Speaker: Kathryn Schmiel

Presented by the Lifelong Learning Institute, Manassas

This event is open to the public. For more information about the Lifelong Learning Institute, Manassas, visit lli-manassas.org

Kathryn Schmiel’s recent travel on the upper Mississippi River rekindled her interest in Laura Ingalls Wilder and encouraged her to learn more about Laura as an adult. This talk will relate to what she learned. The talk began as a presentation to passengers on a Mississippi River cruise as the ship passed through Lake Pepin, Minnesota, near Laura’s birthplace, Pepin, Wisconsin.

Kathryn Schmiel comes from a family of four generations of Laura Ingalls Wilder fans. Her interest in the Little House series began as love for the stories of Laura and her family as they faced the challenges of westward migration in the 19th century. A native of Cleveland, Ohio. Kathryn holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and has taught English and history in the U.S. and overseas. She is an avid reader and loves American literature, especially biography and history focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries.