Susan Marie Conrad

2017 Washington State Book Award finalist, based on the strength of its literary merit and lasting importance The Ocean is calling me. This is my Journey.With these words, in the spring of 2010, Susan Marie Conrad scaled her world down to an 18-foot sea kayak and launched a solo journey that took her north to Alaska. With no sense of where she belonged in space and unreconciled feelings of a painful childhood following her, she decided that instead of running away, she would run toward her dreams. Her adventure took her along the western coast of North America, through the Inside Passage-a 1,200-mile ribbon of water-in a journey of the sea and soul.The expedition took her deep within herself, humbling her, healing her, helping her to discover the depths of her own strength and courage. On her way from Anacortes, Washington, to Juneau, Alaska, she grappled with fear and exhaustion, forged friendships with quirky people in the strangest places, endured perilous weather and angry seas, and pretended not to be intimidated by 700-pound grizzly bears and 40-ton whales.She lived her dream.

Join Kami the Kayak and her paddler Suz, along with a host of outdoor friends on a wondrous seafaring adventure to Alaska. Based on a true story In this picture book adaptation of Susan Conrad's "Inside: One Woman's Journey Through the Inside Passage," we follow the dream of a little girl's big adventure in a tiny kayak. A talking kayak? A dreaming child? YES Together they encounter magic and mayhem on a journey through a breathtaking land of challenge and reward. Come along for the ride through one of the greatest waterways in western North America: The Inside Passage All ages will learn that we are all capable of anything-and will always reach our destination-if we simply believe.