Sally Hobart Alexander
Encyclopedia
Sally Hobart Alexander is an American
writer of children's literature
. She is best known for her books about her experiences as a blind person
.
Born in 1943 in Owensboro, Kentucky
, she was educated at Bucknell University
. After her undergraduate degree, Alexander taught third-grade students in Southern California
, when a rare disease caused her to lose her eyesight. She told Contemporary Authors, "I was unhappy to leave that last year [of my teaching], when my visual difficulties began. I entered an excellent training program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
for newly blinded adults. For a year afterward, I taught at the Greater Pittsburgh Guild for the Blind. Then I entered graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh
and obtained a master's degree in social work
. For three years I was a child therapist at St. Francis Hospital." She embarked on a writing career in children's fiction with the publication of her first book, Mom Can't See Me, in which Alexander depicts a loving family that has learned to cope with having a blind parent.
Alexander teaches literature and writing in the Chatham University Master of Fine Arts Program
in Children’s and Adolescent Writing
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer of children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. She is best known for her books about her experiences as a blind person
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
.
Born in 1943 in Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
, she was educated at Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
. After her undergraduate degree, Alexander taught third-grade students in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, when a rare disease caused her to lose her eyesight. She told Contemporary Authors, "I was unhappy to leave that last year [of my teaching], when my visual difficulties began. I entered an excellent training program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
for newly blinded adults. For a year afterward, I taught at the Greater Pittsburgh Guild for the Blind. Then I entered graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and obtained a master's degree in social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
. For three years I was a child therapist at St. Francis Hospital." She embarked on a writing career in children's fiction with the publication of her first book, Mom Can't See Me, in which Alexander depicts a loving family that has learned to cope with having a blind parent.
Alexander teaches literature and writing in the Chatham University Master of Fine Arts Program
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Children’s and Adolescent Writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
.
Books
- Mom Can't See Me, fiction (New York: Macmillan, 1990).
- Sarah's Surprise, fiction (New York: Macmillan, 1990).
- Mom's Best Friend, fiction (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
- Maggie's Whopper, fiction (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
- Taking Hold: My Journey into Blindness , nonfiction (New York: Macmillan, 1994).
- On My Own: The Journey Continues, nonfiction (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997).
- Do You Remember the Color Blue? And Other Questions Kids Ask about Blindness, nonfiction (New York: Viking, 2000).
- She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer, (co-author with Robert Alexander) nonfiction (New York: Clarion Books, 2008).