Sands Hall is the author of the memoir Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology (Counterpoint), a finalist for the Northern California Book Awards and a Publishers Weekly Best Book in Religion and Spirituality. Other works include a novel, Catching Heaven (Ballantine), a Random House Reader’s Circle selection; and a book of essays and exercises, Tools of the Writer’s Craft. Her stories and essays have appeared in such places as Iowa Review, New England Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she holds a second M.F.A. in Theatre Arts and has an extensive resume as actor, director, and playwright. She is also a singer/songwriter and performs widely. This is the twenty-eighth summer Sands has taught for the Festival. Please visit sandshall.com.