Sarah Barnett
Sarah is vice president of the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild and enjoys leading the weekly Saturday FreeWrite!
She began her professional life teaching junior high mathematics. Then began a period Barnett refers to as “killing myself by degrees.” When her children reached adolescence, she went to library school for her mental health. She thought managing a small special library, would be like tending a colorful English garden in which only she knew the Latin names for the plants. Information is power, but she soon discovered that no one notices librarians.
Deciding it would be more rewarding to tell people what to do with information, she shifted to working in public affairs and lobbying by day and attending law school at night. Barnett wrote speeches, comments on proposed regulations and other stuff that nobody read. While working for a food industry trade association, she was heard to remark, “My day is divided between talking to people I don’t want to talk to and talking to people who don’t want to talk to me.”
Now retired, she lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where she tries to compose humorous prose pieces and short fiction while walking her dog on the beach.
Here's what you said about Sarah's classes
She began her professional life teaching junior high mathematics. Then began a period Barnett refers to as “killing myself by degrees.” When her children reached adolescence, she went to library school for her mental health. She thought managing a small special library, would be like tending a colorful English garden in which only she knew the Latin names for the plants. Information is power, but she soon discovered that no one notices librarians.
Deciding it would be more rewarding to tell people what to do with information, she shifted to working in public affairs and lobbying by day and attending law school at night. Barnett wrote speeches, comments on proposed regulations and other stuff that nobody read. While working for a food industry trade association, she was heard to remark, “My day is divided between talking to people I don’t want to talk to and talking to people who don’t want to talk to me.”
Now retired, she lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where she tries to compose humorous prose pieces and short fiction while walking her dog on the beach.
Here's what you said about Sarah's classes
- I liked this workshop so much that I signed up for a second session. Set a goal, read to write, and focus on craft as well as the love of writing - that is the theme. Sarah started out by giving us an assignment to write (and finish) a short story by the end of the session that we could submit to the First Line Journal. Along the way, we studied short stories written by the best writers of our time, took hints on how to go about writing from professor and author Ron Carlson and shared our work with each other. "Persist" was the message and we did. We started with the same line, yet came up with such different stories. I am still surprised and happy with what I wrote. Sarah created a challenging, yet relaxed and supportive experience. I had a great time. Thanks, Sarah! —Marjorie Weber
- Loved everything about this workshop including the reading of Ron Carlson's book and getting very usable feedback from classmates. Really liked this workshop and I would definitely take it again—Meg Ellacott
