Influences

Mother - Miriam
One of Sarah’s biggest influences was her mother, Miriam. They were both similar in some ways for instance, Sarah had a bad memory like her mother. When she learns that her mother had Alzheimer’s disease, she decided to record what was happening to her family. Sometimes she videotaped her mother and, other times, she took notes and drew pictures of her during her illness. She even preserved marks her mother made and wrote, “Mom moved my pen” (Leavitt, 2010, p.7). These memories inspired Sarah to write stories and essays about her family’s situation particularly, her mother. After her mother died, she created a few coloured copy booklets to illustrate her mother’s six years of illness. She eventually realized that she wanted to write a graphic memoir dedicated to her beloved mother instead of writing prose. Thus, she spent four years to write and draw ‘Tangles’, her first book which was published in 2010.

Family and friends
Sarah was also encouraged by her close loved ones. She received plenty of support from her partner, Donimo throughout the years of the writing process. Mary Schendlinger, her “drawing clinic” partner constantly encouraged her to continue her weekly drawings. At the same time, she was supported by her father, Robert, who patiently and enthusiastically read her stories and provided feedback.