Hello. Thanks for stopping by. My name is Sasha, which is a Russian nickname for Alexandra. I’m originally from Rhode Island. I’m a writer and a coach who wants to live a passionate, fully alive, improvised life. I’m the kind of person who is always morphing into something new. Here’s what my friend and former coach said about me on Facebook for my birthday: “I am celebrating your ongoing devotion to the road less traveled, your willingness to create life as a dance rather than a destination, your ravenous curiosity and your desire to look beneath the surface for the deeper meaning.”

Here are the short and long versions of my bio:

SHORT VERSION

Sasha Cagen is the author of (Harper One, 2004) and (Simon & Schuster, 2007) and cofounder of the street fashion social network . She people who want to identify their passions and live more fully into them and to live with more ease. She recently completed a year of solo travel in South America; she blogged about her travel experiences for the . She speaks French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

LONG VERSION

Sasha Cagen is an author, essayist, and entrepreneur who builds commmunities around new ideas. She is most well known for coining the term “quirkyalone,” a person who prefers singledom to dating for the sake of being in a couple. She is the author of (Harper One, 2004) and (Simon & Schuster, 2007).

Sasha’s work as a writer and community-builder has been featured by more than 100 national outlets, including Anderson Cooper, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Wall Street Journal, the , Time, and .

Her essays have appeared in the Village Voice, Utne, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 x 7, and numerous anthologies.

Sasha expressed her love for print magazines by publishing , a print magazine that used the idea of a to-do list to explore details of modern life. Among other major recognition, To-Do List was named Best New Magazine of 2000 in Utne’s Alternative Press Awards, Reader’s Choice. She continued the project on , a blog that publishes handwritten lists.

In addition to her work as a writer and web publisher, Sasha has worked in social media as a grassroots marketer and product marketing manager. She’s created three user-driven sites: , , and, a street fashion network where she was a co-founder and served as Chief Marketing Officer. Sasha and her co-founder sold StyleMob to in 2007.

Sasha is the creator of (Feb. 14), a growing alternative to Valentine’s Day that celebrates all forms of love, that has grown into a celebration spanning more than 40 cities.

Sasha is an experienced who has spoken on a variety of topics to many different audiences, from engineers and business people to students and retirees, at a range of venues, including the, Grace Cathedral, Boston College, , Adaptive Path, the Omega Institute, Hollyhock, the Conference of World Affairs at Colorado University, Boulder, Sonoma State University, University of San Francisco, the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing, and a host of others.

She has led workshops at two of North America’s leading retreat centers: Hollyhock, in Canada, and , in Rhinebeck, New York.

Sasha attended Amherst College and graduated from Barnard College.

As a celiac, Sasha is an advocate for greater awareness of celiac disease and a on our foods. Sasha is also passionate about tango and its ability to inspire meditative healing and bliss.

Sasha currently lives in Oakland, California and plans lots more travel and to live in Buenos Aires. She blogged about my travel experiences for the and on her travel blog .

If you are interested in hiring Sasha as a writer, , or tummler, please contact her at sasha AT sashacagen.com.

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