Laura Purdie Salas

Laura Purdie Salas

Laura Purdie Salas has written more than 100 books for kids and teens, including Water Can Be…, A Leaf Can Be… (Millbrook Press, 2012 – Minnesota Book Award Finalist, NCTE Notable, IRA Teachers’ Choices, Riverby Award), and BookSpeak: Poems About Books (Clarion, 2011 – Minnesota Book Award, NCTE Notable, Bank Street Best Books, and more).

Laura started out writing and editing for adults, but a stint as an 8th-grade English teacher re-ignited her love for children’s literature. She began focusing on writing for kids and never looked back.

She writes poetry, realistic fiction, and nonfiction books and articles. Laura is a member of the Children’s Literature Network and SCBWI. She teaches writing for children through the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and is a former instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature. She loves to work with young writers through school visits and young authors conferences.

Laura’s areas of expertise include poetry, nonfiction, the educational market, picture books, researching publishers, and Q&A about writing careers/the writing life. You can learn more at Laura’s website and Laura’s blog.