Alex Poppe

I write literary fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essay, op-ed, and memoir. My work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, HuffPost, Lit Hub, and others.

I spent most of 2006 to 2021 living abroad, much of it in conflict and post-conflict zones including Iraq, the West Bank, and Ukraine. My characters are often tough, damaged, funny, vulnerable women trying to understand themselves and their place in the world. I am fascinated by how people become who they are. 

I am the USA TODAY bestselling author of Breakfast Wine, a memoir-in-essays that received a starred review from Booklist, and four award-winning books of literary fiction. Three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly has written that my work takes "truths that everybody knows and makes them into truths no one can ignore."

I bring that same attention to the stories of the people I work with. My prior career as an actor makes me adept at writing in someone else's voice, which is useful for ghostwriting. I have taught writing at universities abroad, am currently teaching Creative Writing for Social Change, and have been hired to teach an online graduate level creative nonfiction workshop for Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies in spring 2027.

I offer memoir ghostwriting services, developmental editing, and writing coaching for writers at any stage.

If you have a story to tell, I would love to hear it.