I’m Sarah Kay Bierle, historian, author, and public speaker. I’ve been intrigued by history almost as long as I can remember—just ask my parents, and in 2013 after graduating from Thomas Edison State University with a BA in History, I got serious about studying and writing.
I’ve written three historical fiction novels, one non-fiction battle study, and have a non-fiction biography under contract. Working with the historians and writers at Emerging Civil War has made a positive and significant difference in my research and authorship, and I’m thrilled to be able to give back to their community by serving as their managing editor since 2018.
Through the years, I’ve had the opportunities to speak to historical organizations across the country, including Civil War Round Tables, national conferences, New Market Battlefield’s Civil War events, National Museum of Civil War Medicine, West Coast Civil War Round Table Conference, and the Emerging Civil War Symposium. For four years, I coordinated and hosted Gazette665’s Civil War history conferences in Southern California, working with lecturers from coast to coast to build exciting and interactive programs for the events.
In 2019, I moved cross-country from California (my original homestate) to Virginia, taking a staff position at Central Virginia Battlefields Trust where I advocate for historic preservation. About the same time, I started crafting the hashtag #historianlife as a way to share more about the ways history influences my hours, days, weekends, and thoughts. Eventually, the hashtag on Twitter evolved in a series on Gazette665’s blog—Learning to Wander—where I enjoy sharing details about my research, work, and a few personal stories related to my career in the history field.
My Philosophies:
My philosophy for life is simple: be a light in the darkness and make a difference right where I’m placed.
My philosophy for history? Follow the facts, always tell the truth, and never forget that history is about real people, real actions, real effects and it should constantly inform and inspire us.
Gazette665 