Sean Jason Petrie was born in Columbus, Ohio, on January 10, 1971, at about 9:10 p.m. He currently lives in Austin, Texas. He no longer dresses like a gnome.
From fifth grade through high school, Sean grew up in the metropolis of Flower Mound, Texas. After that, he graduated from The University of Texas with a degree in “Honors Liberal Arts,” then from Stanford Law School with a degree in “Law.”
Favorites:
book: The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)
song: Shotgun Down the Avalanche (Shawn Colvin)
show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
dinner: donuts
The idea for THIS CLASS IS A ZOO! stems, very loosely, from Sean’s experiences at the Columbus Zoo. In high school, Sean spent his summers working there — mostly as a zoo photographer, and one time as a Care Bear.
Sean has been writing for children since 2002 and is currently working on two middle grade novels. He also teaches legal writing at the University of Texas Law School. In the past, Sean has made a living as a law clerk for a federal judge, an improv performer, an intellectual property attorney, the number “3” in the Texas Lotto ads, a Congressional aide in Washington, D.C., and a McDonald’s drive-thru clerk.
Sean is a member of SCBWI, performs with an Austin improv troupe called National Comedy Theatre, and is going on his fifth year as a big brother with the Big Brother/Big Sister program.