Colin Sargent

Colin W. Sargent, PhD is an American author, magazine publisher, and playwright. His best-known works include his debut novel Museum of Human Beings, included in the National American Indian Heritage Month Booklist, which delves into the heart-wrenching life of Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Sacagawea; the play 100 Percent American Girl; and poetry books Luftwaffe Snowshoes, Blush, and Undertow. His next novel, The Boston Castrato, is forthcoming from Barbican Press of London and Hull, UK.

He is the founding Editor and Publisher of Portland Magazine, "Maine's City Magazine." Media Bistro has singled out Portland Magazine for its extraordinary perspective as one of the best regional magazines in the country.

Background

Colin W. Sargent was born in Portland, Maine, on November 5, 1954. Sargent edited the Navy's Approach Magazine after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1977. In 1985, Sargent became the founding editor and publisher of Portland Magazine, also known as "Maine's City Magazine," or Portland Monthly, in Portland, Maine. He wrote the play 100 Percent American Girl and later wrote his first novel, Museum of Human Beings, published in 2009.

Sargent is a former member of the board of trustees of Maine Reads, the statewide literacy organization led by Maine First Lady Karen Baldacci. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the Stonecoast MFA Writing Program.

Sargent earned his Ph.D. in Creative Writing at Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK in 2013. Dr. Sargent successfully defended his dissertation, the novel Hiding Nothing, with a companion exegesis "The Negative Mirror."  His research is in cognitive literary studies that explore reading as an out-of-body experience. 

Accomplishments

Colin Sargent was the winner of a Maine Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature presented by the Maine Arts Commission. His play "100 Percent American Girl," is about the imagined return of World War II radio propagandist Axis Sally (a.k.a. Mildred Sisk and Mildred Gillars) to a modern congregate care facility in her old hometown—where some retired GIs' ears prick up at the sound of her voice. It was a winner at the Maine Playwrights Festival and was produced at the Maine Festival and Arts Conservatory Theater and Studio (ACTS).

His first book of poetry was Luftwaffe Snowshoes (Portsmouth Arts Center), followed by Blush and Undertow, both published by Coyote Love Press. Undertow earned Pick of the Month notice in Small Press Review. According to Poet Lore: “Reading Colin Sargent’s poetry is like opening a dark bag and having a thread leap out, then several more threads fusing to luminous bands of music, one after another, along with crazy potatoes, a phone growing like a black plant, perhaps a soda can discarded on the beach off Kennebunkport, Maine. In Undertow, his latest book, Sargent’s collocations of the magical and the mundane work together brilliantly.”

In 2009, Sargent's novel Museum of Human Beings was published by McBooks. Publishers Weekly observed and noted, “Playwright Sargent’s debut novel is a stylish look at the fate of Sacagawea’s baby son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau… An impressively rounded portrait of the laid-back, introspective, nomadic Baptiste, this novel will satisfy fans of American history.” According to Library Journal, "From the beginning to the novel's spellbinding conclusion, playwright and poet Sargent allows us an intimate glimpse into what could have been the heart of Jean-Baptiste. This memorable novel will captivate all who read it. Highly recommended for all public library historical fiction collections."

References

• A Wonderful Work of Fiction--Rooted in America’s Legendary Past by John Michael Cummings, author of "The Night I Freed John Brown"
• With historical cameos (Beethoven, Kit Carson, Washington Irving) and an impressively rounded portrait of the laid-back, introspective, nomadic Baptiste, this novel will satisfy fans of American history (Nov.) by Publishers Weekly. 1 September 2008.
• Spooky like Hawthorne, with a Toni Morrison-like sense of place. It's a huge and important project. by Joan Connor, AWP Award winner, for History Lessons
• Magic. There is real heart . . . real depth and humanity . . . full of polish and authority . . . I stand to applaud [Sargent's] talent. He's the real thing. by Jack Driscoll, author of "How Like an Angel"
• A grand and interesting romp through history, an intriguing, masterfully written novel. by Michael C. White, author of Soul Catcher
• In pulsating prose that triggers all of the senses, Museum of Human Beings takes us on a spirited journey to discover the far-flung life of Sacagawea’s son. Smart, imaginative, and historically-informed, this novel contains heartbreaks of many dimensions, all of them believable and thought-provoking. It captivated me, start to finish. by Bunny McBride, Pulitzer nominee and author of "Women of the Dawn" and "Molly Spotted Elk: A Penobscot in Paris"
• One of the most satisfying works of fiction that I have read in years . . . Sargent sends the youthful Baptiste on a multi-leveled grand tour of discovery that never lets up or disappoints. by Maine Sunday Telegram / Portland Press Herald.
• This memorable novel will captivate all who read it. Highly recommended for all public library historical fiction collections. by Melody Ballard of Library Journal.
• American Indian Heritage Month Booklist November 2012 by Norfolk Public Library.
• "Heart-wrenching" by Smithsonian Institution
• "This debut novel...belongs with the best of historical fiction" by Foreword Magazine
• "Strongly reflecting the author's ability as a playwright and poet, "Museum of Beings" is rich with unusual historical detail." by Denver Post

Further reading

• Sargent, Colin (2008). Museum of Human Beings. Ithaca: McBooks.
• Sargent, Colin (1995). Undertow. Brunswick: Coyote Love.
• Sargent, Colin (1987). Blush. Brunswick: Coyote Love.
• Portland Magazine, Sargent, Colin, ed. Portland: Sargent Publishing, Inc.
• Approach Magazine, United States Navy. Norfolk: Naval Safety Center.
• Publishers Weekly, Sara Nelson, ed. September 1, 2008. New York: Reed Business.

External links

• Portland Magazine
• Museum of Human Beings
• Author Colin Sargent
• Washington Post
• Library Journal
• Around Maine
• National Museum of the American Indian
• Poets and Writers
• United States Naval Academy
• McBooks Press