloves.bandcamp.com/album/bury-d...

A very good dog lying on the kitchen floor with the new Owen Lake record in front of him.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 25

Don't miss the custom circuit board embroidery on Owen Lake's suit, based on a new prototype Snyderphonics Electrosteel board. And you might recognize that fiddle player on the back (it's me). Listen to a few of the tracks: owenlakeandthetragicloves.bandcamp.com/album/bury-d...

Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves' Bury Deep My Heart resting on a pedal steel, with a good dog sitting behind it.

Back cover of Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves' Bury Deep My Heart resting on a different pedal steel guitar, with the same good dog in the background, panting beneath a Snyderphonics Electrosteel.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 25

The records are here! Excited to show off the wistful cover for Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves' BURY DEEP MY HEART, which comes out in vinyl, cd, and digital from Carrier Records on July 24. Album art & design by Angela Guyton, logo by Helen Lin owenlakeandthetragicloves.bandcamp.com/album/bury-d...

Resting on a Snyderphonics Electrosteel, the back cover of the Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves record Bury Deep My Heart. The back cover is an oil painting of Owen Lake and the band's fiddle player (me!) in light blue silhouette, on a dark red-blue-black background, plus full credits for the album.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 20

THANK YOU to all who have read, shared, and supported this book over the years. The paperback is up for preorder now in all the usual places (including that you can ask for it at your favorite local bookstore), and it makes a *great* gift for teachers. GULP! bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

A The Teacher's Pet library event in Stonington, Maine in 2017, with the author and readers showing off their best hippo faces (wide open mouths).

The author in a school hallway in 2018-ish, kneeling in front of an open-mouthed paper hippo on a classroom door.

The author reading The Teacher's Pet to a group of preschoolers at a school in 2019.

The author reading The Teacher's Pet at a school assembly in a gymnasium in 2019.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 20

I’ve gotten to do so many wonderful events for this book, including at schools, libraries, book festivals, and bookstores. My hometown even had a THE TEACHER'S PET float in the 2018 4th of July parade! (Love you forever, Stonington Public Library.)

A small kid dressed up as Mr. Stricter, the teacher from The Teacher's Pet, sitting on a wooden chair on a parade float. An enormous cardboard hippo (Bruno, the class pet) looms behind him.

The author, dressed as Mr. Stricter and holding a sign showing the book cover, standing in front of the parade float with the enormous cardboard hippo, the kids enacting a classroom scene, and the word ACHOOO painted on the side of the float.

The author reads from The Teacher's Pet onstage at the Brooklyn Book Festival in 2017.

The author reads The Teacher's Pet to a bunch of kids at The Ghouls and Ghords Festival in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, in October 2017.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 20

9 years ago today, Zachariah OHora's & my THE TEACHER’S PET hatched, smashed & rwarrrrred into the world to prove that a hippo does not make a good class pet. (Sorry, Bruno.) The hardcover is now a collector’s edition (out of print), but on July 7, it comes out in paperback with a fun new cover!

Selfie of the author holding the two editions of THE TEACHER'S PET while her face gets a lick from a very good dog.

Hardcover of The Teacher's Pet by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Zachariah OHora, showing the teacher, Mr. Stricter, holding a small aquarium, looking serene/oblivious, while the horrified kids notice chomps taking out of the teacher's desk, the chalkboard, and a book. Paperback of The Teacher's Pet showing the same concerned kids and a delighted teacher, who is petting/praising the enormous hippo who has his front legs up on the teacher's desk.

Zachariah OHora and Anica Mrose Rissi in Books of Wonder in 2017, showing case cover art from the hardcover of The Teacher's Pet (the front depicts Bruno the hippo with his mouth closed; the back depicts him with his mouth wide open).

Zachariah OHora and Anica Mrose Rissi at a school visit in 2017, talking with a gym full of kids, many of whom are raising their hands. On the screen behind them is the cover of The Teacher's Pet.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 8

The only thing more satisfying than crossing out whole paragraphs or rearranging a scene with ink is scribbling twenty-three not-right versions of a sentence in the margins and untangling the perfect one.

A printed draft of the manuscript that became Girl Reflected in Knife, with lots and lots of pink ink in the margins. (note: this is a different draft from the one shown in the skeet above!)

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 8

In my editor days, I used to mark up my authors’ manuscripts by hand, and there’s something about revising with a pen that lets me be both ruthless and precious with my own drafts.

Manuscript revisions on the screen in Scrivener, and on the desk in two printouts--one with comment bubbles from a trusted reader, one scrawled with revisions in pink ink.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 8

Nothing, just posing for glamour shots with my drafts. ✨ Now that GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE has been out in the world for two months, it’s time to box up this stack of 12+ revisions from 12+ years of figuring out how to make this the book I wanted it to be. (Worth it. It takes the time it takes.)

Hardcover of Girl Reflected in Knife by Anica Mrose Rissi (PRH/Dutton, April 2026) on a red background. Cover art by David Roy Ocotla, design by Kaitlin Yang.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 5

Anna-Marie McLemore's WE COULD BE ANYONE--about a brother-sister con artists pair pulling off a scam at a Golden Age Hollywood resort--is one of my favorite books I've read this year. It's gorgeous, deep, and dark, while also thrilling and fun, and filled with radiant prose. Highly recommend!

A hardcover of We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore held up over a tree-shadowed sidewalk.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Jun 5

My YA debut, ALWAYS FOREVER MAYBE—about a toxic romance & an essential friendship—came out 8 yrs ago today. It’s an honor to write books for & about teenagers. I’m grateful for every reader. "Elegantly written" —Kirkus "This story must be told" —VOYA "Emotionally resonant" —PW "Heartbreaking" —SLJ

The author in 2018, grinning widely, kicking out one leg to the side, and holding a large poster of the Always Forever Maybe book cover. Cover art by Sean Freeman, design by Erin Fitzsimmons.

Three YA novels by Anica Mrose Rissi--Always Forever Maybe (2018), Nobody Knows But You (2020), and Girl Reflected in Knife (2026)--on a gravel path.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· May 13

Author Anna-Marie McLemore did this cover cosplay of GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE for the spring issue of The Eavesdrop, and I love it so much. www.thisistheeavesdrop.com/issue-3-plot/ Cover art by David Roy Ocotla; cover design by Kaitlin Yang. Published by @penguinteen.bsky.social

Anna-Marie McLemore with teal, yellow, red, and white paint on their face and clothes, cosplaying the collage cover art of Girl Reflected in Knife.

Screenshot of another cover cosplay photo from ThisIstheEavesdrop.com, with the text:
“Artistic expression is a thread that runs deep through Girl Reflected in Knife, so it was only fitting to break out the paint and brushes and take inspiration from the book’s gorgeous cover. I duplicated some elements from the cover girl’s face and added my own interpretation of some of the elements from along the edges of the cover.”

Hardcover of Girl Reflected in Knife by Anica Mrose Rissi in the grass, with paintbrushes dipped in teal, red, yellow, and white paints sticking out of the book.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· May 5

Happy birthday, little book. Thank you for making me an author.

Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split and the author's 15 other books (picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA) among 11 cupcakes with lit candles.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· May 5

Eleven years ago today, my first book was born. I'm grateful for every reader (and every nurse on that maternity ward) 💙

The author, in a hospital gown/bed, cradling a hardcover of ANNA, BANANA, AND THE FRIENDSHIP SPLIT in a hospital baby blanket and staring down at it fondly. They are attended by nurse in a blue nursing gown.

Same hospital setting, cradling the book in the baby blanket and looking at the camera this time (proud, exhausted).

A different nurse (this one in purple scrubs) holds a stethoscope to the book, which rests on the hospital table used for newborn screenings, as the author looks on.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· May 4

Reread this essential text for the first time in 3.5 decades. Emily still kicks Anne's butt from page 1, even though this first book in the trilogy is the least of them. An author's book is not in competition with their other books, you say? Nonsense.* *does not apply to my books, of course

1983 mass-market paperback edition of Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (plus a very good dog in the background).

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· May 1

Educators coming to Hudson Children's Book Festival this weekend: I'll be giving away picture books! Stop by my table and ask for one. ♥️📚

Handwritten sign: "Teachers & Librarians--ask me for a free picture book!" on top of a stack of The Teachers' Pet written by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Zachariah OHora, with the top book open to a scene of the teacher using the class pet (an enormous hippo) as a chalkboard, while the hippo munches on a desk. "Our teacher was right. Bruno grew and grew. And grew. And grew. Everyone could see that Bruno was trouble. Everyone except Mr. Stricter."

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Apr 29

Also: Good dog is very good.

A very good dog sits behind three dandelion puffs held up in the foreground. He looks away from the camera and is smile-panting with his tongue out.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Apr 29

It’s wishing season again. I’m blowing as hard as I can, sending these dreams off on the wind, hoping each finds the right place to bloom. 🌱 Other writers putting yourselves out there: I see you.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Apr 26

We’re in the paper! (Poor Tato. But after he poses, he gets treats.) Thanks to Joe Emanski for the lovely profile in the April issue of The Princeton Echo, "YA author makes incisive cuts with 'Girl Reflected in Knife'." www.communitynews.org/towns/prince...

The author and her dog pose with a copy of the newspaper showing a different photo of the author and her dog (with a copy of her latest novel, Girl Reflected in Knife).

$Opening paragraphs of the article: For more than a decade, Anica Mrose Rissi carried fragments of a story with her on walks through Princeton neighborhoods, parks and plazas. Anica Mrose Rissi and Tato Author Anica Mrose Rissi with Sweet Potato, aka "Tato," and her new YA novel, "Girl Reflected in Knife." On April 7, those fragments will take final form as “Girl Reflected in Knife,” a young adult novel that will be published by Penguin Random House. The author says the book is one of the most ambitious works of her career — and one shaped in part by her years living and writing in and around Princeton. Rissi will be at Princeton Public Library on April 7 for a launch party for “Girl Reflected in Knife.” She will be in conversation with author Emily X.R. Pan and members of the PPL’s teen advisory board. The party will start at 6:30 p.m. Now that the book is complete, she reflects that in some ways, “Girl Reflected in Knife” is exactly the book she set out to write. And yet, she endured a 12-year process from start to finish. “The book was a slow accumulation of questions, ideas, experiences and ambitions that could not have been rushed,” she says. “I needed that time to try, fail and experiment. The story needed that time to become fully itself, and to help me become the writer who could pull it off.” The novel follows Destiny, a 17-year-old girl navigating heartbreak, instability and a spiraling mental health crisis. Rissi describes it this way: “‘Girl Reflected in Knife’ is an exploration of love, heartbreak, addiction, mental health issues, friendship and survival. It’s a modern fractured fairy tale about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive—and what happens when those stories and our lived realities no longer align. I’ve touched on some of these topics in my previous books, but I was excited to really go deep on them here.”$

From the end of the article:

Rissi is also helping to launch a new event series, Writers on Writing, at Labyrinth Books, with friend and author Amy Jo Burns. Writers on Writing will be aimed at bringing together authors and readers for in-depth conversations about craft.

The first event, scheduled for May 28, will focus on how writers begin their work. Authors Anna-Marie McLemore and Princeton’s own Dexter Palmer will be the guests.

“The writing life is full of ups and downs: creative highs and lows, book deals, book rejections — yes, even for those of us who have been published multiple times,” Rissi says.

But she loves the challenge of the writing itself. “It’s a puzzle, and the puzzle constantly changes shape. Each time I start a new project, I don’t really know how to write it yet. I have to accept I won’t know how to write it well until it’s done,” she says.

Full article (which spreads across three pages of the newspaper) in print, arranged on a hardwood floor.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Apr 21

Tearing up as I listen to @hello.gailshalan.com's exquisite narration for GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE. This can’t have been an easy audiobook to pull off, but Gail weaves together the story’s multiple threads in a riveting performance. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/768721...

Screenshot of the audiobook of Girl Reflected in Knife by Anica Mrose Rissi (cover art by David Roy Ocotla).

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Apr 20

A second starred review for GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE! ⭐️ “Deftly examines mental health through the lens of internalized trauma and skewed self-perception….This emotional YA novel is both tragic and mesmerizing.” Thanks, @shelf-awareness.com Full review: www.shelf-awareness.com/readers/2026...

Selfie of the author holding a hardcover of Girl Reflected in Knife (cover art by David Roy Ocotla, cover design by Kaitlyn Yang) with two paper stars stuck to her face.

Handwritten on a yellow star cutout next to a sticker with the cover image: "Deftly examines mental health through the lens of internalized trauma and skewed self-perception...Tragic and mesmerizing." --Shelf Awareness, starred review.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Apr 19

Also at Labyrinth: signed copies of GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE www.labyrinthbooks.com/girl-reflect...

In the YA section of Labyrinth Books in Princeton, NJ, many great books on display, including a stack of signed hardcovers of Girl Reflected in Knife by Anica Mrose Rissi. The authors stands behind the stack, holding a copy.

Anica Mrose Rissi@anicarissi· Apr 19

One of my favorite writers wrote a book about writing, and I just got my copy from Labyrinth Books in Princeton. cc: @tinhouse.bsky.social