Katie Bayerl: A Conversation About What Comes After [S7 EP. 266]

katie-bayerl-what-comes-after

Listen to the full episode below:

Raise your hand if you’ve ever daydreamed about writing a novel while grading essays. 🙋‍♀️ Yeah, us too. That’s why we were so excited to sit down with Katie Bayerl, former English teacher turned YA author, for a conversation about her newest novel and so much more.

Katie’s newest novel, What Comes After, is technically about death, but don’t let that fool you! It’s also laugh-out-loud funny, wildly imaginative, and deeply human. In this episode, Katie gives us the inside scoop on how her main character ends up navigating a very quirky afterlife, and why she wanted to write a book that tackles grief, identity, and family rifts with humor. Because let’s be honest—sometimes the heaviest stuff needs a little levity to really land.

But our convo didn’t stop at the book. Katie shared her journey from the classroom to the writing world, how she helps young writers tap into their own stories, and why she still proudly calls herself a teacher. We talk writing process, classroom connections, and all the juicy ways you could use What Comes After to spark inquiry, empathy, and honest conversations with your students. Basically, if you’re a fellow book nerd like us (which we’re guessing you are), this episode is going to fill your teacher cup and your TBR pile.

topics discussed:

  • Katie Bayerl’s career journey from being a ninth-grade English teacher to becoming a YA author, and how her teaching background influences her writing.

  • The themes of her new novel, "What Comes After," including processing identity shifts, life after loss, and the importance of redefining oneself.

  • The role of humor in YA fiction and how Katie intentionally uses comedy to address heavy themes like death, healing, and social pressures.

  • Big inquiry-based questions and classroom discussion topics inspired by What Comes After

  • Suggestions for pairing What Comes After with other books and media

  • Advice for teachers on fostering student writers

resources:

Meet katie:

When Katie Bayerl isn’t penning stories, she can be found dancing, writing about social causes, or herding a trio of (mostly well-behaved) cats. Katie holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is on the creative writing faculty at Grub Street. 

Her previous young adult novel, A Psalm for Lost Girls, earned two starred reviews and was a Texas Library Association selection, among other honors. Katie lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Connect with katie:

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Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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