Sara de Waal serves as an assistant professor of English at Dordt University, where she teaches courses in creative writing, literature, composition, and visual art education. Her teaching and research interests include voice and subjectivity in writing, joy and play in pedagogy, the relationship between attention and empathy, and strategies for engaging writers of all ages in poetry.
Before joining Dordt, de Waal spent 10 years in K–12 education and served as a writer in residence in Vancouver schools, teaching poetry. She holds a BA in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Vertical Art Education and a minor in Visual Art from Dordt College (2014) and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia (2020).
De Waal is the author of the picture books 48 Grasshopper Estates and The Biggest Smallest Thing, both published by Annick Press. 48 Grasshopper Estates was nominated for a Blue Spruce Award, and The Biggest Smallest Thing was selected for a Canadian Children’s Book Centre tour during Canadian Children’s Book Week. Her short story “Cecilia and Richard” won the Bridge Prize for Fiction.
Outside the classroom, de Waal enjoys connecting Dordt students with the broader community through arts events and readings. She also enjoys reading science fiction, watching films, visiting thrift and antique stores, making art from discarded materials, and creating puppet shows for her nieces and nephews.