MEET ALISON

Alison Smith's writing has appeared in McSweeney's, Granta, The London Telegraph, The New York Times, The Believer, Glamour, Real Simple, Best American Erotica, and other publications.

Her book, a memoir titled Name All the Animals, was published by Scribner. Name All the Animals was named one of the top ten books of 2004 by People Magazine and was shorted-listed for the Book-Sense Book-of-the-Year Award. Alison has been awarded the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, the Judy Grahn Prize for Nonfiction and a Lambda Literary Award. Name All the Animals has been published in several foreign countries, including the UK, Italy, Denmark, France, Germany, Brazil and Spain. Name All the Animals is also available as an audio book—read by the author—from Simon and Schuster Audio.

Alison has taught in the MFA writing program at Goddard College and lectured at universities and high schools throughout the country. She is available for one-on-one editing and individual writing coaching. If you would like to work with Alison go to the "Contact" page to learn how to reach her.

Alison lives in Brooklyn, NY and Northampton, MA with her partner and her two dogs.

STORYTELLING, FILMS AND ARTICLES

WORKING WITH ALISON

“Alison Smith had the two qualities every writer wants from an editor: clarity of thought and kindness of heart. She has a brilliant knack for teasing out my work's key messages, and can also hone sentences until they gleam. She's a reassuring presence when I feel lost in the wilderness of my drafts, and has gently but confidently guided me to finish several important projects.”
Debra Jo Immergut is the author of The Captives (Ecco 2018) and You Again (July 2020). Her work has appeared in numerous journals and periodicals including The New York Times: Modern Love, Narrative, The Wall Street Journal and Real Simple.

“Working with Alison has been greatly beneficial. She makes it her priority to understand my deepest intentions with any given piece. She reads/listens for my strengths and goals. From helping with the task of making the best sentence possible to finding the overall structure of a large work, Alison will calibrate her responses to fit what you most need to move forward. I find Alison’s approach respectful, collaborative and encouraging. I write in many forms; whatever my project, I can depend on Alison to offer insightful, pragmatic guidance for specific next steps.”
Carol Edelstein is author of The Disappearing Letters (Perugia Press 2005), The World Is Round (Amherst Writers & Artists Press, 1994), and the forthcoming Past Repair (Simian Press, 2020). Her work has appeared in numerous journals from NOON to Alaska Quarterly Review. She is the founding editor/publisher of The Gallery of Readers Press.

Alison Smith knows how good writing works. And she knows how to convey, in a thoughtful and generous way, what does and does not work. Alison understands each piece has a unique purpose and audience. She is a master at helping a writer develop their style, find their structure and discover their voice. I have had the pleasure of receiving years of Alison’s feedback and have only the highest praise for her work as a writing consultant. My work is decidedly better because of Alison’s input.
Sally Bellerose author of The Girls’ Club (Bywater Books 2011) and Fishwives (Bywater Books 2021). Her work has appeared in dozens of publications including The Sun, Poets and Writers and The American Journal of Nursing. She is the recipient of numerous awards from the Saints and Sinners Short Story Award to a Fellowship in Literature form the National Endowment for the Arts.

Get in Touch

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