Sullivan, Sarah G. 1953-

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Sullivan, Sarah G. 1953-

Personal

Born July 21, 1953, in Fairmont, WV; daughter of John L., Jr. (a district sales manager) and Sarah (a homemaker) Sullivan; married Ricklin Brown (an attorney), September 4, 1992; children: Jack (deceased); (stepchildren) Marshall, Jennifer, Christiana. Education: Tufts University, A.B. (French), 1975; attended Sorbonne, University of Paris, 1973-74; West Virginia University, J.D., 1980; Vermont College, M.F.A. (writing for children and young adults), 2005. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Presbyterian. Hobbies and other interests: Canoeing, skiing, hiking, biking, reading, travel.

Addresses

Home—Charleston, WV. Agent—Adams Literary, 7845 Colony Rd., C4 No. 215, Charlotte, NC 28226. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Attorney and author. Jackson & Kelly (law firm), Charleston, WV, associate attorney, 1980-85; U.S. Attorney's Office and U.S. Trustee's Office for Southern District of West Virginia, Charleston, U.S. attorney, 1984-87, staff attorney, 1987-92; Lewis, Friedberg, Glasser, Casey & Rollins, Charleston, associate attorney, 1992-94. Substitute high-school teacher in English and creative writing. Read Aloud West Virginia, Founding member and member of advisory committee, 1999-2003; conducts writing workshops.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Authors Guild, West Virginia Writers.

Awards, Honors

West Virginia Commission on the Arts individual artists fellowship, 2001; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, 2005, for Dear Baby.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

Root Beer and Banana, illustrated by Greg Shed, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2005.

Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother, illustrated by Paul Meisel, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2005.

Passing the Music Down, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2008.

Contributor to periodicals, including Journal of Children's Literature and Cricket.

Sidelights

Sarah G. Sullivan told SATA: "I like stories with a strong sense of place, which probably comes from having moved around a lot while I was growing up. I was always trying to fit in. I guess I still am. I also like humor. Life is so much easier when we can settle back and have a good laugh at ourselves.

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"My first picture book, Root Beer and Banana, came directly out of a writing exercise I did at a workshop led by George Ella Lyon. The story was inspired by memories of summers I spent with my grandparents in a small town on the Rappahannock River in Virginia, though it is not, strictly speaking, autobiographical."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of Root Beer and Banana, p. 1594; September 15, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother, p. 75.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2005, review of Root Beer and Banana, p. 597; August 1, 2005, review of Dear Baby, p. 859.

School Library Journal, July 1, 2005, Linda Staskus, review of Root Beer and Banana, p. 83; September 1, 2005, Kara Schaff, review of Dear Baby, p. 187.