Suzanne Perez
Education Reporter | Assistant News DirectorSuzanne Perez is a longtime journalist covering education and general news for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. Before coming to KMUW in 2021, Suzanne worked more than 30 years at The Wichita Eagle, where she covered schools and a variety of other topics. In addition to her news reporting, Suzanne reviews books for KMUW, co-hosts the monthly Books & Whatnot podcast and helps lead the station’s monthly Literary Feast book club. She created the #ReadICT Reading Challenge, an annual partnership with the Wichita Public Library that encourages adults to read more broadly.
When not reporting or writing, Suzanne enjoys cooking and traveling with her husband, Andy, playing fetch with their Labrador retrievers, Zeke and Raina, and snuggling with her cat, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Suzanne has been honored with a National Edward R. Murrow Award for hard news for her story about social-emotional learning in schools: Research shows social-emotional learning in schools pays off, but conservatives see a liberal agenda. She won a national Society of Professional Journalists award for 3,000 Kansas kindergartners and untold preschoolers skipped last year. Now they’re behind, and a national Public Media Journalists Association award for Derby residents pack school board meeting to support principal’s lesson on ‘white privilege’. She has also won numerous Kansas Association of Broadcasters awards for her education coverage.
Suzanne can be reached by email at perez@kmuw.org.
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"The Hounding" by Xenobe Purvis is a debut novel set in 18th-century England that explores themes of misinformation, toxic masculinity and mob mentality. -
Book critic Suzanne Perez says Lisa Ridzen's debut novel, "When the Cranes Fly South," which was Sweden's Book of the Year in 2024, is a poignant study on aging and end-of-life issues. -
The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the microschool movement across the country, as families sought alternatives during shutdowns and remote schooling. The trend has continued post-pandemic, as part of a broader desire for educational choice. -
Four years ago, the Wichita district employed a hybrid voting model that let voters across the district weigh in on school board races. This year, a majority of board members are in district-only races for reelection. -
Book critic Suzanne Perez says Nick Fuller Googins's sophomore novel, "The Frequency of Living Things," is a well-written exploration of parenting, sisterhood and forgiveness. -
Board president Diane Albert and Mackenzi Truelove were the top vote-getters for the District 1 seat on the Wichita school board. Incumbent Kathy Bond will face retired teacher Amy Jensen in District 5. -
KMUW's Suzanne Perez says the new novel by Daniel Kraus, "Angel Down," is a brutal descent onto a World War I battleground. -
Amy Warren, a Wichita parent and volunteer, has raised more money than any other candidate in the race for Wichita Board of Education. She faces incumbent Hazel Stabler in the District 6 race in November. -
Book reviewer Suzanne Perez and Marginalia host Beth Golay talk about the healing properties of books, spill some tea about the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes, and discuss their recent reads. -
Four people are running for the District 1 seat on the Wichita school board, and five people are running in District 5. An Aug. 5 primary will narrow each field to two.
