Sarah Dreher
- April 2, 2012
- 75 years
About Sarah Dreher
Sarah Dreher, 75, American novelist and playwright.
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Full Biography
|Sarah Dreher (born March 26, 1937, Hanover, Pennsylvania – died April 2, 2012, Amherst, Massachusetts) was an American lesbian novelist and playwright, and best known for her award-winning lesbian mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Stoner McTavish.
Her themes include "the anguish of lesbian relationships beginning, ending or mending. Dreher's lesbian protagonists are modern heroes searching for integrity and identity..." In the resolution of her mysteries, solutions other than resorting to traditional justice system intervention are part of the exploration of society outside the existing social paradigm.
Dreher has contributed essays and writings to a number of projects, including Off the Rag: Lesbians Writing about Menopause by Lee Lynch and Akia Woods, "Waiting for Stonewall" in Sexual Practice/Textual Theory: Lesbian Cultural Criticism, and a contributed chapter to They Wrote the Book: Thirteen Women Mystery Writers Tell All.
In addition to writing, Dreher was a clinical psychologist in private practice, graduating first from Wellesley College, then gaining a Ph.D. in psychology from Purdue University.
Work
Books:
- Solitaire and Brahms (1997) [novel]. (New Victoria)
- Stoner McTavish Series, (New Victoria)
- Stoner McTavish (1985)
- Something Shady (1986)
- Gray Magic (1987)
- A Captive in Time (1990)
- Otherworld (1993)
- Bad Company (1995)
- Shaman's Moon (1998)
- Love Murders (unpublished)
- Lesbian Stages: Plays by Sarah Dreher. New Victoria. (1988),
- Contains:
- Alumnae News: The Doris Day Years = winner of the 1st Jane Chambers National Playwriting Award 1987 for full length play
- Base Camp
- Backward, Turn Backward
- This Brooding Sky
- Hollandia ’45
- Contains:
- PLACES PLEASE! The First Anthology of Lesbian Plays Aunt Lute publishing Company (1985) included:
- 8 x 10 Glossy by Sarah Dreher = Winner of the 1st Lesbian Playwrighting Contest, Theatre Rhinocros 1985
- Ruby Christmas by Sarah Dreher
Awards
- 8 X 10 Glossy, 1985, 1st Lesbian Playwrighting Contest, Theatre Rhinoceros San Francisco CA winner
- Alumnae News: The Doris Day Years, 1987, 1st Jane Chambers National Playwrighting Award—full length play winner
- Shaman's Moon, 1998 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery winner
- A Captive in Time, 1990 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery finalist
- Medalist, 2005 The Alice B Readers Award
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Dreher
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Sarah Dreher's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which city was Sarah Dreher born?
- A.San Francisco, California
- B.West Lafayette, Indiana
- C.Hanover, Pennsylvaniacorrect
- D.Amherst, Massachusetts
Sarah Dreher was born on March 26, 1937, in Hanover, Pennsylvania.
Source: biography introduction
2.What was the primary profession of Sarah Dreher besides writing?
- A.Clinical psychologistcorrect
- B.Teacher
- C.Private investigator
- D.Journalist
Sarah Dreher worked as a clinical psychologist in private practice.
Source: biography introduction
3.From which institution did Sarah Dreher receive her Ph.D. in psychology?
- A.New Victoria University
- B.Purdue Universitycorrect
- C.Wellesley College
- D.University of Massachusetts
Sarah Dreher gained a Ph.D. in psychology from Purdue University.
Source: biography introduction
4.Which fictional character is featured in Sarah Dreher's award-winning mystery series?
- A.Stoner McTavishcorrect
- B.Doris Day
- C.Brahms
- D.Ruby Christmas
Sarah Dreher is best known for her lesbian mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Stoner McTavish.
Source: biography introduction
5.In what year did Sarah Dreher pass away?
- A.1997
- B.2012correct
- C.1985
- D.1937
Sarah Dreher died on April 2, 2012, in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Source: biography introduction
6.Which award did Sarah Dreher receive in 2005?
- A.Lambda Literary Award
- B.The Alice B Readers Awardcorrect
- C.Jane Chambers National Playwriting Award
- D.Lesbian Playwrighting Contest
Sarah Dreher was a medalist for The Alice B Readers Award in 2005.
Source: awards section
7.Which work by Sarah Dreher won the 1st Jane Chambers National Playwriting Award in 1987?
- A.Alumnae News: The Doris Day Yearscorrect
- B.8 x 10 Glossy
- C.Shaman's Moon
- D.Solitaire and Brahms
Alumnae News: The Doris Day Years won the 1st Jane Chambers National Playwriting Award in 1987.
Source: awards section
8.What was the result of the 1990 Lambda Literary Award nomination for A Captive in Time?
- A.Finalistcorrect
- B.Winner
- C.Runner-up
- D.Disqualified
A Captive in Time was a 1990 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery finalist.
Source: awards section
9.Which anthology published by Aunt Lute included the work 8 x 10 Glossy?
- A.Off the Rag
- B.Sexual Practice/Textual Theory
- C.PLACES PLEASE!correct
- D.They Wrote the Book
The anthology PLACES PLEASE! The First Anthology of Lesbian Plays included the work 8 x 10 Glossy by Sarah Dreher.
Source: work section
10.Which novel by Sarah Dreher remains unpublished?
- A.Gray Magic
- B.Otherworld
- C.Love Murderscorrect
- D.Bad Company
Love Murders is listed in the work section as an unpublished book.
Source: work section
11.What is a major theme explored in the writing of Sarah Dreher?
- A.The anguish of lesbian relationshipscorrect
- B.Science fiction exploration
- C.Historical fantasy
- D.Political corruption
Sarah Dreher's themes include the anguish of lesbian relationships beginning, ending, or mending.
Source: biography introduction
12.In which city was the Theatre Rhinoceros located when Sarah Dreher won a contest there?
- A.Lafayette
- B.Amherst
- C.San Franciscocorrect
- D.Hanover
Sarah Dreher won the 1st Lesbian Playwrighting Contest held at Theatre Rhinoceros in San Francisco, CA.
Source: awards section
13.Sarah Dreher contributed to which book about menopause?
- A.Off the Ragcorrect
- B.The Gay Detective Novel
- C.The Safe Sea of Women
- D.They Wrote the Book
Sarah Dreher contributed writings to Off the Rag: Lesbians Writing about Menopause by Lee Lynch and Akia Woods.
Source: biography introduction
14.Which play was included in the collection Lesbian Stages: Plays by Sarah Dreher?
- A.Hollandia '45correct
- B.Something Shady
- C.8 x 10 Glossy
- D.Ruby Christmas
Hollandia '45 is listed as one of the plays contained within Lesbian Stages: Plays by Sarah Dreher.
Source: work section
15.What award did Shaman's Moon win in 1998?
- A.Lambda Literary Awardcorrect
- B.Jane Chambers Award
- C.Alice B Readers Award
- D.Lesbian Playwrighting Contest
Shaman's Moon won the 1998 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery.
Source: awards section
16.Before earning her Ph.D., at which institution did Sarah Dreher graduate?
- A.Purdue University
- B.Theatre Rhinoceros
- C.Wellesley Collegecorrect
- D.New Victoria
Sarah Dreher graduated first from Wellesley College before gaining a Ph.D. from Purdue University.
Source: biography introduction
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