Sally Ashton
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Sally Ashton is a poet, writer, teacher, and Editor-in-Chief of DMQ Review, an online journal featuring poetry and art. She earned her BA in English with a creative writing minor from SJSU, and her MFA in Poetry and Literature from the Bennington Writing Seminars.

She is the recipient of an Artist Fellowship, Poetry, from Arts Council Silicon Valley and a fellowship from Montalvo Arts Center. She is the author of three books of poetry, two of which were nominated for Pushcart Prizes. Poems also ... view more »

ARTIST LAUREATE AWARD INFO

What do you do now? Has your art evolved or changed?

It was an honor to have my work acknowledged and celebrated by the community through ACSV's Artist Fellowship. It added credibility to my career as an artist and energy to my further pursuits.

What is one piece of advice you would give to an emerging artist?

I teach at San Jose State, and creating time for my own writing takes special focus. My two years as Santa Clara County Poet Laureate (2011-2013) enabled me to promote poetry through two public art projects, a Favorite Poems Project and Poetry on the Move, which were very satisfying endeavors. I've had the opportunity to collaborate with visual and performing artists and hope to continue. I'm looking at another writing project which will have a public arts component, and I've completed a new manuscript of hybrid work. These ventures do represent exciting directions in my writing since receiving the fellowship. Here's a recent publication: http://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/afternoon-affair/

Briefly, how would you describe the state of the arts locally, as well as national and beyond?

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