Teresa Robeson

A self-professed aficionado of physics and amateur astronomer, Teresa Robeson considered studying astrophysics in college, but ended up studying linguistics with a little climatology on the side. Born in Hong Kong, raised in Vancouver, Canada, and currently living in Indiana, Teresa is committed to writing books for children that focus on science and her Chinese cultural heritage. Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom is her debut picturebook, and she has a forthcoming nonfiction, science-related picturebook, Clouds in Space: The Nebula Story. Teresa is an alumna of the We Need Diverse Books mentoring program and her manuscript, Clear and Bright: the Ching Ming Festival, won the Silver prize in the 2020-21 Astra International Picture Book writing contest. Visit her website  and blog to learn “top-secret” information about Teresa and more about her current projects.

Teresa's Process

Listen to Teresa explain how she researched and wrote Queen of Physics. In particular she addresses:
  • Inspiration - reading the Physics Today magazine [0:40]
  • Research Process: Searching for resources [3:00]
  • Teresa’s interest in physics [8:20]
  • Tips for researching for young writers: 
  • Use the library! [11:28]
  • Talk to people with knowledge of your topic [12:25]
  • Deciding what to include or exclude about the topic: “The vital idea” [13:55]
  • Personal connections to the topic [15:40]
  • Fascinating facts that didn’t make it into the book [20:35]
  • Writing strategies and mentorship [23:44] and [28:30]
  • Upcoming book: Clouds in Space [27:00]

Other Interviews and Resources about Teresa