In honor of "I Love to Read" month, South High invited several local authors in to speak about their books. The first author to share her story and her book is author and Minneapolis native, Susan Niz. She visited South High School on Tuesday to talk to students about her book Kara, Lost.
Susan is a ELL teacher at a local elementary school and she wrote a compelling Young Adult novel about Kara, a teenage runaway. Kara, Lost is based on Susan Niz's personal story as she herself was a teenage runaway in the early 1990's.
Susan prepared a compelling speech as she detailed her experience as a teenage runaway. She talked about how she took a fiction writing class at the Loft Literary Center taught by author, David Housewright. He gave her book a full length critique and believed in her novel. This gave her the confidence she needed to finish her book and find a publisher.
After her speech, Susan let students ask questions. One student asked her a question that was sort of rude and Susan handled it with grace. He asked her What is the worst thing that happened to you on the streets? She responded with, "Read the book". After reading Kara, Lost, I firmly agree with Susan's answer, if you want to know what happened to her on the streets as a teenage runaway, read the book!
Susan has been working with runaway youth at Lincoln Place in Eagan, Minnesota and handed out information to students in case they wanted to volunteer. Susan also works with a teen writing group after school and invited South students to join.
Here is a picture of Susan Niz and I. I am holding Susan's book, Kara, Lost.
Thanks Susan, for a memorable visit.
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