Sips of Hemlock in Bloomington, MN

Because of her positivity, charisma, and love for education, Tara Almquest, veteran teacher, is chosen to enter a global spotlight at a pivotal moment in a
future timeline
. As one of the first
celebrity teachers,
Tara is given
student data
and a production team to improve student learning. Can she "up her game" to navigate an intersection of
corporate and governmental power and greed
, while still trying to live a healthy, happy life? Will her young, but overworked assistant, Emory, be the next celebrity teacher or leave her career behind after finding her man? How would you feel if
teachers earned millions
?
Sips of Hemlock
is a fictional tale centered around
strong female leads
tossed into a changing world of
education, government, and business
. It's currently one of Amazon's "Top New Releases in Federal Education Legislation."
In 2025 Idaho state legislature voted to give private school families $5000 per child in tax credits, while the federal government started cutting funding for the
US Department of Education
. The scenarios explored in Sips of Hemlock aren't far from possible.
For anyone interested in the
public school versus private school funding
debate,
explores a fictional future where
privatization
becomes the norm. In this era, smaller companies are being bought out by bigger corporations. Schools are tech-controlled, satellite classrooms taught by celebrity teachers but maintained by minimum wage workers. Students are bio-monitored to improve learning (and grab data) and parents, while allowed to attend school with their kids, lose the ability to influence curricular policy choices. Future educational corporations share who the loud ones are and ban them (like airlines sharing no-fly lists).
Are classrooms safer? Do students learn more? Are parents satisfied? Are teachers happier earning millions?
explores the
future of education
and its fictional
relationships.