Author Sarah P. Blanchard Visits Campus

Students in Ms. Turner’s Creative Writing class got the opportunity to meet author Sarah P. Blanchard on Friday, January 31!

Sarah is a longtime writer and editor born and raised in New England. She earned her BA in English Literature from the University of Connecticut and an MBA in marketing from Nichols College. Sarah started her career working in the communications, administration, and marketing fields. In 2003, she moved to Hawaii and taught English and business communications at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. In 2010, she moved to North Carolina, reigniting her passion for writing fiction and poetry. Sarah also taught two semesters of fiction writing in UNC-Asheville’s OLLI program (College for Seniors).

Sarah’s poems and short stories have been featured in several publications, including The Write Launch, PenDust Radio, The Plaid Horse, Causeway Lit, and Sixfold. Her short story collection, Playing Chess with Bulls, and debut novel, Drawn from Life, are two recent works that have received stellar recognition.

A common theme in Sarah’s fictional writing is conflicting people making difficult decisions. Flawed, compassionate characters try to battle their demons alone, and complex antagonists are unfettered.

Our Creative Writing class enjoyed learning about the elements of short fiction, what a short story is, why it’s important, and how to get inspired to write! Students also discussed one of Sarah’s short stories, “Fishing,” part of her Playing Chess with Bulls short story collection. This story exposes the difficulties of connection across barriers of trauma. It won the 2019 Dreamers Flash Fiction and Nonfiction Contest.

You can read more about Sarah and her publications here!