Sandra Moran

Sandra Moran (December 20, 1968 – November 7, 2015) was an American writer, educator, and anthropologist. She taught at Johnson County Community College and was the author of Letters Never Sent, The Addendum (2014), Nudge (2014), All We Lack (2015), and State of Grace (2016).

Early life and education Sandra Moran was born on December 20, 1968, in Topeka, Kansas, and grew up in Dover. She had three siblings.

After graduating from Mission Valley High School in 1987, Moran attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in journalism, Master of Arts in public administration, and a Master of Science in anthropology.

Career Moran started her career as a journalist, reporting for The Topeka Capital-Journal and the Lawrence Journal-World. Later, she became the deputy press secretary for Kansas Governor Bill Graves. In 2014, Moran joined Johnson County Community College as an assistant adjunct professor teaching anthropology. ''Lambda Literary Reviews Anna Furtado described the novel as a "well written tale" with a story that "unfolds like a flower", having a "profound" impact on each character. It was also a finalist for the 2014 Edmund White Award, as well as the Rainbow Award for Best Lesbian Novel.

All We Lack was published by Bedazzled Ink in March 2015. The novel is written from the perspectives of multiple characters who are connected by a single bus crash. Lambda Literary Review'''s July Westhale applauded the novel's "rich characters and movable landscapes", as well as how the narrates "illustrates [the characters'] inner consciousnesses". In 2016, All We Lack won the GCLS's Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award.

Moran's final novel, State of Grace (2016), was published posthumously by Bywater Books in June 2016. The novel centers Birdie Holloway through many stages of her life, beginning at age 11 when her friend is murdered, continuing through time as Birdie experiences grief and survivor's guilt, then ultimately searches for her friend's assailant. Lambda Literary Reviews July Westhale described the novel as "just as unwieldy, unsparing, and jarring as the experience of trauma itself", adding that "even to a reader that has never experienced trauma of this sort before, [Birdie's] visceral fear of the world around her is understandable on multiple levels".

Personal life Moran was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in fall 2015 and died on November 7, 2015. At the time of her death, she lived in Kansas with her partner, Cheryl Pletcher.

Publication