# Anne Lamott Anne Lamott (born April 10, 1954) is an American novelist, nonfiction writer, progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher based in Marin County, California. Born in San Francisco to writer Kenneth Lamott and lawyer Dorothy Norah Wyles Lamott, she grew up in Tiburon in a literary household where reading was a central family activity. After dropping out of Goucher College in 1973 to pursue writing, Lamott struggled with alcoholism, drug use, and bulimia for many years. Her breakthrough came when her father was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1975, inspiring her to write her first novel "Hard Laughter" (1980), a semi-autobiographical work about family dysfunction. She achieved widespread recognition with "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" (1994), a beloved guide to writing and living that became a bestseller. The title comes from her father's advice to her overwhelmed brother: "Just take it bird by bird." Lamott's work is characterized by self-deprecating humor, raw honesty, and exploration of themes including addiction recovery, single motherhood, depression, and Christian faith. She quit drinking and drugs in 1986, was baptized in 1987, and has one son, Sam, born in 1989. Her other notable works include "Operating Instructions" (1993) and "Traveling Mercies" (1999). ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Anne Lamott]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Anne Lamott]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come]] <!-- SerializedQuery END --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #books AND [[Anne Lamott]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC -->