About

I’m Sandy Gilbreath-Iehle, author of The Sink in the Litter Box. I write memoir and personal narrative rooted in lived experience, long-term sobriety, and the quiet, ongoing work of healing.

For much of my life, writing and images have been how I made sense of the world—its beauty, its fractures, and the spaces in between. After addiction reshaped my life, I rebuilt it slowly, piece by piece. More than twenty years into sobriety, I write from a place shaped by reflection, accountability, and the understanding that healing is not a single moment, but a lifelong practice.

My work explores memory, trauma, love, friendship, and the ways the past continues to surface long after we believe we’ve outrun it. I’m drawn to the ordinary moments where truth hides—conversations left unfinished, silences that linger, and the small decisions that quietly change the course of a life.

In addition to writing, I am also a fine art photographer. Photography runs parallel to my writing practice, offering another way to pay attention—to light, to stillness, and to what remains when words fall short. Both disciplines are grounded in the same impulse: to notice honestly and to honor what is seen.

I continue to write with care for the stories we carry—both the ones we tell and the ones that take time to surface.

I live and work in the Smoky Mountains, where attention, patience, and quiet observation shape both my writing and my life.

Thank you for taking this journey with me.