Shelly Mecum Teacher & Author of "God's Photo Album -  How We Looked for God and Saved Our School"

Shelly Mecum first knew she wanted to become an author as she sat in her apple tree devouring A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. She was eleven years old. Twenty-six years later, Shelly received an endorsement from Madeleine L'Engle on the very day she signed a contract for her new book with Harper San Francisco. 

Shelly was born in Denver Colorado and was educated in Catholic schools throughout her life. She attended the University of San Diego and graduated Magna Cum Laude, with a double major in French and English in 1985. She was a member of Pi Delta Phi and received the Catherine Swanke Award for outstanding contributions to the Honors Program. 

Shelly lived in Japan for nine years. While in Japan, she taught English to students of all ages and worked for NHK's Foreign Language Programs, acting on a very popular weekly national television series, Yasashi Ekaiwa or "Easy English Conversation". 

Shelly and her family moved to Ewa Beach, Hawaii, where she became a teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and an activist for statewide literacy. For three years, she and her family ran a food bank at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church as an outreach to the poor of Ewa Beach Community. Shelly is frequently asked to speak to religious groups and educators all over the country, including the Maui Writers Conference 2000.  Recent engagements include Keynote Speaker at the LA Religious Congress, 2001 (35,000 attendees), International Reading Association lectures and a presentation to the National Catholic Educational Association Convention in Milwaukee (20,000 attendees). 

Shelly is currently writing and traveling the country visiting schools and keynoting at educational and religious conferences. Her topics? How to create a miracle in your own backyard! The Journey of A Dream-Come-True!. As President of Shelly's Workshop, Inc. she promotes family literacy and education. Shelly and her husband Bill Mecum have two school-age children, John and Joey, who were born in Japan.

The author is donating 85% of her net royalties to a foundation supporting the school and its projects.  They intend to build a preschool.