Born in Ithaca, New York, Sargent attended Binghamton University. She has done some editorial work, particularly of anthologies of women's SF. She has won a number of awards for her non-Trek work including Nebula, Locus, the Sidewise Award and Theodore Sturgeon award, as well as being a finalist for the Hugo, and being given a lifetime achievement Pilgrim Award. She also writes historical fiction, and her novel about Genghis Khan was particularly successful in Europe. She currently lives in Albany, New York, and sees herself as an atheist and a feminist.