About Me

Allyson Latta

BIO

ALLYSON LATTA is a former newspaper and magazine writer, editor of fiction and memoir, and writing instructor. She holds degrees in Criminology and Journalism, and has written for newspapers and magazines, edited best-selling and award-winning books by many of Canada’s most celebrated writers, and taught writing for Ryerson University and later University of Toronto, as well as through workshop series. For almost 10 years she also organized and led writers retreats in Canada and abroad. Allyson now lives, writes and often gets blissfully lost taking photographs in the beautiful Kawartha Lakes.


I grew up in a home brimming with kids (four siblings), cats (six at one point) and books, and alive with conversation about stories. I could read and print a little before I started school, and by age 9 I’d informed my parents (to their amusement) that I was going to be a writer – which meant, really, that I wanted to write a Trixie Beldon mystery. Though I remember banging away (painfully) at an old manual typewriter at my grandparents’ house, and later at an electric typewriter in my dad’s law office, no brilliant novel emerged. Yet from the time I landed my first part-time job at the local library, almost everything in my career related to the written word.

Photography, too, captured my imagination from an early age. The Christmas I was 6, my parents tucked into my stocking what they assumed was a toy camera. They were a little perturbed when I showed them the words on the box saying it required film. They had visions of forking out for the processing of odd, blurry, through-the-eyes-of-a-kid photos – and I’m afraid that’s exactly what happened. But I must have made a little progress, because when I was 10, my father passed on to me his old Acon 35 camera. It was so “manual” that it didn’t even feature a light meter, but with just a few basic instructions – all of which I remember to this day (rule of thirds!) – I was on my way.

By age 19 I was working for a professional association as an editor and sometimes writer; and in the years that followed, between freelance gigs and employment at a series of newspapers and magazines, I wrote and edited in a variety of forms. During three years teaching English as a second language in Kumamoto, Japan, my personal essays on aspects of Japanese culture appeared in several Canadian newspapers.

Twenty-five years ago, I found my way to a dream job as an independent editor of books, primarily fiction and memoir, and from there into teaching. My particular interest in memoir, both as editor and instructor, derived from an interest in true stories but also from genealogy research. I have since edited for most major publishing houses in Toronto, as well as for literary agents and private writer-clients. I also taught courses for Ryerson University and University of Toronto (“Memories into Story,” Introductory and Advanced), and for the Toronto Public Library, Koffler Centre for the Arts, and others. And I’ve judged or been a submissions reader for numerous writing competitions, most recently a reader for the 2022 creative nonfiction contest sponsored by the Creative Nonfiction Collective (CNFC) and Humber Literary Review.

Combining my love of teaching with an incurable travel itch, I developed and led small-group writing retreats – 24 in all – in Canada, the US, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe. The last three took place in Sintra, Portugal (Winter 2019); Kawartha Lakes, Canada (Summer 2019); and Trinity, Newfoundland (Fall 2019).

 

I no longer take on full manuscript edits but continue to offer one- to two-hour consults to individuals at various stages of the writing process – from concept to submission. If you think I may be able to answer some questions or help you further your project, reach out to me via the Contact form for details.

 


Interview on TVO’s The Agenda: “The Art of Memoir” (August 8, 2016)

Interview in Mentor Me: Instruction and Advice for Aspiring Writers, edited by Heidi Stock (March 2017)

 

Visit my writing portfolio

Contact Allyson

Toronto, Ontario
Canada

writing@allysonlatta.ca