Susin Nielsen – presenting at the BCTLA October Conference – A Can’t Miss Presenter

“This is the first day I’ve written in a diary. The reason I am, is ’cos I love writing stories, and if I do grow up to be a famous writer, and later die, and they want to get a story of my life, I guess I should keep a diary.” Nielsen wrote this poorly constructed sentence when she was eleven. And while she isn’t exactly famous (although she likes to think she’s big in Belgium), and no one has written the story of her life, she did predict her future occupation. She got her start writing for the hit TV series Degrassi Junior High and went on to write for more than twenty Canadian shows.

Nielsen is the author of six critically acclaimed and award-winning novels, including the recently published No Fixed Address, Optimists Die First (nominated for the UK’s Carnegie Medal), We Are All Made of Molecules (winner of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award and long-listed for UK’s Carnegie Medal), Word Nerd (winner of multiple young readers’ choice awards) and The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year, and the UK Literacy Award and #27 on Rolling Stone magazine’s “Top 40 Best YA Novels” list).

Nielsen has been called the John Green of Canada. She once had a dream that John Green had been called the Susin Nielsen of the United States. Her books have been translated into many languages. She lives in Vancouver with her family and two naughty cats.

Susin presents from 10:30 to 11:30 am at the BCTLA Conference, October 19th at Richmond Senior Secondary School, 7171 Minoru Blvd, Richmond, BC.