Thanks for visiting The Highest Deep! I’m Charlotte, the author. I hope you explore my children’s book publications, some of which (coming soon!) are in partnership with other talented authors!

I’m also a writer in my “real job.” But if you want to read my science related articles, essays and more technical stuff, in addition to a longer bio, you can find me at CharlotteStevenson.com. Although most of my children’s books pull from my love of nature and science background, these books and this accompanying blog are where I get to focus on the hardest job I’ve ever had: being a mom. Some people take offense at my use of the word “job” to describe motherhood, but I stand by it. And I mean it with the greatest respect and love.

Why the Highest Deep? What is it? Good question.

One day, my two-and-a-half-year-old son came to the surface of the Oakland, CA, public pool we often frequented that summer in 2014., and said, “I want to go to the highest deep you never seen.” In case you don’t speak toddler, he was saying he wanted to dive to the deepest depth ever — a classic toddler superlative spritzed with some grammatical confusion. 

“I want to go to the highest deep you never seen.”

What initially made me chuckle — the highest deep — has resonated more and more the longer I am a parent. Parenting has brought me the most joyful moments of my life so far and also brought me the deepest, cutting pain. Like writer Elizabeth Stone so eloquently put it, having a child is like allowing your heart to walk around outside of your body.

Why a blog in addition to the official publications? I’ve found I have things to say that often speak to a certain moment in time, and sharing it immediately has been the most helpful to friends or strangers going through something similar. These pieces are “somewhat” polished, perhaps always a work in progress. Some of these blogs were originally published on Medium, but I have moved them here. More will be transferred soon.

I have two living children, a son and a daughter, and I have a son I lost at birth. My living children are not perfect, nor do I expect them or anyone else to be. Some of what I share in my blog is funny (hopefully). Some is heartfelt.

Am I providing parenting advice? Absolutely not.

My hope is that after reading my books or one or more of my posts, you won’t feel so alone in The Highest Deep.