Sandy Ebner

About Me

Sandy Ebner lives and writes in Northern California. Her essays have been published or are forthcoming in the San Francisco Chronicle, Connotation Press: An Online Artifact, Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review, the HerStories/ My Other Ex anthology, and other publications. She writes about a variety of topics, but is most interested in social and cultural differences and how they influence our lives. Her essay, ‘The Clothes I Was Wearing’ was named a finalist in both the 2012 Press 53 Open Awards and the 2012 Glass Woman Prize, in addition to being nominated by Connotation Press for a Pushcart Prize. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from California State University, and is an alumna of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley. She currently serves as CNF Editor at MadHat Lit and MadHat Annual.

Why do you write?

Like many writers, my creativity is fueled by ideas, usually ones that come when I'm half asleep. The ones I take the time to write down usually end up in an essay or a story. I guess the best way to answer though is that when I write my life is just, well, better. When I'm not writing I'm thinking about writing, wishing I were writing, or feeling guilty that I'm not writing. This, of course, doesn't make me unique. Also, often, other writers fuel my creativity. Sharing my struggles and occasional successes with writer friends--both online and off--keeps me moving forward.

Any favorite authors? Books?

Richard Russo, Margaret Atwood, Charles Baxter, James Lee Burke, Barbara Kingsolver, William Boyd, Gillian Flynn, Tana French, Annie Proulx, Lionel Shriver, Ian McEwan

Confederacy of Dunces (Toole), Straight Man (Russo), Beach Music (Conroy), Handmaid's Tale (Atwood), Feast of Love (Baxter), Serena (Rash), Shipping News (Proulx), Angle of Repose (Stegner), On Writing (King), Bird by Bird (Lamott), Sophie's Choice (Styron), Darkness Visible (Styron), Secret History (Tartt), The World According to Garp (Irving), The Good Earth (Buck), LOTR, Mists of Avalon (Bradley)