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Anne Lamott

Author

What is Anne Lamott known for?

Anne Lamott, born on April 10, 1954, in San Francisco, California, is an esteemed American novelist and non-fiction writer who is also well-known as a progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. She graduated from Drew School and briefly studied at Goucher College, where she contributed to the school newspaper. Lamott's distinguished writing career spans drama, humor, literary fiction, and reviews, with many of her nonfiction works being largely autobiographical.

Her body of work covers diverse subjects such as alcoholism, single-motherhood, depression, and Christianity, all imbued with a keen sense of self-deprecating humor and refreshing openness. Her personal life experiences play a significant role in her work, from writing her first published novel "Hard Laughter" for her father after his diagnosis of brain cancer to reflections on single motherhood after the birth of her son Sam in August 1989.

Throughout her illustrious career, Lamott has earned a number of awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1985 and an induction into the California Hall of Fame in 2010. Apart from her books, Lamott's life and work were also encapsulated in Freida Lee Mock's 1999 documentary "Bird by Bird with Annie: A Film Portrait of Writer Anne Lamott". As a testament to her influence and popularity, she is often referred to as the "People's Author".

On the personal front, Lamott married Neal Allen, a former vice president for marketing at McKesson Corporation and current writer, on April 13, 2019. The couple first met in August 2016.

Detailing her personal philosophy on writing, Lamott stated, "I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness—and that can make me laugh." And she certainly has succeeded in doing so, as her impressive bibliography, which includes novels like "Hard Laughter" and non-fiction works like "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year", attests.

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