Allison Landa

Allison Landa is a Berkeley, CA-based writer of fiction and memoir whose debut novel BEARDED LADY was published by Woodhall Press. Her work has been featured in venues including Business Insider, Parents Magazine, The Guardian US, The Washington Post, and HuffPost Personal. A MacDowell Fellow, she has held artist residencies at Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, Playa Summer Lake, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, and The Julia and David White Artists Colony. She is represented by Marisa Zeppieri of Strachan Literary Agency.

Facebook: @MatzohBrei

Instagram: @ADLanda

Threads: @adlanda

Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?

Absolutely! Gone with the Wind has had a huge influence on what I do, particularly insofar as presenting challenging characters in an appealing way. American Beauty taught me the value of peeking under an established surface. Adaptation established that banana nut is, indeed, a good muffin.

Favorite non-reading activity?

Spending time with my family. Traveling. Traveling WITH my family. See a theme?

Is there a work of art that you love? Why? Have you ever visited it in person?

The Maison Carree in Nimes, France. I call it my building boyfriend. I literally hugged it when I first saw it. You have to visit it to understand why.

What do you worry about?

The health, safety, and happiness of those I love. Also, my propensity to burn cookies. 

What brings you great joy?

The fact that people would want to read my opinions on these questions! I'm serious. The fact that there is an audience for how I think and what I do is a gift.