Sara Pimental is a Twin Cities–based illustrator, writer, graphic designer, and the founder of Lake Stories, a pop-up independent bookshop based in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Through Lake Stories, she curates books, gifts, and community events with the long-term vision of opening a neighborhood bookstore. The bookshop is popping up in an iconic Airstream travel trailer around town when the weather permits. The trailer is also available for camping or events through, We Adventure Well, which Sara has owned and operated since 2020.
Sara holds an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adult Literature from Hamline University. She is a Teach For America alum and earned her bachelor's degree in Multicultural Studies from Concordia University, St. Paul, where she minored in Writing and competed as an NCAA Division II athlete.
A self-taught illustrator working across mixed media and digital formats, Sara has collaborated with clients including Aunt Fannie's, NGS, There Does Not Exist Brewing, and more. Her writing has appeared in Artful Living and the Star Tribune. Whatever she's creating, Sara's work centers on storytelling and creating meaningful connections through art. She also writes Mild Things, a Substack newsletter with more than 1,000 monthly readers.