Ann Kiemel Anderson (September 22, 1945 – March 1, 2014) was an American religious speaker and author. Her books were bestsellers and all of her books together sold over 28 million copies. A 1980 film titled ''Hi, I'm Ann'' was based on her life.

Career

After graduating from Northwest Nazarene University, Anderson moved to

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

to teach and she drove a bus full of people to church every Sunday. She moved to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, to work as a youth director and her youth groups met during weekdays. When she was 25 years old, Anderson became the

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at the Eastern Nazarene College in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and said that her trust of God helped her in that position. She said that she never tried to gain these roles, but that she was asked to take them. The ''

Petoskey News-Review The ''Petoskey News-Review'' is the daily newspaper of Petoskey, Michigan. History Started in 1878 as the ''Petoskey City Record'', after subsequent mergers it became ''The Petoskey Evening News''. In 1953, this paper merged with ''The Northern ...

'' said that Anderson was "one of America's most sought after inspirational speakers". She became a marathon runner to share her message of Christianity, including participating in two Boston Marathons and two Israel marathons near the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

.Ann Kiemel Anderson. (2008). In Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors
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/ref> Her speeches influenced many of the athletes that she met. Anderson helped construct a gymnasium for children in Boston. ''I Love the Word Impossible'' and ''I'm Out to Change My World'' are among Anderson's 18 books, with all of her books collectively selling over 28 million copies. Her first seven books were bestsellers in the inspirational genre. The book ''Taste of Tears, Touch of God'' is an autobiography that focuses on Anderson's life as a wife and her

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. ''Seduced by Success: No Longer Addicted to Pills, Performance, and Praise'' details her time in a chemical dependency wing and how her faith in God helped her overcome that period. Anderson's face being part of a magazine or her being part of a book deal was thought by editors and publishers to guarantee a large profit. A film about Anderson's life titled ''Hi, I'm Ann'' was released in 1980. The film was released on VHS.

Personal life

Anderson was born on September 22, 1945, to missionary parents in

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. She had a twin sister and a brother. They spent their childhood in

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, with Anderson and her twin later attending Northwest Nazarene University. Anderson preached about God and love during her travels, often traveling by airplane. In 1981, she married Will Anderson and they lived in Idaho, later moving to

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. She spent 25 days in the Cedar Vista Hospital's chemical dependency wing in 1996 due to her painkiller addiction which was caused by her medical issues and her husband dying from cancer. Anderson had trouble sleeping, had a kidney infection, and cried during therapy. She said she was able to overcome her struggles through trusting in God and not paying attention to the opinions of others. Anderson died on March 1, 2014, from cancer.

Works

Anderson wrote 17 books during her lifetime: *''Hi! I'm Ann'', 1974 *''I'm Out to Change My World'', 1974 *''I Love the Word Impossible'', 1976 *''It's Incredible!'', 1977 *''Yes'', 1978 *''I'm Celebrating'', 1979 *''I'm Running to Win'', 1980 *''I Gave God Time'', 1982 *''Taste of Tears, Touch of God'', 1984 *''Struggling for Wholeness'', 1986 – co-authored with her sister *''Ann Keimel Anderson: My Favorite Verse'', 1986 *''And With the Gift Came Laughter'', 1987 *''God's Little Dreamer'', 1990 *''Our Adoption: My Story of Love and Laughter'', 1990 *''First Love'', 1991 *''Seduced by Success'', 1998 *''This Is My Story About God: The True Account of Two Men, An Impossible Surgery, and the God of the Universe'', 1998

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson Kiemel, Ann 1945 births 2014 deaths Writers from Little Rock, Arkansas American Christian writers Women motivational writers Northwest Nazarene University alumni Eastern Nazarene College faculty Deaths from cancer in the United States