Columbia MNEA member
shoots for New York Times bestseller list
 A
group of eighth-grade girls huddle in the hall among the chaos
of before-school activity at Oakland Junior High School. “That’s
Ms. Bum,” one of them whispers as Barri Bumgarner approaches
her classroom. Overhearing the whispers, she stops and offers
to sign their copies of her latest novel, an offer to which
the girls respond with an overwhelming “Oh my gosh—she’s
practically famous” enthusiasm that tells Bumgarner
she has truly arrived as a writer.
Barri Bumgarner balances two successful careers—teacher
and author. Her first release is an apocalyptic thriller titled
8 Days, and she’s working on a prequel titled The Movement.
A Columbia NEA member and the president of the Columbia chapter
of the Missouri Writers’ Guild, she is in her seventh
year at Columbia’s Oakland Junior High School, where
she teaches a reading and writing workshop. She teaches in
the mornings and writes in the afternoons.
“It’s a dream,” she says. “I call
it my morning cup of coffee. The kids are awesome, I’m
fresh, and as long as Oakland Junior High has this schedule
available to me, I will continue to teach. The glory of this
schedule is it gets me up and going. Then I’m able to
go home and write for about five or six hours a day.”
 Her
first published book, 8 Days, is the riveting story of a not-so-distant
future when four brilliant young scientists begin the process
of “cleansing” humanity by systematically releasing
the chemical X-86 on cities worldwide. The horrific result
is something they don’t expect and cannot control. With
only the visions of eight-year-old Jessie Bayker to guide
them, the survivors gather in Joplin, MO, to try to salvage
what’s left of their world.
“I wanted to write something relevant dealing with
near-future possibilities, something edgy that takes the reader’s
breath away,” Bumgarner says. “And I want it to
bother you long after you put it down.”
The buzz about Bumgarner’s book has been felt throughout
the country. The first printing sold out the first month after
the release. She’s been interviewed by C-SP and featured
in a live radio interview on The Jim Bohannon Show. She’s
already scheduled a Texas tour next summer and events on the
West Coast.
Bumgarner has loved writing since she was seven years old
and says she dreamed of being Stephen King since she read
Salem’s Lot in junior high school.
“I started playing teacher as a youngster, too, so
obviously I love them both,” she explains. “The
true joy of teaching eighth and ninth grade is the kids. I
enjoy sharing my love of books with them. I like being able
to inspire them to read, and now I’ve fused my two worlds
because many of my students are reading my novel!”
In addition to her dual career, Bumgarner is pursuing her
master’s degree in creative writing at the University
of Missouri-Columbia. She received Writer’s Digest’s
72nd Annual Writing Competition honors in 2004 and is a graduate
of the Long Ridge Writers’ Institute in West Redding,
CT.
Along with 30 poems and a number of short stories, Bumgarner
has published more than 40 articles for statewide magazines,
including Missouri NEA’s Something Better. She has written
three other books, which her publisher is currently reviewing.
Her novel, 8 Days, is available in bookstores nationwide.
Learn more about MNEA member Barri Bumgarner at www.barrilbumgarner.com.
by Debra Angstead
MNEA communications director
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