Susan Hunnicutt

Some might say I’m a classic Gemini, the sign of the zodiac represented by a pair of twins. We’re happiest when with others, born with a desire to experience everything there is out in the world. We’ve got the gift of gab, are creative and have an aversion to the nine-to-five.

I’m a children’s science writer, citizen scientist, enviornmental educator, and conservation storyteller. My background in communication and participatory field science fuels the way I write, especially stories that invite kids to be curious about the natural world and discover how they can help protect it.

My own curioisity has taken me into the field as an eco-volunteer & citizen scientist, from tagging sea turtles and documenting dolphins to studying whale sharks, following the elephant orphan trail in Africa, and studying forest owl habitat in Utah.

Closer to home, I recently helped transform an overlooked patch of my Milwaukee neighborhood into Whitnall Knoll Gathering Circle, a community gathering space and native pollinator garden. What began with a small community grant, an old elm tree, and a spark of an idea, has become a place for neighbors to connect—and for monarchs, bees, caterpillars, and other tiny visitors to find habitat. Whitnall Knoll is now a registered Monarch Waystation.

I’m especially interested in the space where science, storytelling, nature and connection meet. Whether I’m searching milkweed for monarch eggs, sharing a conservation adventure with kids, or turning a real-life experience into a story, I’m usually asking the question: What happens when we get curious enough to really notice the world around us?

I write in a variety of genres, but my passion is children’s literature. You’ll meet strong female characters in my fiction and true-life stories, many of them nature girls like me. Membership in Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) keeps me connected to an international writing community, while my critique group friends at Red Oak Writing help me hone my craft and provide an invaluable support system.

Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood is the place I call home. I’m the mum of two grown children, and Bibi to Iris. *LGBTQ+

Publications: Muse: TurtleCam (January 2020), Farm to Dining Hall Table (February 2020), Double Helix: Sea Turtle Migration Marathon (July 2020), The Comfort of Robot Hugs (October 2020)

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