About
Brenna Sowder writes middle grade fiction, and dabbles in essays and creative nonfiction.
HELLO! I’m Brenna Sowder, a pre-published author of middle grade fiction, and occasional dabbler in essays and creative nonfiction. I am fascinated by the natural world, and I’m a firm believer in books as portals, truth-telling mirrors, telescopes or microscopes — and sometimes all of the above.
My childhood was split between playing in the woods beyond our dead-end street in a Boston suburb, and exploring the rocky beaches and tide pools of wicked-far-downeast Maine. I had the unusual privilege of growing up alongside my Dad’s whale conservation research project, and have spent countless hours aboard a research boat listening to whales breathe in the middle of the Bay of Fundy.
My early career was in nonprofit communications, where I crafted stories about the important work being done by people dedicated to making the world a better place. In 2018, I decided to re-evaluate what I wanted to do with my “one wild and precious life” (thank you, Mary Oliver!)
I started writing for myself, and drafted the beginnings of an essay-based memoir about growing up among whales. I published several essays about motherhood and nature, and continued to ponder where in the creative writing ecosystem I felt most at home. Fast-forward through COVID disruption, homeschooling my children for a year, and a cross-country move, and TA DA! I’ve found my writing happy place in middle grade fiction.
Truth be told, I may have once believed I was Meg Murray caught up in A Wrinkle in Time, and I certainly searched for the door to Narnia in several wardrobes (and a few closets for good measure). As an avid reader, middle grade fiction has ALWAYS been my favorite genre, and finding myself writing in this space feels like coming home.
Currently, I am prepping to query my first middle grade novel featuring a protagonist with a passion for the ocean, a quirky, bird-loving best friend, and a human-whale conflict with no easy answers. I’m an active member of SCBWI-New England, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, Inked Voices and the Twitter-based MGHub group “The MGty Ducks.” In addition, I’ve benefited from craft workshops put forth by The Highlights Foundation, The Writing Barn, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Whale Rock, and Hugo House.
When I’m not writing or reading, I can usually be found outside (and sometimes reading or writing outside). I love to hike, haphazardly attempt to grow food, explore endless beaches, and hopscotch the thousands of islands along the Maine coast by sailboat with my husband and two wonderfully opinionated middle grade readers.
