Grubbies

About Lauren

I'm an Afghanistan veteran -turned-writer with an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. My work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Atlantic, Boston Globe Magazine, Glamour, Yale Medicine Magazine, and elsewhere and has received support from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, where Ie worked with #1 New York Times bestselling memoirist Cheryl Strayed. My own memoir, The Fine Art of Camouflage, is a finalist for the 2024 Washington State Book Awards, an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Silver Medal Winner, and was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award and Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

I have a background in journalism, which is where I fell in love with nonfiction writing and storytelling. I think real life people are fascinating! My own writing typically slants toward memoir and personal essay, incorporating elements of reportage to place the story in a larger social/historical context. As a military veteran I have a (somewhat morbid) obsession with war literature, but I love learning about new things in surprising ways that don’t feel like I’m learning, and any character-driven narrative that captures the emotional landscape that makes us all human—whether through memoir/personal essay, biography, literary nonfiction, journalism, or a combination thereof.

In addition to my own writing, I’ve worked with several literary journals, including as editor-in-chief of Redivider and as a current nonfiction editor at Wrath-Bearing Tree. I’ve been on both sides of the submission process and am happy to share my lessons learned. I’m fortunate to have had proposals accepted for literary festivals and conferences around the county, including the Boston Book Festival, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs national conference, the Examined Life Conference at the University of Iowa, and Litquake, San Francisco’s literary festival.

My professional resume is pretty varied, but in a strange way, a lot of my disparate experiences lend themselves to different writing skillsets. As a military public affairs officer I honed the art of concise writing with talking points and press release copy. A book publicity internship showed me how to apply these techniques to the writing and publishing industry. While at a nonprofit, I wrote grants, marketing copy, event proposals, and strategic plans.

I appreciate how difficult it is to trust someone with the blood, sweat and tears of your writing. I see consulting as a collaborative effort and want to make sure I’m helping you work toward your goals in the best way possible. offers; sessions are tailored to meet the specific goals and needs of writers. I’m happy to work with writers of all skill levels and experience.