Illinois Authors

Susan D Peters

Born: 1949 in Chicago, Illinois
Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Peters was born and raised in Chicago. She attended Chicago Public Schools; graduating from Jean Baptiste Point DuSable High School and Depaul University. Some of her poetry, fiction and plays have been set in Illinois. She now reside on Chicago's South Side.

Biography: Susan Peters, aka, Ahnydah (pronounced ah-NIE-dah) Rahm, brings a treasure trove of experience gained as an expatriate living in West Africa, to her memoir, Sweet ''Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot''. Her sojourn began during a 1978 vacation to Liberia and Ghana. She returned in 1979 with her family and with the exception of two weeks in 1982, she remained in Liberia for 11 years until 1990 when Liberia’s escalating Civil War finally forced her to flee for her life. In 1979, she had no way of knowing that the presidency of William R. Tolbert, which had provided her family the vision of stability in Liberia, would end abruptly with his assassination and the April 1980 coup d'etat, setting the stage for future conflicts. Over the years, Ahnydah had the unique opportunity to experience Liberia and its people during the sweet times when development and the nation seemed to be moving rapidly forward, through seething internal hatreds leading to a stream of attempted assignation plots and military coups. During her “Liberian Years,” as she fondly refers to them, she worked for the Liberian National Red Cross Society in positions ranging from health educator, Director of Red Cross Day Care Center and Kindergarten and fundraiser. In January 1989, she left the Red Cross and, with a Liberian partner, opened First Steps, Child Development Center. Unfortunately, by May she and her partner closed their fledgling business, due to the encroaching war. There was yet more learning as she found herself alone with her children during the escalating civil war. The British Broadcasting System described it as, “The bloodiest war in West Africa since the Biafran War.” Ahnydah has lived in both urban and rural Liberia. Her experiences helped her understand the inner connectedness of humanity while bestowing upon her lessons of humility, tolerance and flexibility. “Throughout my stay in Liberia, I often learned my personal life lessons by peeking objectively at the lives of my Liberian sisters and seeing my own face reflected.” She fondly remembers her extended Liberian family as the foundation of her happiness, productivity and ultimately, her survival. Of the people, culture and customs of Liberia she reflects, “There was so much about Liberia that I loved from my first moment on Liberian soil. There was much about Liberian culture that I grew to understand, and there were customs that I simply learned to tolerate,” says Ahnydah. “However, all of my experiences are precious to me for the richness and texture they brought to my life.” She feels strongly that despite the ravages of the civil war, Liberia will someday rise from its ashes due to the remarkable pride and the indomitable spirit of the Liberian people. Susan is the mother of five children, three born in Liberia. A native of Chicago’s south side, she is a graduate of DuSable High School and DePaul University. She has worked in women’s development, communication, sales, marketing, event management, fund raising and currently manages community relations at a prestigious academic medical center. A lifelong author of poetry, essays, short stories, and plays, Susan was awarded the 2010, African American Alliance of the Arts in Chicago prize for excellence in the non-fiction category and a 2011 Illinois Women’s Press Association Mate E. Palmer Communication Award- non-fiction category. Her book, ''Broken Dolls'', is the first of a detective series.

• '''''Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot'''''
• -- Award of Excellence - non-fiction, African American Alliance of the Arts in Chicago, 2010
• -- Mate E. Palmer Communication Award - non-fiction, Illinois Women's Press Association, 2010

Primary Literary Genre(s): Fiction; Non-Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers

Blog: http://ahnydah-sweetliberia.blogspot.com
E-Mail: sunriseconsultingonline@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sweet-Liberia-Lessons-from-the-Coal-Pot/209223455808396?fref=ts
Susan D Peters on WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=susan+d+peters

Selected Titles

	Broken dolls : ISBN: 9780982712511 OCLC: 904759318 Having earned a reputation for tackling grisly cases that typically weed female cops off homicide, Sommers transfers to Chicago's south suburbs, envisioning a calmer life. When a wealthy church Elder is found murdered in the den of his stylish home, it initially appears to be a random homicide, presumably committed during the act of robbery. However, the gruesome nature of the killing and closer scrutiny of the evidence signals that the motive for this murder was much more personal. The question is, who would want this pillar of the community dead, and why?
	Stolen rainbow. ISBN: 9780982712566 OCLC: 955542147 Sunrise Consulting, [Place of publication not identified] : 2016.
	Sweet Liberia : ISBN: 0982712502 OCLC: 698130565 Sunrise Consulting, Chicago, Ill. : 2010.
	Sweet Liberia : ISBN: 9780982712535 OCLC: 948825908 Sunrise Consulting, Chicago, Ill. : 2010. Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot is a delightful, painfully honest memoir that chronicles the thick slice of humanity sandwiched between Liberia's April 12, 1980 coup and the Civil War in 1989. Like many others who embraced Black Pride, Afros, African clothing and names in the 70's, Susan and thousands more took it one step further and immigrated to Mother Africa. This touching memoir is set against the author's personal growth, her cultural struggles, and her triumphs, and is an informative, personally revealing, and often-comical account of her family's eleven-year journey immersed in the rich culture of Liberia, West Africa.