Sara O'Leary is a Canadian writer. She has published fiction, children's books, plays, and reviews. She holds an MA in English and Creative Writing from

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

in Montreal and an MFA with a specialization in Screenwriting from the Program in Theatre, Film and Creative Writing at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. Her picture book, ''This is Sadie,'' was adapted for the stage by Barbara Zinn Krieger for New York City Children's Theater. The production, directed and choreographed by

Stephanie Klemons Stephanie Klemons (born September 27, 1982) is an American Broadway performer and choreographer. She is the Associate Choreographer and Original Dance Captain of the Broadway musical ''Hamilton''. She was also an original cast member and the Danc ...

, was deemed "beguiling" by the New York Times. She currently teaches at Concordia University.

Children's books

* ''The Little Books of the Little Brontës'', illustrated by Briony May Smith (Tundra Books, 2023) * ''Gemma and the Giant Girl'', illustrated by Marie Lafrance (Tundra Books, 2021) * ''A Kid Is a Kid Is a Kid'', illustrated by Qin Leng (Groundwood Books, 2021) * ''This Is Ruby'', illustrated by Alea Marley (Tundra Books, 2021) * ''Percy’s Museum'', illustrated by Carmen Mok (Groundwood Books, 2021) * ''Night Walk'', illustrated by Ellie Arscott (Groundwood Books, 2020) * ''Maud and Grand-Maud'', illustrated by Kenard Pak (Tundra Books, 2020) * ''Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets'', illustrated by Jacob Grant (Tundra Books, 2018) * ''The Boy and the Blue Moon,'' illustrated by Ashley Crowley (Godwin Books, Henry Holt, 2018) * ''A Family Is a Family Is a Family,'' illustrated by Qin Leng (Groundwood Books, 2016) * ''You Are One'', illustrated by Karen Klassen (Owl Kids, 2019) * ''You Are Two'', illustrated by Karen Klassen (Owl Kids, 2019) * ''You Are Three,'' illustrated by Karen Klassen (Owl Kids, 2017) * ''This Is Sadie,'' illustrated by

Julie Morstad Julie Morstad is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books. Career After coming to the attention of Simply Read Books publisher Dimiter Savoff through her work in the Vancouver arts scene, Morstad was asked to illustrate Sara O'Lear ...

(Tundra Books, 2015) * ''When I Was Small,'' illustrated by

(Simply Read Books, 2011) * ''Where You Came From,'' illustrated by

(Simply Read Books, 2008) * ''When You Were Small,'' illustrated by

(Simply Read Books, 2006)

Plays

O'Leary's plays have been performed at numerous Fringe festivals and an early play, "The Dysfunctional Documentary," was nominated for a Sterling Drama Prize. Her play, "The Kitchen Sink," took first prize in Theatre BC's National Playwriting Competition for 2003 and was subsequently produced by Frank Moher at Western Edge Theatre.

Fiction and reviews

A collection of postcard stories titled ''Wish You Were Here'' was published by Exile Editions (1994) and followed up by a collection of short fiction titled ''Comfort Me With Apples'' (Thistledown, 1998). O'Leary then went on to become a weekly literary columnist for both the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

'' and

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...

. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as

Mslexia ''Mslexia'' is a British magazine for women writers, founded and edited by Debbie Taylor. ''Mslexia'' contains articles and resources on writers, writing, and publishing. Writers who have contributed articles include Diana Evans, Helen Mort, Ha ...

, Hobart and ''

The Walrus ''The Walrus'' is an independent, nonprofit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an eight-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a nation ...

'', and her reviews appear in ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' and the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

''. She is currently at work on a story collection titled ''The Art of Losing''. On July 7, 2020, O'Leary published a novel entitled ''The Ghost in the House''. In 2024 she was the recipient of the

Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, colloquially called the Vicky, is given annually at the Writers' Trust Awards to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth". It is a top honour for ...

for her body of work."Sheung-King, Martha Baillie among Writers' Trust literary prize winners"

CBC Books CBC Arts () is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's diverse artistic communitie ...

, November 19, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OLeary, Sara Living people Canadian children's writers Canadian women novelists Canadian women children's writers Canadian women short story writers 21st-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Year of birth missing (living people)