Sassafras Patterdale

Sassafras Patterdale (formerly Lowrey; born May 16, 1984 ) is an American author and dog trainer. In 2013, the Lambda Literary Foundation awarded them the Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award.

Personal life In the early 2000s, at age 17, Patterdale came out as non-binary and genderqueer. Patterdale was homeless as a teenager and no longer has a relationship "with the family that raised [them]".

In 2024, Patterdale divorced their partner of nineteen years. They live with their dogs in Portland, Oregon.

Education Patterdale received a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Goddard College.

Career

Dog trainer Patterdale is an All Star Trainer of the Year-certified trick dog instructor, and American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen and Tricks evaluator. They continued, "Self-publishing can also mean not having to adjust a story or voice to fit with a publisher's vision... [it] can be the best way to reach readers who need them most, and to maintain artistic control over their projects." Narratively, Dogster, Modern Dog, Whole Dog Journal, Bark, Catapult, Catster, Lambda Literary, and others.

Patterdale has taught creative writing at LitReactor and the New York City Center for Fiction, they have also mentored for Association of Writers & Writing Programs twice and "provides writing coaching to private clients".

American Library Association's Over the Rainbow Project List Selection Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction Finalist 2013 Self Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award Recipient ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 American Library Association's Over the Rainbow Project List Top 11 Publications

Anthology contributions Visible: A Femmethology, Volume One, edited by Jennifer Clare Burke (2009) Trans/Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships Beyond the Gender Binary, edited by Morty Diamond (2011) No Safewords: A Marketplace Fan Anthology, edited by Laura Antoniou (2013) The Complete Guide to Writing for Young Adults, edited by Gabrielle Harbowy (2014) The Queer South: LGBTQ Writers on the American South, edited by Douglas Ray (2014) Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World, edited by Jessica Valenti and Jaclyn Friedman (2020) Between Certain Death and a Possible Future: Queer Writing on Growing Up with the AIDS Crisis, edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (2021)

Anthologies edited Kicked Out (2010) Leather Ever After: An Anthology of Kinky Fairy Tales (2013)

Select articles "A Guide To Non-binary Pronouns And Why They Matter", in HuffPost (2017) "I Was A Homeless Teen; My Dog, Mercury, Helped Me Through It", in HuffPost (2017) "Lost Cause: On Estrangement and Chosen Family", in Catapult (2018) "4 Things Pet Owners Regret Doing When Buying a Home", in Apartment Therapy (2019) "Confessions of a Misfit on the Dog Show Circuit", in Narratively (2019) "5 New Year's Resolutions You Can Make for Your Dog", in Apartment Therapy (2020) "Before You Adopt: Planning a Lifelong Commitment to Your Pet's Health", in The New York Times (2020) "The Dog Park is Bad, Actually", in The New York Times (2020) "Helping Your Dog Survive During a Quarantine", in The New York Times (2020) "I Shopped Around for a House That Was Perfect for My Dogs. Yes, Really", in Apartment Therapy (2020) "Robot Dogs Can Help Seniors Cope—Especially During Covid", in Wired (2020) "The Tech That Can Help Keep Your Dogs Happy and Healthy", in Wired (2020) "What We Can Learn From European Dog Culture", in The New York Times (2020) "How to Throw Your Dog a Birthday Party, According to a Professional Trainer", in Apartment Therapy (2021) "I Turned a Spare Bedroom into a Dog Gymnasium Using Everyday Household Items", in Apartment Therapy (2021) "In Praise of Positive Reinforcement for Your Pets", in Wired (2021)

Standalone books Roving Pack (2012) Lost Boi (2015) A Little Queermas Carol (2016) Healing/Heeling (2019) Tricks in the City: For Daring Dogs and the Humans that Love Them (2019) William To The Rescue (2019) Chew This Journal: An Activity Book for You and Your Dog (2020) Pandemic Pets (2020) Dog Training Planner (2021) With Me (2021)