Sarah Smarsh Explained

Sarah Smarsh
Birth Date:8 August 1980
Birth Place:Kingman, Kansas, U.S.[1]
Occupation:Writer
Genre:Nonfiction
Education:University of Kansas (BA)
Columbia University (MFA)

Sarah Smarsh (born August 8, 1980) is an American journalist and nonfiction writer.

Background

Smarsh was born in rural Kansas and grew up on farms and in small towns. Her family moved frequently, and she attended eight schools before she reached ninth grade.[2] She attended the University of Kansas starting in 1998, and received her MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University.[3] [4]

While in fifth grade, Smarsh wrote a story about her family for a class assignment. Her teacher at the time sent the story to a national children's magazine, where it was then published. After the story was published, Smarsh told her family that she would one day publish a full book about them.

She has been a fellow at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy.[5] She has written for publications including the Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The New Yorker.[6]

Published works

Published in 2018, Heartland is an autobiographical work which focuses on the lives of her family members, white blue-collar residents of the Midwestern and Southern USA; the book was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize[7] and a 2019 recipient of the Kansas Notable Book Award.[8] She Come By It Natural (2020) is a collection of essays about Dolly Parton, provoked by stereotyped coverage of rural people in the context of the 2016 election.[9] [10] [11] [12] The book was a finalist for the nonfiction category of the National Books Critics Circle Award.[13]

Other works

In 2019, Smarsh started the podcast The Homecomers. The podcast spotlights and interviews people from rural and working class communities, similar to the ones that Smarsh herself grew up in, in order to dispel stereotypes about themselves and the places where they live.[14] [15] [16]

Notes and References

  1. News: Hoedel. Cindy . IN Conversation with Sarah Smarsh . September 1, 2019. IN Kansas City Magazine. August 27, 2023.
  2. News: Smarsh . Sarah . The working-class kid who became a writer: how a Kansas teacher helped change my life . . October 27, 2019.
  3. News: Keranen . Rachel . Review: Heartland by Sarah Smarsh . . October 27, 2019.
  4. News: Bierman . Courtney . Q&A with KU alumna author, journalist Sarah Smarsh . . October 27, 2019.
  5. Web site: About Sarah Smarsh, Journalist and Author of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth . 2022-03-05 . Sarah Smarsh . en-US.
  6. Sarah Smarsh author pages:
  7. News: Dawson . Mackenzie . How 'Heartland' author Sarah Smarsh became a hero in rural America . . October 24, 2020.
  8. Web site: 2019 Notable Books Kansas State Library, KS - Official Website . 2022-08-12 . kslib.info.
  9. News: Garcia-Navarro . Lulu . Author Sarah Smarsh Discusses Her New Book On 'The Great Unifier:' Dolly Parton . . October 24, 2020.
  10. News: Choate . Emily . She Come by It Natural Pays Unique Tribute to Dolly Parton . . October 24, 2020.
  11. News: Dundas . Deborah . In 'She Come By It Natural,' an homage to Dolly Parton and how her music speaks to women . . October 24, 2020.
  12. News: Berry . October 14, 2020 . Lorraine . Review: How Dolly Parton became an unsung icon of the feminist working class . . October 24, 2020.
  13. Web site: 2021-01-25 . Announcing the Finalists for the 2020 NBCC Awards . 2022-03-05 . National Book Critics Circle . en-US.
  14. Web site: Development . MESH Design & . RELEASE: Journalist and NYT Bestselling Author Sarah Smarsh to Release Original Podcast . 2022-03-05 . The Homecomers . en.
  15. Web site: 2019-09-30 . 'The Homecomers': Writer Sarah Smarsh's New Podcast Explores Trend Of Rural Americans Returning Home . 2022-03-05 . WVPB . en.
  16. Web site: Shaw . Iain . 2019-10-07 . The Homecomers Corrects the Narrative on Rural America . 2022-07-21 . Podcast Review . en-US.