Allison K Williams is the author of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro From Blank Page to Book. She has edited and coached writers to publishing deals with Penguin Random House, Knopf, Mantle, Spencer Hill, and St. Martin’s Press as well as hybrid and independent presses. She’s guided essayists and humorists to publication in media including the New Yorker, Time, the Guardian, the New York Times, McSweeney’s, Refinery29, Hippocampus, the Belladonna and TED Talks. As Social Media Editor for Brevity, she inspires thousands of writers with weekly blogs on craft and the writing life.

As a memoirist, essayist, and travel journalist, Allison has written craft, culture and comedy for National Public Radio, CBC-Canada, the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Creative Nonfiction, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Kenyon Review Online, the Prairie Schooner blog, the Drum and Travelers’ Tales and Flash Nonfiction Funny. 

Allison holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University and spent 20 years as a circus aerialist and acrobat before writing and editing full-time.

Testimonials:
Allison’s knowledge and ability to hone in and know your project almost better than you do is astounding. Her guidance is extraordinarily personal, she knows exactly what’s missing, what needs switching and where it works and doesn’t. The community of writers in the group are such a blessing too. We all felt intimidated and inspired by the quality of the other writing and by the end of the course we had each grown in confidence, as we literally saw our improvements on the page. Dr. Heidi Kharbhih

…one of the most valuable workshops I’ve attended. The authenticity and passion you put into teaching us are palpable, and you’ve created a class atmosphere where we all feel safe to share. I feel like I “know” everyone in the group. Sara Orozco

Allison teaches incredibly well, not only with a vast pool of writing-craft knowledge and impressive retention of other people’s stories, but in the way she uses humor, psychological insight and accountability to engage and inspire us. (Watching Allison edit a piece on the screen in real time was nothing short of magic!) I came away from that extraordinary week a changed person—tired in a good way, and happy and excited to be on a path that felt good to me, and still does. Heidi Croot

I had nearly given up on finding an agent when I decided to rework my manuscript with Allison’s help. After the revisions, an agent who had told me I could resubmit decided to represent me, and my book was acquired by Penguin Random House! Karen Fine, D.V.M, author of The Other Family Doctor

I don’t need a cheerleader to tell me my story is important, I need no-nonsense how-to. This was that! THANK YOU!!!! Jamie Beth Cohen