Susie Spikol
Ever since she can remember, naturalist and writer Susie Spikol has always looked for where nature and story meet. Her love of nature didn’t start with science. It grew out of a rich diet of fairy tales and legends. While out searching her Brooklyn neighborhood for fairies, gnomes, and other magical creatures, she remembers being charmed by fireflies and enchanted by snails. Nature, story, and the hope of magic cast a spell over Susie, whose life work has been helping people of all ages find ways to notice and connect with the wild creatures and enchantment of nature in our everyday world.
Over the course of her 30-year career as a naturalist, she has taught thousands of children, parents, and teachers and given hundreds of public talks at nature centers, schools, colleges, universities, libraries, and conferences. She has received numerous awards, including the Garden Club of America’s Hull Award, New Hampshire’s Environmental Educator Award, and the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts Educator of the Year. Whether she’s talking about star-nosed moles or how imaginative play helps children engage with the natural world, Susie’s passion and commitment resonate with audiences of all ages.
When not catching frogs with preschoolers, making gnome homes with second-graders, tracking bobcats with middle-schoolers, or hawk-watching with her own three children, Susie tucks away time to write. Look for her writing in Yankee, Northern Woodlands, Taproot Magazine, and the Center for Humans and Nature magazine. Several of her essays have been featured in environmental educator and author David Sobel’s books. She is a regular contributor to the column “Backyard Nature” in her local paper, The Monadnock Ledger Transcript in Peterborough, NH. For over 25 years, Susie has been a contributor to the Harris Center for Conservation Education’s newsletter, The Hearsay.
Her first book, published in 2022, The Animal Adventurer’s Guide: How to Prowl for Owls, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed, was recognized with a National Parenting Products Award.
Her new book Forest Magic for Kids: How to Find for Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up an Elfin Picnic is due out this April. Filled with activities inspired by imagination, folklore, and science, this book is an invitation to all readers to step outside and discover the beauty and magic of the world.
And coming in the Fall of 2025, Susie’s Book of Fairies will be casting a spell over people of all ages.
