Bio

Photo of the author taken in the classroom at University of the Pacific

Hi! I’m Amy Elizabeth Smith, and I was born near Pittsburgh, PA. I studied Percussion at West Virginia University for my BA. Then I talked my way into a graduate program in English and earned a Masters and a PhD at Penn State.

I teach creative writing, literature, and professional writing at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. I can't say which I love more -- teaching or writing. Luckily I get to do both. :)

As a writer, I have a hard time saying which genre I like best. My blog explores just that -- why are some writers faithful to one genre? Why do others play the field? What draws writers (and readers) to a genre -- novels, poetry, memoir, or others?

My blog also features guest writers interested in the same questions. How can we decide the best way to tell the stories we want to tell?