Ingrid Ricks is a Seattle-based journalist, author, and teen mentor who leverages the new world of digital publishing to give teens a voice. Using her New York Times bestselling debut memoir Hippie Boy: A Girl’s Story as a catalyst, she recently co-launched WeAreAbsolutelyNotOkay.org, a nationally recognized mentoring/publishing program that helps teens find their voice by writing and publishing their personal stories.

Ingrid’s essays and stories have been published in Salon, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Advocate and a variety of other publications. She has also written extensively for The African Children’s Choir, an international relief organization that has been featured on CNN International, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and American Idol.

In addition to Hippie Boy, Ingrid is the author of Focus, a memoir about her journey with the blinding eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa, and a memoir story collection, A Little Book of Mormon (and Not So Mormon) Stories. She is currently working on Determined to See, a memoir about her yearlong quest to heal her eyesight. She’s blogging about her journey at www.determinedtosee.com

Ingrid lives in Seattle with her husband and two daughters.