SARAH M. DUNCAN IS A PLAYWRIGHT, POET, EDUCATOR, PERFORMER, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZER.
After moving to New York City in 2011, Sarah spent five years in the Big Apple thriving at the intersection of arts, activism, and community. She performed and had her work produced in a variety of venues, including The Wild Project, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, The Cherry Lane Theatre, and The Gym at Judson. As an arts organizer in NYC, she curated and hosted many poetry shows around crucial themes, and she co-created and organized three theatre festivals under the foundational title, Occupy the Empty Space.
In 2016, Sarah left her beloved New York City to build a new home and community in Laramie, Wyoming, where she began her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Wyoming. She currently studies there, focusing on multi-genre and hybrid creative work, archival & political art, and queer and critical race studies. She is currently working on creative writing and visual projects surrounding whiteness: the construction of it, the violence and terrorism of it, and how to dismantle it. Additionally, Sarah is a grassroots community organizer in Laramie. She organizes (and helps organize) local racial, queer, and immigrant justice campaigns. She is also a founding and active member of SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) Wyoming.
Sarah also teaches English composition to undergraduates at the University of Wyoming. She is dedicated to teaching her students the art and necessity of critical thinking, participating in the world, consistent questioning, and motivated, research-based writing.
Ultimately, Sarah Duncan believes there is power and freedom in the recognition that most (if not all) of the world around us is invented. By entertaining this thought, other important questions can be addressed: What does the prevalence of invention mean for reinvention? Un-invention? What can we make and unmake?
"Sarah Duncan's writing sees the forest for the trees. It gracefully, honestly, and with tactful nuance, attacks society's ills while offering a hearty dose of medicine, usually in the form of advising self-reflection, an open heart and open ears, and a willingness to be guided outside of one's comfort zone."
-- Taylor Steele, award winning NYC Spoken Word Artist
“A brave look at vulnerability and sexuality, Bees and Lions by Sarah M. Duncan explores the consequences of challenging celebrity as it enjoys its New York City premiere. Duncan won a spot with Sanguine after competing against nearly 100 submissions in Sanguine’s Project Playwright this past January. Sanguine's Bees and Lions successfully pushes the limits of commercial theatre and takes the audience on a dark and interesting ride. A big congratulations to the Sanguine Theatre Company, Sarah M. Duncan (thank you for being brave), and the cast and crew.”
--Elle T, Reviewer for Fistful of Words
“Sarah Duncan is a poet of distinction - an original, intuitive and insightful writer whose words are as stunning in their artistry as they are penetrating in their political will. An elegant voice on the page, on the stage, and in the streets, her cry for justice in the nation and in the world manifests itself dazzlingly in word and deed.”
--Kia Corthron, Acclaimed Playwright
“Sarah Duncan has been a steadfast coordinator since 2011. She has an unparalleled ability to network and outreach while, simultaneously, attending to the minutest details of event management. The combination of "people person" and thorough event manager makes her the perfect choice to bill, promote and execute any event.”
--Kate Foster, Musician and Creative Partner on Occupy the Empty Space
-- Taylor Steele, award winning NYC Spoken Word Artist
“A brave look at vulnerability and sexuality, Bees and Lions by Sarah M. Duncan explores the consequences of challenging celebrity as it enjoys its New York City premiere. Duncan won a spot with Sanguine after competing against nearly 100 submissions in Sanguine’s Project Playwright this past January. Sanguine's Bees and Lions successfully pushes the limits of commercial theatre and takes the audience on a dark and interesting ride. A big congratulations to the Sanguine Theatre Company, Sarah M. Duncan (thank you for being brave), and the cast and crew.”
--Elle T, Reviewer for Fistful of Words
“Sarah Duncan is a poet of distinction - an original, intuitive and insightful writer whose words are as stunning in their artistry as they are penetrating in their political will. An elegant voice on the page, on the stage, and in the streets, her cry for justice in the nation and in the world manifests itself dazzlingly in word and deed.”
--Kia Corthron, Acclaimed Playwright
“Sarah Duncan has been a steadfast coordinator since 2011. She has an unparalleled ability to network and outreach while, simultaneously, attending to the minutest details of event management. The combination of "people person" and thorough event manager makes her the perfect choice to bill, promote and execute any event.”
--Kate Foster, Musician and Creative Partner on Occupy the Empty Space