Stephens draws heavily on his roles as a father and public school teacher in this unflinching debut collection. His influences are clear, with hints of Andrea Gibson, Buddy Wakefield, and Shane Koyczan echoing throughout the poems. Separated into four parts, Stephens chronicles each aspect of his identity with patience and honesty, attempting to find harmony in the way each element dances with the others. Themes include body positivity, body dysmorphia, mental health, depression, teaching, fatherhood, and social justice.

Universe in the Key of Matryoshka

Stephens, Ronnie K.

Timber Mouse

This illustrated collection speaks to the dance between mental health and art on every page, from bipolar disorder to divorce, body dysmorphia to shifting definitions of fatherhood. Throughout, Stephens has accessed his consciousness because Lee is simultaneously the best friend and the most talented artist he has ever encountered. Both Desarae Lee and Ronnie K. Stephens draw on art as a form of catharsis. Both have struggled with anxiety and mood disorders. For them, art is a place of healing or, at the very least, a place of respite. Stephens found the same solace in Lee's illustrations, and she found something similar in Stephens' words. And so they became friends who spoke in ekphrastics, who somehow mastered a form of collective meditation that spanned thousands of miles, who spent years in different cities without ever growing apart.

They Rewrote Themselves Legendary

Literature & Fiction

Poetry

The Kaleidoscope Sisters

"In this affecting first novel about family, love, and sacrifice, 15-year-old Quinn discovers the lengths she will go to to save her sister, Riley...Stephens' poetic writing is beautiful...and deftly blends realism and fantasy." --Booklist
"This novel is a heartrending story of the deep love of family and the hardships of terminal disease and loss. In his debut, Stephens has created a touching novel that is Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper mixed with Michael Ende's The Neverending Story or Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. VERDICT A unique story for teens who enjoy fantasy and tragedy. Give this to fans of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or If I Stay by Gayle Forman." --School Library Journal
"Simultaneously odd and intriguing." --Kirkus Reviews
The Kaleidoscope Sisters is a debut novel hinging on the indomitable spirit of young women. It centers on fifteen-year-old Quinn and her younger sister, Riley, who is dying from a degenerative heart defect. As the novel opens, Riley is weeks away from her seventh birthday, and her decline is obvious. Years in and out of hospitals have left the family with no support system, but Quinn is determined to save her younger sister. In her quest, Quinn discovers a portal to another realm peppered with characters based in history, all of whom disappeared mysteriously. Aiding Quinn throughout her journey in the Other Realm is Meelie. Quinn learns that a new heart for Riley can be harvested in the Other Realm, but not without sacrifice. While Meelie helps Quinn come to terms with an impossible decision, Quinn uncovers the truth about Meelie’s disappearance and why she never returned home. The book chronicles Quinn’s journey, focusing on the inevitability of loss and the realization that no matter what Quinn decides, her mother must lose one of her daughters.
The Kaleidoscope Sisters is the second release in the Oddities Kaylie Jones Books series, an e-first line that focuses on unconventional, edgy, risk-taking novels that boldly defy the traditional forms and conventions of the literary novel, with a focus on YA, horror, and mystery.

Children's Books

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Kaylie Jones Books

"In this affecting first novel about family, love, and sacrifice, 15-year-old Quinn discovers the lengths she will go to to save her sister, Riley...Stephens' poetic writing is beautiful...and deftly blends realism and fantasy." --Booklist Online "This novel is a heartrending story of the deep love of family and the hardships of terminal disease and loss. In his debut, Stephens has created a touching novel that is Jodi Picoult'sMy Sister's Keeper mixed with Michael Ende'sThe Neverending Story or Lewis Carroll'sAlice in Wonderland. VERDICT A unique story for teens who enjoy fantasy and tragedy. Give this to fans ofThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak orIf I Stay by Gayle Forman." --School Library Journal "Simultaneously odd and intriguing." --Kirkus Reviews The Kaleidoscope Sisters is a debut novel hinging on the indomitable spirit of young women. It centers on fifteen-year-old Quinn and her younger sister, Riley, who is dying from a degenerative heart defect. As the novel opens, Riley is weeks away from her seventh birthday, and her decline is obvious. Years in and out of hospitals have left the family with no support system, but Quinn is determined to save her younger sister. In her quest, Quinn discovers a portal to another realm peppered with characters based in history, all of whom disappeared mysteriously. Aiding Quinn throughout her journey in the Other Realm is Meelie. Quinn learns that a new heart for Riley can be harvested in the Other Realm, but not without sacrifice. While Meelie helps Quinn come to terms with an impossible decision, Quinn uncovers the truth about Meelie's disappearance and why she never returned home. The book chronicles Quinn's journey, focusing on the inevitability of loss and the realization that no matter what Quinn decides, her mother must lose one of her daughters. The Kaleidoscope Sisters is the second release in the Oddities Kaylie Jones Books series, an e-first line that focuses on unconventional, edgy, risk-taking novels that boldly defy the traditional forms and conventions of the literary novel, with a focus on YA,&nbsp;horror, and&nbsp;mystery.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stephens, Ronnie K.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Stephens, Ronnie K.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stephens, Ronnie K.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Universe in the Key of Matryoshka

They Rewrote Themselves Legendary

The Kaleidoscope Sisters

The Kaleidoscope Sisters