Sarah Braunstein

Sarah Braunstein is a prolific fiction writer. She is the author of two novels, The Sweet Relief of Missing Children and Bad Animals, and a collection of short stories, all published by (or forthcoming from) W.W. Norton. She has also published a number of stories in highly visible and respected venues, including The New Yorker, Playboy, and the Harvard Review. 

Highly collaborative and community-minded, Braunstein has participated in the Maine Lit Fest, offered creative writing sessions at the Waterville Public Library, and founded “Power Pens,” a creative writing group at a public elementary school in Portland. She is sought nationally and internationally to speak at colleges and universities and has worked with the National YoungArts Foundation to support the development of youth writers.

Braunstein joined Colby in 2016 as a visiting assistant professor, having held similar positions at Bowdoin and the University of Southern Maine’s M.F.A. program. She earned her M.F.A. from the University of Iowa and her B.A. in English and theater from Mt. Holyoke College. She also earned an M.S.W. from Smith College.