Welcome to my site! Or, what Miss Pink, the teacher in Loud Mouse with a fondness for big words, would call my eponymous site. Access to all things Cara Mentzel in one place. I am an author of memoir, essays, and picture books. I taught elementary school for well over a decade and love to be in classrooms discussing the writing process and stories I love.

I spent most of my adult life in Boulder, CO raising a Brady Bunch of boys with my husband. Our youngest son is now twenty! With an empty nest, I moved to Los Angeles to be closer to my nephew and sister–Idina Menzel—she’s famous, look her up. I’m currently working on more picture books, my second memoir, and a new blog, The Empty Next.

xo