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| Sandy Benson |
Sandy Benson is a retired forester with a solid background in journalism. Her education includes a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Northern Arizona University, postgraduate work in English, business, and journalism, a Master’s degree in Organizational Management (Natural Resources) from Chadron State College in Nebraska, and an honorary degree from the School of Hard Knocks, on rural “campuses” across the American west and the high plains.
From the mid-1970s through 2018 she worked as a forester in Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska while moonlighting as a reporter, editor, publisher, and freelance non-fiction writer. Numerous newspapers and magazines have published her articles, and she received several awards from the Nebraska Press Women.
In 2018 she and her husband, Barry, relocated to Warne, North Carolina, where they live with their two bossy dachshunds. Sandy continued working remotely for the Nebraska Forest Service until she retired in 2023 to pursue her writing. She has “branched out”—sharing tales at local storyteller gatherings and penning publicity releases for the Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville.
In 2021 she published her first book: My Mother’s Keeper: One Family’s Journey Through Dementia, followed in 2024 by her second book: Dear Folks: Letters Home 1943-1946 World War II, a collection of her father’s letters home from World War II. Both books are available via her web page.
She is currently working on two new books. “Girls Can’t Do That” is a collection of mostly humorous short stories about her life as one of America’s first female foresters. “The Dam That Wasn’t” is the working title of a political and cultural history of the Niobrara National Scenic River.
In 2023 and 2024 she received awards in the Cherokee/Clay Senior Games, Literary Arts Division, and in 2024 she placed third in the statewide competition, Life Experience category.
Website and blog: Out on a Limb—Adventures in Storytelling https://sandygbenson.com/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/SGSandyBenson
Goodreads
Email: sandygbensonauthor@gmail.com