Sarah Tsiang

Biography

I have enjoyed teaching at both the Masters level and the Undergraduate level. I have worked as a Professor at Sheridan College, helping to establish their Creative Writing and Publishing Undergraduate program. I have also taught MFA students at UBC and currently supervise MA students in Creative Writing at the University of Toronto. I teach the CWRI 100 course as well as various other creative writing courses at Queens. I serve on the board of directors for Poetry In Voice/Les Voix de la Poésie, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing poetry to Canadian students. I am the former editor of Arc Poetry Magazine. I have published 12 books in various genres. My latest book is a graphic novel, Yukiko and the Little Black Cat forthcoming in 2029 with KidsCan Press.

Teaching Approach 

My educational experiences, both positive and negative, have led me to the conclusion that the best way for students to learn is to encourage them to find the answers, rather than providing the answers. If we want to produce thinkers we need to understand that thinking is not, and should not, be a straight path upon which everyone treads. For me, student centered learning means helping students to find their best track to their own conclusion. If we are analyzing a story, for example, it means giving students the tools to see the text in a variety of different ways. I encourage discussions in class because it is not a matter of seeing a story correctly, but rather in learning to see a story in as many different perspectives as possible. A student must be able to see other arguments before they can select the one they believe has the most merit.

Each class I teach will be necessarily different because each student brings a new perspective into class. My job is to guide them, and to be there to provide the essential background of knowledge and vocabulary they require for their journey. We have a finite amount of answers in any discipline. The trick is to create students who realize their infinite potential for asking new questions, and for finding the ways into their own answers.

Research Interests

Creative Writing: I write in the genres of poetry, children’s writing (k-12), fiction, and creative non-fiction. 

Selected Publications

• When the Clouds Came. Vancouver, BC: Orca Books, spring 2026
• Grappling Hook. Windsor, ON: Palimpsest Press. April 2022, poetry
• Everyone Has Toesy Toes. Vancouver, BC: Orca Books. April 2018, board book
• The Night Children. Toronto, ON: Annick Press. 2015, picture book
• Breathing Fire. Vancouver, BC: Orca Books. Young Adult Novel. March 2013
• Status Update: Comment, Like, Unlike. Fernie, BC: Oolichan Books. November 2013, Poetry
• Desperately Seeking Susans. Fernie, BC: Oolichan Books, Fall 2013. Anthology of Poetry
• Warriors and Wailers: 100 Jobs in Ancient China You Might Have Relished or Reviled.
• The Stone Hatchlings. Toronto, ON: Annick Press, Fall 2012. Picture Book
• Sweet Devilry. Fernie, BC: Oolichan Books, 2011. Poetry
• Dogs Don’t Eat Jam and Other Things Big Kids Know. Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2011
• A Flock of Shoes. Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2010. Picture Book. 

Creative Writing Description

I write in the genres of poetry, children’s writing (k-12), fiction, non-fiction.

Genres and Forms

Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Creative Writing
Folklore and Creative Writing
Poetry and Poetics