Since retiring in 2019 from a long musical career as a choral conductor in San Diego, California, Sally Husch Dean has devoted herself to writing. She found the transition smooth, as the poetry of song and the rhythm of writing unite the two worlds Her forthcoming memoir, "Why Is Home So Long Ago?" relates the search for a life path beyond the chaos and anxiety of childhood with a brilliant, eccentric, and bipolar mother. Her personal essay, “Two Moms,” is featured in the anthology "Children of Bipolar Parents," published in 2022. Her personal essay, “Baring Witness,” received an Honorable Mention in the 10th Annual Memoir Showcase hosted by the San Diego Memoir Writers Association. In August 2025, she was recognized as a Spotlight Winner at DimeStories San Diego for her personal essay, “A Surprising Song of Summer.” Sally is a dedicated member of a select read-and-critique group, led by the esteemed author Judy Reeves. Residing in Leucadia, California, with her husband, Bill, and their puppy, Belle, shecontinues to participate in choral music by singing in the select women's chorus, Sorelle San Diego, which she founded in 2013 and is currently directed by her student, now colleague, Michelle Risling.