Sabine Heinlein is a writer who explores the injustices and idiosyncrasies of American life through her immersion in the lives of those living on its fringes. Her first book, Among Murderers, which will be published by the University of California Press, is a work of literary nonfiction about three men navigating their new freedom after several decades in prison.  The book had its origins when she spent time with convicted murderers at a halfway house in New York City's West Harlem neighborhood.  Heinlein says the book "provides an intimate sketch of a rarely seen demographic and reveals a pressing public policy issue: more than 700,000 people are released from prisons each year, and these numbers are growing steadily." 

Heinlein is also at work on a collection of essays tentatively titled A Portrait of the Writer as a Rabbit that explores what life is like for "New York City's underdogs: unfunny clowns, sleepy mattress salesmen and unhinged fortunetellers."    

"While I strive to accurately portray 'how the other half lives,' I also believe that making myself an active part of the story adds to its meaning," Heinlein says.