Sheri Hostetler was born in Berlin, Ohio, one of the largest Amish settlements in the world. She lived in town but spent most of her childhood outdoors, exploring nature with her father. Hostetler grew up loving nature and the creative opportunities of writing (Interview).

At age 13, Hostetler decided she wanted to be a journalist. She wrote for her high school newspaper and continued to pursue journalism after graduating from high school. She received her BA with a major in communications at Bluffton College and studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia for a year (A Capella 124). While she enjoyed studying journalism, she realized this kind of writing wasn't exactly her passion.

Hostetler began writing poetry and creative nonfiction at the age of 28, after she received her MA in theology. She has published poetry and essays in 13th Moon, Paterson Literary Review and The Writing on the Wall  (A Cappella 123). Her work can be viewed in these periodicals, as well as in Mennonot, which is available online.

In 1992, Hostetler started Mennonot, a journal that provided a space for viewpoints and opinions that might not have been welcome in the "mainstream" Mennonite press. Mennonot started as a printed newsletter, but soon moved on to the Internet. Mennonot featured poetry and interviews with Mennonite writers as well as journalistic satire and humor.

Growing up, Hostetler belonged to the Mennonite Church. Her family came from a traditional Amish/Mennonite background, but Hostetler had more of a mainstream upbringing. She was able to dress in "normal" clothes, and could do things (like playing cards and dancing) that would be forbidden to more conservative groups.  At her mother's request, she wore a head covering at her baptism, but that was first and last time she so (Interview).

Currently, Hostetler is the pastor of First Mennonite Church of San Francisco and lives in Oakland, California.  She is not planning to publish anything in the near future, since her focus is mostly on her church and her child (Interview). Even so, she is putting her gift for writing to good use in her and service to the church.

Hostetler, Ann. A Capella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. 2003.

Hostetler, Sheri. E-mail Interview. 30 Sept. 2004.

Libby Glover