Sandra Beasley
- Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Mentor
- MFA in Writing
Additional Information
Biography
SANDRA BEASLEY is the author of Made to Explode; Count the Waves; I Was the Jukebox, winner of the Barnard Women Poets Prize; and Theories of Falling, winner of the New Issues Poetry Prize.
She edited the anthology Vinegar and Char: Verse from the Southern Foodways Alliance. She is also the author of Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life, a memoir of living with disability and a cultural history of food allergy.
Her prose has appeared in such venues as the New York Times, The Washington Post, Virginia Quarterly Review, and The Oxford American. Honors for Beasley’s work include a 2015 National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowship; the Munster Literature Centre’s John Montague International Poetry Fellowship; the Center for Book Arts Chapbook Prize; distinguished writer residencies at Wichita State University, Cornell College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and the University of Mississippi; and five DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Artist Fellowships. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Teaching Philosophy
"As writers, I believe in the power of expressing our curiosity in the world around us. My books are infused with researched detail from science, art, history, and nature. As a disabled writer, I am particularly excited to work with material about chronic illness or the medicalized body. Whether working in poetry or prose, I’m drawn to phrasing anchored by the bright particulars of image and sound-play, and I’ll help you locate innovations in form—sestina or erasure, flash, braided essay—that can best harness these organic energies. In workshop, I prioritize fostering an atmosphere of safe and supportive encouragement. I like to have a clear plan of action while also making space for unexpected but necessary digressions.
"In one-on-one mentorship, I delight in tailoring a student’s reading selections for reading and annotation, choosing books that bridge genre and heighten your awareness to foundational craft. We’ll discuss your work on both the macro level of strategizing the manuscript and the micro level of line edits. Do you have larger questions about publishing? I’ll answer by drawing on my own experiences and many years of connections in the industry. Along the way, I like to infuse this experience with camaraderie, high energy, and laughter. You’ve already made a crucial decision by coming to the classroom. Let’s respect that and honor our mutual investment of time. Thank you for trusting me with your story."
Additional Information
Biography
SANDRA BEASLEY is the author of Made to Explode; Count the Waves; I Was the Jukebox, winner of the Barnard Women Poets Prize; and Theories of Falling, winner of the New Issues Poetry Prize.
She edited the anthology Vinegar and Char: Verse from the Southern Foodways Alliance. She is also the author of Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life, a memoir of living with disability and a cultural history of food allergy.
Her prose has appeared in such venues as the New York Times, The Washington Post, Virginia Quarterly Review, and The Oxford American. Honors for Beasley’s work include a 2015 National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowship; the Munster Literature Centre’s John Montague International Poetry Fellowship; the Center for Book Arts Chapbook Prize; distinguished writer residencies at Wichita State University, Cornell College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and the University of Mississippi; and five DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Artist Fellowships. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Teaching Philosophy
"As writers, I believe in the power of expressing our curiosity in the world around us. My books are infused with researched detail from science, art, history, and nature. As a disabled writer, I am particularly excited to work with material about chronic illness or the medicalized body. Whether working in poetry or prose, I’m drawn to phrasing anchored by the bright particulars of image and sound-play, and I’ll help you locate innovations in form—sestina or erasure, flash, braided essay—that can best harness these organic energies. In workshop, I prioritize fostering an atmosphere of safe and supportive encouragement. I like to have a clear plan of action while also making space for unexpected but necessary digressions.
"In one-on-one mentorship, I delight in tailoring a student’s reading selections for reading and annotation, choosing books that bridge genre and heighten your awareness to foundational craft. We’ll discuss your work on both the macro level of strategizing the manuscript and the micro level of line edits. Do you have larger questions about publishing? I’ll answer by drawing on my own experiences and many years of connections in the industry. Along the way, I like to infuse this experience with camaraderie, high energy, and laughter. You’ve already made a crucial decision by coming to the classroom. Let’s respect that and honor our mutual investment of time. Thank you for trusting me with your story."