Jasmine A.

Stirling

Award Winning Picture Book Author

Jane Austen Enthusiast

Travels from: San Francisco, CA

“An informative, engaging depiction of the life and growth of an exceptional literary talent.” —Kirkus Reviews

Jasmine A. Stirling (she/her) is the award-winning author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice (Bloomsbury, 2021), a Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year. Her next book, Dare to Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote (Union Square Kids, 2023) celebrates queer leader Carrie Chapman Catt’s daring questions—how they reinvented the suffrage movement, mobilized millions, and inspired the letter that changed the lives of American women forever. Jasmine’s most recent title, about a botanist who disguised herself as a man and became the first woman to circumnavigate the world, comes out in 2025.

Jasmine is a mom of two young girls, a lover of farmstands and footpaths, a loud but terrible singer, a theatergoer, and a classic literature geek. She grew up with a single, teen mom in a small town in Arizona. When she was 17, she loaded up a truck and drove herself to San Francisco.

Prior to being an author, Jasmine was a C-level education technology executive, and designed products and services to make learning accessible and exciting.

Jasmine lives in an old house in San Francisco with her spouse, two daughters, and an absurdly adorable dog.

Jasmine A.'s Featured Titles

Dare to Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote (People Who Shaped Our World)

Union Square Kids |

July 11, 2023

Children’s

Jasmine A. Stirling, author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, delivers a powerful, poetic picture book biography about suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, perfect for fans of I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark and the Rebel Girls series.

As a child, Carrie Chapman Catt asked a lot of questions: How many stars are in the sky? Do germs have personalities? And why can’t Mama vote? Catt’s curiosity led her to college, to a career in journalism, and finally to becoming the president of The National American Woman Suffrage Association. Catt knew the movement needed a change—and she set to work mobilizing women (and men) across the nation to dare to question a woman’s right to vote.

On August 18, 1920, Catt pinned a yellow rose to her dress and waited while lawmakers in Tennessee cast their deciding votes to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. After a seventy-year campaign, had women finally won the right to vote?

Stirling’s suspenseful retelling of the dramatic final “yea” that changed the history of women’s rights brings the past to life for young readers.

A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice

Bloomsbury Children’s Books |

March 30, 2021

Nonfiction

Witty and mischievous Jane Austen grew up in a house overflowing with words. As a young girl, she delighted in making her family laugh with tales that poked fun at the popular novels of her time, stories that featured fragile ladies and ridiculous plots. Before long, Jane was writing her own stories-uproariously funny ones, using all the details of her life in a country village as inspiration.

In times of joy, Jane’s words burst from her pen. But after facing sorrow and loss, she wondered if she’d ever write again. Jane realized her writing would not be truly her own until she found her unique voice. She didn’t know it then, but that voice would go on to capture readers’ hearts and minds for generations to come.

History & Biography

Votes for All! America's Democratic Journey

Author Jasmine A. Stirling will talk about her journey as a writer, then lead students in a high energy election to decide which song will be played during the author visit dance party. But there’s a catch: only the kids wearing a particular color that day get to vote. Is this fair?

This will lead to a discussion about questions like: What is democracy? What is the US Constitution? What does it feel like when someone else can vote, but you can not? How can those who are excluded make change?

Jasmine will read an excerpt from her book, Dare to Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote, and discuss the superpowers of activists who have shaped voting rights in US history: Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now, the excluded students will pair share to choose a superpower to advocate for themselves. Then, all the students will have the right to participate in the election. Once the winning song is selected, the dance party will begin!

The Right to Read: Book Banning and Censorship

Author Jasmine A. Stirling will give a mini lesson on the 1st Amendment, then talk about book banning and censorship happening today. Are there times when a book should be banned or changed? Who should decide what books are available to read? Do you think Dare to Question should be banned?

Her Power, Her Voice, Her Vote!

Author Jasmine A. Stirling will engage students in an exploration of ideas about gender, and how these ideas have changed over time. Ideas about gender led to differences in what women and men were allowed to do, such as voting, owning property, getting an education, and participating in most professions.

Leaders like Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, and Carrie Chapman Catt stood up for women and changed people’s minds. Students will explore how it feels to have restrictions on their rights based on how they look.

Jane Austen, Creativity, and Persistence

Author Jasmine A. Stirling will speak about what Jane Austen’s life teaches us about creativity and persistence, with a special emphasis on how the myth of the creative genius vs. the reality. As Austen’s life shows, creativity requires a supportive community, a rootedness in place, time, financial stability, a willingness to improve, discipline, and consistency—often over decades—in order to mature. A reading from her picture book biography of Jane Austen, A Most Clever Girl, and Q&A will follow.

Queer Through The Ages: How Ideas About Gender and Identity Evolved In The West

Author Jasmine A. Stirling will talk about how definitions of queerness have changed in the past 200 years. She will also engage students in a conversation about the many queer women in United States history who led the movement for women’s rights, including Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Chung, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Frances Willard, and Carrie Chapman Catt.

This presentation is aligned with the standards listed above, but is more focused on diversity, for example:

The second-grade chapter includes the first reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in families, as well as families with a wide variety of structures, religions, ethnicities, and racial identities.

From Ballroom to Boba: The History of Tea in the West

Let’s talk about tea through the ages, from the Regency to the Victorians to Pooh Bear and his elevenses and the local boba shop. How was tea tied to colonialism? What’s your favorite tea drink today? We’ll discuss tea in the context of Jane Austen’s time, followed by excerpts from A Most Clever Girl and Q&A.

Pride & Prosperity: Women, Money and Jane Austen

Author Jasmine A. Stirling will speak about Jane Austen’s legacy, with a special emphasis on how the rights of women—in particular the ability to create financial independence—have evolved since the Regency period. We’ll discuss how women’s limited economic freedoms impacted Jane Austen, leaving her dependent on the charity of her male relatives after her father died, and the devastating impact that had on her writing. We’ll also touch on Austen’s frank treatment of money in her novels—a hallmark of her writing—and what that tells us about Austen as a person and an artist. A reading from her picture book biography of Jane Austen, A Most Clever Girl, and Q&A will follow.

Jane Austen: The Heroine's Journey

Join author Jasmine A. Stirling for a discussion of how Jane Austen’s life story reflects the archetypal heroine’s journey. She’ll discuss the phases that Austen went through on her path to greatness: innocence, mentoring, loss of innocence, wisdom, and mastery—and how these phases mirror those in ancient stories such as the myth of Cupid and Psyche. A reading from Jasmine’s upcoming picture book biography of Jane Austen, A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, and Q&A will follow.

“Thank you for your incredible conversation as closing speaker for our Women in Leadership & Philanthropy symposium! We learned of the many ways leaders, writers, and everyday people create change, and came away motivated to do the same.” — Cheryl V, U of San Francisco

“What an amazing presentation! The students were completely engaged. They loved learning about how a book is made, and were motivated in their own writing by your visit.” — Vanessa G, French American International School

“Jasmine’s session was entertaining, engaging, and inspiring. The audience loved getting the benefit of her Austen research, as well as learning little-known details about how a picture book comes to life.” — Inger B, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

“Myriad threads [come] together to present an engaging portrait accompanied by detailed and engaging illustrations that entwine with the story and give a strong sense of the era. . . . a bright and honest tale of the development of a great writer who grappled with adversity, one that will inspire and fascinate young readers. An informative, engaging depiction of the life and growth of an exceptional literary talent.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Charming. . . The hand-drawn pictures and amusing narrative make this a fitting tribute to Austen, and readers should come away with an appreciation for her talent plus a good understanding of what a writer’s voice is all about.” —Booklist

Jane Austin Paperdolls

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Honors, Awards & Recognition

The IPNE Children’s Book Award
A Mighty Girl Best Books of the Year
Marin County Bestseller’s List
Book Riot’s Best Books of the Year
TinyBeans Best Books of the Year
Imagination Soup Best Books of the Year