Sarah Z. Sleeper - Writer

April, 2012... I finished my first collection of short stories, "A Few Innocuous Lines," my MFA thesis. What an amazing two years at Fairfield University! My professors, mentors and student colleagues have enriched my writing and my life in so many ways.

I am editor in chief of the the literary magazine Mason’s Road and oversee editorial processes including for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, drama and craft essay genres. As part of that role, I direct nine genre editors and five marketing staff as well as run the 2012 Mason’s Road Literary Award, with special guest judge Jacquelyn Mitchard. Prior to becoming editor in chief, I was Mason’s Road’s genre editor for creative nonfiction and was a fiction reader. I am also on the editorial team at New Rivers Press, a literary publisher based at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. As part of that work, I was on the team that edited the forthcoming book American Fiction, the best short stories of the year from new and emerging writers. I screened manuscripts for New Rivers Press’s “Many Voices Project,” a contest to find the best new literary novel or short story collection.

In July, my ekphrasis will be on display at the Bellarmine Musuem at Fairfield University and I will graduate with my MFA! My transition from business writer to fiction and creative nonfiction writer is well on its way...
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I started my career with an English degree and a year of graduate study in literary criticism, tools which gave me a solid background in the classics and no useful professional knowledge whatsoever.

After realizing that nobody outside academia cared about “deconstructive theory,” I decided to stick to my plan to become a writer anyway. I vowed to tackle practical topics until I become seasoned enough to attempt “literature.” There were other pressing matters on my mind at the start of my career—making enough money to buy food, for instance.

For 15 years I slogged through a series of jobs as staff writer, writer, reporter, managing editor and editor. Finally today, I'm exactly where I've always dreamed of being—alone in a room with two computers, three telephones and 10,000 books.


I am the co-author of a full-length book, author of five short books, and have published more than 1,000 articles in some 30 magazines and newspapers. I have written on topics such as technology, business and economics, culture and media. To keep my mind fresh and my career moving forward, I developed specialties over the years in journalism, trade journalism, corporate writing and marketing writing.


I won journalism awards in three different genres:

—Daily Newspaper, Best Daily Personality Profile, for my feature on poet Emily Dickinson.
—Magazine, Public Service/​Consumer Advocacy, for my analysis of nonprofit CEO pay.
—Daily Newspaper, Business, Financial and Technological, for my story on Mail Boxes Etc.


My other career highlights include:

—A term as national vice president for the National Writers Union, a group devoted to protecting writers’ copyrights and promoting their careers. During my tenure the NWU won its precedent-setting lawsuit, Tasini versus New York Times, which bans illegal online use of published work.

—A three-year stint covering the media, writing and editing articles about censorship, diversity and the business of media, for a CBS-owned Web site.

—Four years reporting in Japan, covering culture and business.

—Two years as managing editor of a national computer magazine.

—Two years as technology reporter for a national newspaper.

—Oportunities to shoot and publish cover and inside photographs for magazines, as well as to direct magazine design and layout (as a part of reporting and editing duties).

—A fellowship awarded by the National Press Foundation in Washington, D.C., where I went to study business and economic reporting.

—Two invitations to guest lecture to the professional writing students at San Diego State University.

—An invitation to Germany to teach my copywrited seminar, "Riveting Writing," about clear and concise business writing.

—A successful freelance career with long lists of publications (see Bibliography) and corporate clients such as SAP, Qualcomm, Intel, Accenture and Siemens.

—Membership in highly regarded professional organizations including the Authors' Guild, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Press Club.

—Ongoing attendance at technology and business conferences, both to report on them and to gain education.

—A week of in-depth study at the Fine Arts Workshop in Provincetown, Mass., as well as continuing education via various writers retreats and conferences around the country.


Although I don't plan to alert my graduate school advisor just yet, I'm finally comfortable enough to claim the title of "seasoned writer" and return to my original love, literature. I am working on my first novel, a story set at Walloon Lake, Michigan.