We Will Miss You, Sondra

Our friend and fellow writer Sondra Solomon passed away Sunday, September 13th after a battle with cancer. Sondra opened our eyes every time she opened her mouth in our Wednesday workshops. She was honest and direct; her insights were on point and constructive. While making her comments she often reminded us that growing up in the Bronx had made her tough but fair, and our workshops were better because of her contributions.

I met Sondra at the annual meeting of the League of Vermont Writers in early 2014. We happened to be seated at the same table. Shortly thereafter, Sondra started attending BWW meetings. I’m glad she did. Though she never submitted her work to the group—at least not while I was leading regular sessions—she was always present. She always read her fellow writers’ work and responded thoughtfully to it.

She was remembered fondly by her students at UVM in this recent article in the The Vermont Cynic.

Sondra was an academic and she also wrote fiction and volunteered to read fiction submissions for Mud Season Review. She was proud of her academic achievements and brought to at least one Wednesday workshop I attended her newest scholarly publication. In addition, she was the generous sponsor of Megan Mayhew Bergman’s visit to Hotel Vermont in May of 2014.

I’ve been told by Sondra’s close friend that she fought with dignity until the very end, and that we can all take comfort in our memories of her.

A memorial service for Sondra will be held on Monday, October 19, 2015 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Ira Allen Chapel (26 University Place in Burlington). You can read her obituary in the Burlington Free Press here.