General Inquiries: sarahelizwarren1@gmail.com

Representation: Abigail Samoun at Red Fox Literary

Want to Know Everything About Me?  I Knew It!

When I was 4-years-old I starting asking my dad to read the book Go, Dog, Go! to me every night for the rest of my life. Just kidding. I did get him to do it for a long time, though. One of the dogs had great hats. I also liked the surprise ending. Do you know the ending? I’ll tell you. Just kidding! Read it. 

Once I could read on my own I did it all the time. I read everywhere. I read books that were inspiring. I read some that were terrifying. I read one that was both. The Eyes of the Dragon inspired me to fill a notebook with fantasy stories. It also gave me nightmares. I was way too young when I read that book. Thanks a lot, Stephen King.

Back then, hardly any books had positive characters that looked like me or the people I loved. I didn’t think about it much until I became a preschool teacher and realized that many of my scholars were missing from our media too. I really wanted to share books about real-life heroes, inventors, and trailblazers that we could relate to. When I couldn’t find those books, I decided to write them. Sadly, I have never come up with an ending as good as the one in Go, Dog, Go!. It’s my greatest regret.

Things I Love:

• Bruce Valentine. He’s my dog. I am a dog lover and a cat liker.

• Midwest Mixed offers a welcoming space to build consciousness, strength, and community. If you identify as mixed-race, or as transracial and/or as a transnational adoptee, consider attending a meeting or the conference.

• I am a proud member of MN BIPOC Kidlit Creators founded by Anika Fajardo. Check us out!

• A New Thing is a space for faith-based growth, healing, love, and community. The founder, Lauren Ash, is a beam of dancing light aimed at almighty goodness. She’s also my little cousin.

• I am the co-founder of Picture Book Parade, an organization dedicated to sharing kid lit in nontraditional spaces. We bring the pages to the people!

• I’ve worked with Minnesota Reading Corps since I was a rookie preschool teacher at the YWCA Children’s Center. I believe all families should have access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education. Minnesota Reading Corps helps educators and families give young minds the literacy-rich experiences they need to thrive. Consider joining this organization if you’re in Minnesota or supporting their work!

Being a writer can be a little scary sometimes. I get scared when I have to talk about my books in public. I’m shy. I don’t like speaking in front of people. I turn red and start sweating and my voice feels too high and like I have to squeeze it out of my throat. Luckily, people have gone out of their way to help me feel brave. One of those people was a little lady named Big E. I met Big E when I didn't feel very good about myself. When I was 12-years-old I had to leave my tight-knit neighborhood in Minneapolis and my best friend and go live on a farm in Wisconsin. I didn’t have any friends at first and I felt like people were always staring at me. I also felt invisible. Isn’t that strange?

When my mom found out there was a local children’s theater doing plays, she drove me to an audition and forced me out of the car. The director, June Erdman (Big E) cast me as a background character. I learned to talk in a loud voice to a crowd. I pretended I was in another world. All the other actors were fun and funny. I didn’t fit in most places. They LOVED to not fit in. They stood out on purpose. I finally had friends! Big E put me in every play and I thought I was the best actor ever. I’m a terrible actor, but Big E helped bring out the best in me. She made me believe in myself and gave me something exciting to work on with other people. Being shy doesn’t get in your way when you care about what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with.