Sarah Elizabeth "Essie" Bode
(she/her) MentorSarah E. Bode (she/her) is a publishing professional and has been working in marketing, publicity, and acquisitions for over a decade. She’s worked on books across trade, academic, and illustrated for presses like Ballantine, Bantam, Clarkson Potter, Del Rey, NYU Press, Oxford University Press, One World, Random House, Ten Speed, and more. She is currently the Associate Director of Marketing for Henry Holt and Co., an imprint of Macmillan. She has a BFA in Creative Writing and a MA in Liberal Studies from UNC Wilmington, has published with several literary magazines, and writes queer adult romance on the weekends.
Artist‘s Statement
Authentically inclusive stories are the only thing I want to write. Growing up reading rom-coms, I’ve only ever wanted to see people like me on the page—fat and queer, curious and discerning, existentially worried about being diagnosed with a terminal disease—thriving through a life filled with joy and love, suffering and troubles. Writing is my therapy of trying to make sense of the world, a practice especially important in the wake of my father’s suicide. Empathy through connection is key.