About Sarah Ray

Teacher and Poet

Sarah Ray is passionate about teaching and storytelling. She started her career in Missouri, earning her Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia before deciding to chase her poetic dreams out in California. She is now a private tutor and has published poems in Tiny Seeds Literary Journal, MUTHA Magazine, Black Poppy Review and with Querencia Press. She is currently working on a book of poems. She is the Poetry Editor at the MARY Journal.

Teaching Career:

Sarah started out as a pre-service teacher teaching 6th grade in Lee's Summit, Missouri. She then went on to teach a college freshman English course at the University of Central Missouri before she and her family moved to Oakland, California where she began teaching Kindergarten and 1st grade at a private school in Oakland. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah started a private tutoring company and began privately tutoring students from ages 5-22! Teaching is very close to Sarah's heart and continues to remain a top priority.

Writing Career:

Sarah began her professional writing career after working toward her MFA in Poetry at Saint Mary's College of California. She is currently an MFA candidate and will receive her degree in the spring of 2023. She has published poems in Tiny Seed's Literary Journal, Mutha Magazinea, Black Poppy Review, and Querencia Press.
Sarah is currently working on a collection of poems. Release date TBA.

River of Words:

Saint Mary's College of California houses the Center for Environmental Literacy. As the Center's Fellow, Sarah was tasked with writing the curriculum that is used for teacher development, workshops and as a resource for educators all over the world. Additionally, the center holds an annual youth art and poetry competition called River of Words where Sarah had the honor of working as a poetry judge.