Meg Eden

Kuyatt

Middle Grade Novelist

Award Winning Poet

Travels from: Baltimore, MD

“Heartfelt. Kuyatt uses candid lines to present Selah’s own experiences, self-knowledge, and eventual self-advocacy.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

Meg Eden Kuyatt is an autistic novelist and poet based in the DC area. She is the author of five poetry chapbooks, the novel Post-High School Reality Quest (2017), the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection Drowning in the Floating World and children’s novels including a 2024 ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor Good Different, and The Girl in the Wall (Scholastic, 2025) a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her work is published or forthcoming in magazines including Writer’s Digest, Prairie Schooner, The Rumpus, Poetry Northwest, Crab Orchard Review, RHINO and CV2.

She received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland College Park. She teaches creative writing courses and has taught at a range of places, including Anne Arundel Community College, Southern New Hampshire University online, University of Maryland College Park, MTSU Write, Eckleburg Workshops, and The Writer’s Center in Bethesda since 2013.

Meg Eden's Featured Titles

The Girl in the Walls

Scholastic Press |

May 20, 2025

Children’s/Middle Grade

When a neurodivergent girl finds a ghost in the walls, she must decide if the ghost is an ally or an enemy — and the wrong decision could destroy her and her family. From Schneider Family Book Award Honor author Meg Eden Kuyatt comes a chilling yet lyrical new novel-in-verse that’s sure to resonate with readers for years to come.

After a hard school year, V has been sent to her Grandma Jojo’s house for the summer in order to get away from it all. But unlike neurodivergent, artistic, sock-collecting V, Jojo is uptight, critical, and obsessed with her spotless house. She doesn’t get V at all. V is sure she’s doomed to have the worst summer ever.

Then V starts hearing noises from inside the walls of the house…

Knocks, the sounds of a girl crying, and voices echoing in the night.

When V finds a ghostly girl hiding in the walls, they seem to have an immediate connection. This might be V’s chance to get back at her perfect grandmother by messing with her just a little bit.

But the buried secrets go much deeper — and are much more dangerous — than V even suspects. And they threaten to swallow her and her family whole if she can’t find a way to uncover the truth of the girl before it’s too late.

A contemporary novel-in-verse with a ghostly twist by the author of Good Different, this book is about the power — and danger — of secrets. The Girl in the Walls will grab you and not let go until the very last page.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Fiction, Kid-Lit: Middle Grade, Mystery & Thriller, Neurodiverse Concerns & Perspectives

Good Different

Scholastic Press |

April 4, 2023

Children’s/Middle Grade

A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book

An extraordinary novel-in-verse for fans of Starfish and A Kind of Spark about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference.

Selah knows her rules for being normal.

She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down. So that she has to tear off her normal-person mask the second she gets home from school, and listen to her favorite pop song on repeat, trying to recharge. Selah feels like a dragon stuck in a world of humans, but she knows how to hide it.

Until the day she explodes and hits a fellow student.

Selah’s friends pull away from her, her school threatens expulsion, and her comfortable, familiar world starts to crumble.

But as Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. Can she get her school to understand that, too, before it’s too late?

This is a moving and unputdownable story about learning to celebrate the things that make us different. Good Different is the perfect next read for fans of Counting by 7s or Jasmine Warga.

Disability Awareness, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Fiction, Friendship & Community, Kid-Lit: Middle Grade, Mental Health & Overcoming Trauma, Neurodiverse Concerns & Perspectives, Social & Emotional Development

Drowning in the Floating World

Press 53 |

March 11, 2020

Poetry

Drowning in the Floating World by Meg Eden immerses us into the Japanese natural disaster known as 3/11: the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Relentless as the disaster itself, Eden seizes control of our deepest emotional centers, and, through insightful perspective, holds us in consideration of loss, helplessness, upheaval, and, perhaps most stirring, what do make of, and do with, survival. This poetry collection is also a cultural education, sure to encourage further reading and research. Drowning in the Floating World is, itself, a tsunami stone–a warning beacon to remind us to learn from disaster and, in doing so, honor all that’s lost.

Grief & Loss, Natural World, Poetry

Post High School Reality Quest

Rare Bird Books |

June 13, 2017

Teen and YA Magical Realism

Buffy’s your typical cosplaying, retro-gaming, con-going geek girl, but as her high school graduation approaches, she finds she has an unwelcome guest in her mind: the text parser.

Narrating her life like it’s a classic adventure game (cough Zork cough), the text parser forces her to interact with the world through a series of a typewritten commands: Finish school.
Go to party.
Fall in love.
At first it’s pretty cool. It’s not easy making the transition from high school to college. It’s not easy dealing with roommates. It’s not easy being in a new relationship with her lifelong crush. Buffy makes some huge mistakes along the way, but the text-parser lets her fix all of them.

It’s like having superpowers…until the text parser won’t shut up.

Buffy is desperate to get rid of it, but no matter how many times she tries to restart or reset, the text parser won’t go away. Before long, her life starts to crumble: her friends grow apart, her roommates turn against her, and her boyfriend falls into a deep depression. Buffy’s life has become a game, but how can you win when there’s no final boss?

Narrated in the style of classic adventure games, Post–High School Reality Quest is is a captivating coming-of-age story that T. E. Carter calls a “must read” for all gamers and YA fans.

Fantasy, Speculative & Science Fiction, Kid-Lit: Young Adult

My Journey as an Author

My traditional school visit presentation covers my writer journey from a young age, the inspiration behind the book Good Different (or if preferred, The Girls in the Walls), what it’s like to be autistic, reading 1-2 poems, and time for questions. Includes plenty of Pokemon and dragon references, as well as interactive prompts.

Good Different Poetry Workshop

Let’s play with poetry! Using examples from Good Different, we’ll talk about two critical writing tools in our toolbox: sensory details and repetition. There will be time for writing prompts and optional sharing. Particularly great for National Poetry Month!

How Video Games Taught Me How to Write Workshop

Through the power of images, we can convey a whole narrative in a short space. We’ll discuss examples of games that tell stories through objects, and go into our own writing exercises inspired by video games.
(Adaptable for kid and adult audiences)

Writing What You Love Interactive Writing Workshop

Our best writing comes from what interests and excites us. Using examples from my own books, I’ll talk about ways I’ve channeled my own and my characters’ interests into my stories, and give exercises on how you can explore your interests to make your writing not just strong but fun!

Professional Kid-ness: The Joy of Middle Grade Writing

Adaptable as a talk or an interactive workshop

Author Gennifer Choldenko describes being a middle grade writer as being “a professional twelve-year old.” To write middle grade, we can’t merely remember childhood, we have to re-learn how to be kids and write with a 12 year old’s worldview. But how do we do that? After all, middle grade is the great between: it’s not quite edgy enough to be young adult, but it’s got more heft than a chapter book. It’s right in the middle, just like the age of its readers: not quite a teen, but not exactly into the same kid things they were when they read Dr. Seuss. What exactly are the criteria for middle grade, and how do we write compellingly for this market? How do we get in a space to write the elusive but critical middle grade voice? Join us for this interactive discussion and workshop to ask all your middle grade questions, and take part in exercises to explore your own middle grade voice and find joy in the process.

Writing a Novel in Verse

Thinking about writing a novel in verse? The novel-in-verse is a unique form that merges elements of poetry and fiction, and is gaining popularity in the kidlit community as a powerful storytelling form. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the craft and thematic elements that make for a strong novel-in-verse, explore some examples of effective novels in verse, and engage in exercises to start investigating this form for our own narratives.

Writing as a Neurodivergent Person

What does it mean to be a neurodivergent writer? While publishers say they’re looking for work from lived neurodivergent experiences, do they really mean it? While I personally have received so much positive support already for my forthcoming novel in verse Good Different, and have found such joy in writing about my lived experience, I’ve also had some reactions to my neurodivergent protagonists along the way that have surprised me. Come for an honest conversation about the current state of neurodivergent representation particularly in kidlit, as well as the experiences of a neurodivergent writer in the publishing landscape. Bring questions and topics you’d like to talk about!

The Power of Specificity: Mining your Lived Experiences

Can be adapted as a talk or workshop

Sometimes our experience seems too “boring” to write about, or that we need to add fictional sparks to make it more “interesting”–but in fact, the little details of our lived experiences can be our most valuable assets as writers. We hear the truism “write what you know” because our expertise is our strength, and the difference between a compelling, believable story and pulling our readers out of the suspension of disbelief. But what do we know? In this workshop, we’ll take part in exercises that dig deep into the specific intersections of our identity, as well as the language of our unique experiences. The goal for this workshop is for everyone to walk away feeling empowered about the unique expertise they bring to their writing, and to be reminded that we all have a place at the table with stories that need to get out into the world!

Hooking Your Reader: Writing A Killer First Line

Can be adapted as a talk or workshop

Most editors of both magazines and presses will say that they read the first, last and middle page of a story before deciding if they want to read more. Potential readers are even less forgiving. When I pick up a new book, if the first line doesn’t hook me, I probably won’t continue reading. So how do we snag our readers and make them want to read more? In this workshop, we’ll look at examples of powerful first lines and discuss strategies for selecting a powerful first line. Feel free to bring the first line of your story or novel for a mini first-line “workshop.”

Getting Your Foot in the Door: Publishing in Literary Magazines

Want to submit your work to magazines but don’t know how? In this workshop, we’ll talk about what literary magazines are, what editors are looking for in submissions, have a “translation” exercise, tips on how to get the most out of a lit mag, tips for approaching writing a cover letter and contributor bio, as well as how to handle rejections. The skills you learn in this session can easily apply to other publication realms, including writing to agents and editors of small book presses. All participants will receive a complimentary magazine of their choice.

“I had the opportunity to have Ms. Meg host an author visit to share her book, Good Different. During the visit, she opened up to my students about how the main character is based on her own experiences. Many of my students were able to relate, especially those with family members on the autism spectrum. In my second year, I was fortunate to have her return as a resident writer in my classroom. She guided my students on a writing journey beyond anything I could have imagined—teaching them how to create tone, develop themes, and craft vivid, meaningful stories. Ms. Meg is not only an incredible writer but also a gifted educator. Thank you for all that you do!” — Griselda Rutherford, DC/Barnard ES

“Meg Eden Kuyatt had a virtual visit with our fifth grade students. Our students have read many books with main characters that have disabilities. It was so inspirational for our readers to get to know an author whose differences helped inspire her books. They were able to make so many connections to books as well as better understand people in their everyday lives. Meg Eden Kuyatt was so insightful in how she described her writing process and connections to her characters. She was thoughtful when responding to our student questions. She helped inspire many of our students to think and write in new and unique ways. We all really enjoyed her two books, Good Different and The Girl in the Walls. We especially love how they were written in prose, but still told a unique story we could all connect to. Thank you for speaking with the fifth grade students!” — Christine Mercer, Coleman ES 5th Grade

“On World Read Aloud Day, Meg joined our 6th grade ELA class for a virtual author visit. She shared insights about her acclaimed book Good Different and treated students to a special preview from her upcoming novel, The Girl in the Walls. Students hung on her every word and had a flurry of thoughtful questions, which Meg answered with warmth and patience. After her visit, excitement buzzed through the classroom, with students eagerly competing to be the first to borrow her book. It was a truly unforgettable experience for both students and teachers. Thank you, Meg, for making the day so special!” — Leah Werther, Guilderland CSD

“Meg engaged our members from the outset when she described how the first sentence is like bait, by setting the tone, tension, and character of a story, that lures the reader into the first page and then hooks them into turning to page two. We thoroughly enjoyed her style and in dissecting and analyzing first lines. ” — Jim Brewster, Program Chair, MWA Charles County Chapter, 2024

“I have done workshops with Tom Lux, Marilyn Hacker and Marge Piercy. This is one of the best!” — Poetic Forms Course Student Marjorie, 2020

“This is like the next “Wonder.” — Good Morning America

“★ Kuyatt, who is autistic, uses candid lines to present Selah’s story, conveying her mother’s well-intentioned denial of Selah’s needs, and Selah’s own experiences, self-knowledge, and eventual self-advocacy.” — Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

“★ [A] beautifully written novel-in-verse…Ultimately, readers will empathize with Selah and rejoice with her as she learns to accept herself as she is.” — Booklist, starred review

Meg Eden’s Additional Resources Link

Classroom Resources for Good Different

Full Talk List Link

Honors, Awards & Recognition

A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book
A School Library Journal Best Book
Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers
2024 ALSC Notable Children’s Books List
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
2021 Towson Prize for Literature Book
Good Different in recognized on 21 state lists