Drawing by Jane Brenner. Not to be
reproduced or transmitted without
the express permission of the artist.

About Sandy

Contact Sandy


Joy in Mindfulness, postponed until December 2010, due to Vietnam trip (below), in Clatskanie, OR
Dharma and Writing Retreat, April, 2010 in Bainbridge Island, WA


Editor for the latest Pema Chodron book Sandy edited Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears by Pema Chodron (Fall 2009).

Award in Thailand On December 9, 2009, Sandy will be honored for her work on Women and Buddhism at the opening of the new Kwan Yin Temple in Bangkok. Called “Avalokitesvara’s Great Compassion Stupa of 10,000 Buddhas,” the temple contains the largest collection of Buddhist art in the world. In a ceremony there, Sandy and others will receive their awards for service in advancing the cause of women in Buddhist environments.

Sakyadhita Conference, Vietnam In late December, 2009, Sandy will participate in the 11th International Conference on Buddhist Women to be held in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. She will offer a workshop and participate in panels and discussions on the contributions of women to Buddhism throughout the world.


“Jungle Beast” in the Fall 2009 issue of tricycle, the Buddhist Review. Available at many bookstores or online to current subscribers.

“Two Dogs, A Parrot, and a Not-So-Silent Retreat” in the Fall 2009 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioners Quarterly.

“Buddhist Women Meet in Mongolia” in the Spring 2009 issue of tricycle, the Buddhist Review. Available at many bookstores or online to current subscribers.

“Standing Outside the Door,” reprinted with permission from the Spring 2009 issue of Inquiring Mind, a semiannual journal of the Vipassana community.

More articles...

Attend one of Sandy’s scheduled writing workshops or retreats, or talk to her about organizing a retreat or workshop in your part of the country. She is open to travel and flexible in her arrangements for retreats.

Cultivate your capacity for joy as you meditate and celebrate with Sandy and her partner Martha Boesing in their “Joy in Mindfulness” retreats. Alternate meditation and writing practice in a “Dharma and Writing” retreat. Open yourself to the compassionate energy of the goddess Kwan Yin during a “Discovering Kwan Yin” retreat.

Satisfy your curiosity about meditation practice and the great truths of Buddhism in Sandy’s books, which embody a strong female and feminist perspective.

Sandy’s most recent book is Dancing in the Dharma. Described as a "beautifully written book about a splendidly unique teacher," it tells the life story of Ruth Denison, a pioneer of Buddhism in the West.

Read a chapter from Dancing in the Dharma.

Look at her other books on meditation and Buddhism.

Sandy coaches writers, both individually and in writing workshops, as well as combined meditation and writing retreats, inspiring you to reach deep and discover how to do your best work. Develop your writing in Sandy’s Memoir and Autobiography workshops in the S.F. Bay Area, and her “Dharma and Writing” retreats in the Northwest.

Get private help and coaching for your writing project through consultation with Sandy, either face to face or by e-mail and telephone.

Read her article on eliminating fears in the writing process.