Sarah Stockton
Sarah Stockton, MA, is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of the poetry journal River Mouth Review. She’s also the author of two chapbooks: Time’s Apprentice (dancing girl press, 2021) and Castaway (Glass Lyre Press, 2022). Sarah’s work has been nominated many times for the Pushcart Prize and the Orison Anthology. The Scarecrow of My Former Self was a finalist for the Sally Albiso Award, and is Sarah’s first full-length book of poetry.
In academia, Sarah taught at the University of San Francisco for several years. A trained spiritual director, her nonfiction books include a collection of essays on spiritual direction and a guide to writing as a spiritual practice. Sarah also worked for over two decades as a freelance editor, journalist, and essayist, publishing in many national venues while continuing to read, study, and write poetry.
Sarah was diagnosed over two decades ago with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: a post-viral, chronic, debilitating condition which vastly altered and continues to impact her life and the lives of millions of others around the world. Sarah and her beloved husband live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, by the Salish Sea.
Watch a recording of Sarah reading from The Scarecrow of My Former Self along with Jill McCabe Johnson
The Scarecrow of My Former Self: $17.99
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Poem from The Scarecrow of My Former Self
Stella Marina
They say when a starfish loses a limb it grows another, can even shed on purpose— sacrifice an arm or some spiny skin, protecting the core as a survival measure when its various parts are gobbled by a sea otter, a hungry eagle. A sea star will continue on— regenerate organs, bright orange and red, grow stronger though forever scarred. I’ve lost so many extensions of my life that will never grow back. I am untrained in the science of restoration—perhaps I should seek out a tidepool, dip my star-shaped hand in kelp-infused water, and wait.
