On April 14, 1998, Sarah de Vries disappeared from her usual spot on the corner of Princess and Hastings in Vancouver. She became one of the many women who had vanished from the Downtown Eastside—women, most of them sex workers and drug addicts—whose DNA would later be found on the Pickton farm. Reflecting on her adopted sister’s story, through Sarah’s own poetry and journals and the recollections of those close to her at home and downtown, Maggie uncovers the portrait of a bright, charismatic woman who found herself trapped in a downward spiral of self-loathing, prostitution, drugs, and violence. In this achingly honest book, the reader is drawn into revelations and understanding just as Maggie was. Tragic though it was in many ways, Sarah’s life had meaning.

Vries Maggie De's profile page

• Winner, VanCity Book Prize
• Short-listed, Vancouver Book Award
• Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Award - Nonfiction

In addition to Missing Sarah, Maggie de Vries is the author of nine books for children and teens. Her recent teen novel, Rabbit Ears, is closely linked with her sister’s story (which she explored in Missing Sarah) as is her 2014 TEDx Talk, The Red Umbrella: Sex Work, Stigma and the Law. Maggie has been teaching children’s literature and creative writing courses for more than twenty years and is currently teaching at UBC’s Creative Writing Program. She also works as a writing coach and mentor and speaks widely on sex workers’ rights.

Online:
www.maggiedevries.com
https://twitter.com/Maggie_deVries?lang=en