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Mallory Smith

Mallory Smith was a freelance writer and editor specializing in environmental, social justice, and healthcare-related communications. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University and worked as a senior producer at Green Grid Radio, an environmental storytelling radio show and podcast. Her radio work has been featured on KCRW, National Radio Project, and State of the Human. She died at the age of twenty-five on November 15, 2017, two months after receiving a double lung transplant.
Diary of a Dying Girl
Salt in My Soul

Books

Diary of a Dying Girl
Salt in My Soul

Get Inspired! Books for After-School Clubs & Activities

Coordinating after-school clubs and activities in your school community? Explore our collection of books that will help students discover their passion for new (and screen-free!) hobbies. Focusing on topics such as art, board games, crafting, cooking, nature, sports, and more—these books are bound to spark imagination and movement. Browse the middle school and high school

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New Thematic Educator Guides: Teaching Nonfiction

In 2023, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) published its ā€œPosition Statement on the Role of Nonfiction Literature (K–12)ā€. In it, they explain that while nonfiction is a gateway to literacy and a preferred genre for many students, it has been traditionally underrepresented in classrooms. Highlighting the genre’s role in addressing scientific knowledge,

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A Letter from Diane Shader Smith

Diane Shader Smith, mother of Mallory Smith, author of Diary of a Dying Girl Salt in My Soul, my daughter Mallory Smith’s posthumously published memoir, captivated a wide audience, from academic institutions like Harvard and Stanford to higher-profile platforms such as the White House and Capitol Hill. It also reached international forums including NATO and

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West Perry High School Students Read & Respond to Mallory Smith’s Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life

Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished LifeĀ is a collection of journal entries by Mallory Smith written over the course of 10 years, beginning at age 15 and ending with her death. Mallory was an intelligent, resilient young woman living with cystic fibrosis, who wrote about invisible and visible illness, mental health, and the challenges those

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