Susan Kimmel Wright

Susan Kimmel Wright

Born: 1/5/1950
Written by: Amanda Phillips, Fall 2001; updated 2018
Vocation
Literary
Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Somerset, Somerset County
Abstract

Susan Kimmel Wright, born 1950 in Somerset, is primarily known to the world of literature as a children's book author. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar, an active worker in the Lutheran Church, and a participant in the literary life of the region. At the time of this writing, she lives in Bridgeville, PA.

Biography

Susan Wright was born in Somerset, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1950. Her parents were Paul L. Kimmel, a carpenter, and Alice B. Kimmel, a homemaker. In 1970, Wright married David L. Wright, a civil engineer, with whom she had three children.

Wright attended University of Pittsburgh, where she got a BAand graduated magna cum laude in 1971. She also graduated from Duquesne University with a JDmagna cum laude, in 1976. Wright was admitted to the bar of Pennsylvania in 1976, and after beginning as a law clerk in the firm of Dickie, McCamey, and Chilcote, in Pittsburgh, she became partner. Several of her works were published in periodicals, but her first book of juvenile fiction, Secret of the Old Graveyard, was published in 1993.

Wright is a Lutheran and has served on the board of Christian education for Zion Lutheran Church and School in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. Her religious faith is a prominent theme in her books, which are published by a Mennonite publishing house. Wright's book Secret of the Old Graveyard, has received praise from the School Library Journal, Librarian's World, a publication of the Evangelical Church Library Association, and Bookstore Journal, a publication of the Christian Booksellers Association.

In 1992, Wright was named writer of the year by the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference. She is also very active in the writing world and serves on the steering committee for the Western Pennsylvania chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She also belongs to the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime/Mysteries for Minors, and Penn Writers.

At the time of this writing, Wright lives in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.

Selected Works
  • Secret of the Old Graveyard. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1993.
  • Death by Babysitting. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1994
  • Dead Letters. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1996.
Sources

Susan Kimmel Wright. The Gale Literary Database: Contemporary Authors. The Gale Group. 16 July 2001. Thomson Corporation. 20 Sept 2001 <http://www.galenet.com>.

Photo Credit

"Photograph of Susan Kimmel Wright." 2016. Photograph. Cropped to 4x3, Filled background. Source: Online Resource.