black and white drawing of a fountain pen.
Writing that resonates: award-winning author, Sarah Priestman
Photo of Sarah, a white woman with short brown hair in her 60s, wearing a purple shirt and earrings.

Hi, I’m Sarah!

I’m a professional writer with an accomplished publishing history.  I partner with clients to strengthen their voice, hone their craft, and bring their vision to life.

I specialize in personal essays, memoirs, ghostwritten books and articles, anthologies, and remembrance collections.

Here are the kinds of projects I can help you with.

My Publications

Click on the images to read the full essays.

The following text is overlayed a photo of younger Sarah, raising her thumb in the air, wearing a red hiking backpack, in front of the ocean and a harbor. Text reads: "The vitality lay in the simple act of going someplace. I raised my thumb like a banner of free will, weaving trips between semesters, jobs, relationships, holidays." — "Starlight". Included in "100 Notable Essays" in Best American Essays, 1992. The Hudson Review, 1991
The following text is overlaid a photo of a boy in his late teens, wearing a transgender flag around his shoulders, while looking back at the camera and walking on the beach. Text reads: “I could not have known, then, that within a few years I would be in awe of the way my son managed his transition; that eventually I would bask, not in his difference, but in his having the gall to live candidly.” — “Visibility”. 2018 Barry Lopez Nonfiction Contest Winner . Featured in Cutthroat 24 (2019).
The following text is overlaid a photo of a man running next to the ocean, wearing a red tank top and shorts, with a paper race tag on the front of his shirt. Text reads: "What is it that we grieve? He is still my big brother. If the past is behind us and the future unknown, what do we lose? The question knots in my throat, my voice moving around it like traffic bypassing a wreck in the middle of the road.” — "Losing Jerry". Awarded for Excellence in Literary Fiction. DC Commission on the Arts, 1998.
The following text is overlaid a black and white image of a man and woman's legs on a hardwood floor. The woman is wearing a textured dress that falls past her knees, and heels. The man is wearing dress pants and black dress shoes. Text reads: “My brother died in 1994, so I know the trajectory that is living with loss, the emotional version of an MC Escher drawing: confusing up with down, unsure of one’s footing in space.”— "A Visit From Mom". Entropy, 2020.
The following text is overlaid a photo of a ski slope covered in snow. Text reads: "I saw what one reads about when writers describe a near-death experience: that light. At 17 I’d never heard of it, but I know what I saw: a formless, luminous space, and in the distance, a glow, radiant, and summoning. I decided, clear as a bell, 'I don’t want to go.'" — “The Decision Thread”. Joyland, 2021.
The following text is overlaid a photo of a group of four people walking on top of a world map design on the ground. Text reads:“I guide the new family from Tajikistan to a classroom, another step on a journey they started months ago, that now brings them to an elementary-school open house on an August afternoon in Arlington...” — "World in a Zip Code". Washingtonian, 2018.
Screenshot of the essentials of yoga book. It is an off-white background with purple accents. It includes a photo of someone sitting on the ground with their back facing the camera. From top to bottom, text reads: "Mind, Body, Spirit Book. An OMEGA institute. The Essentials of Yoga. Breathing techniques that increase energy and reduce stress. Easy-to-follow programs for flexibility and total body fitness. Expert advice on making yoga an integral part of your lifestyle. Dinabandhu Sarley and Ila Sarley."

Ghostwritten by Sarah Priestman with cover authors Dinabandhu and Ila Sarley

Published by Random House, 1999

“Written in a gentle, friendly voice… the strength of the book is its clear, inviting writing.”

—Review of The Essentials of Yoga in Yoga Journal (Nov, 1999)

Screenshot of the book cover for Promise of the Soul. The cover is white with a photo of an orange, spiraling seashell. Text on the cover reads "identifying and healing your spiritual agreements. Dennis Kenney. Foreword by Rachel Naomi Remein, M.D.

Ghostwritten by Sarah Priestman with cover author Dennis Kenny

Published by John Wiley and Sons, 2002

“Sarah Priestman’s tireless enthusiasm, commitment, clarity, and partnership made Promise of the Soul happen. She has been a gift!”

—Dennis Kenny, author of Promise of the Soul

Screenshot of the book cover for Fortune's Daughter. Book cover design is a photo of a tropical-looking beach

Memoir by Carmen Juárez, edited by Sarah Priestman

Self-Published, 2019

“Completing this book required me to be vulnerable enough to put my story into the world. Sarah supported me not only by helping me shape the text, but also by listening, reflecting, and encouraging me. I appreciate her thoughtful insights and understanding as Fortune’s Daughter came to life.”

—Carmen Juarez, author of Fortune’s Daughter

Screenshot of the cover of Camp Unalayee: Place of Friends. It has a light green background and framed drawing of mountains and trees. Text reads "75th anniversary 1949-2024 memories"

Compiled and edited by

Sarah Priestman

Self-Published, 2024