Good Writing
nonfiction · First published 2026
Author guide
Anne Lamott Books in Order
Anne Lamott is an American novelist, memoirist, essayist, and nonfiction writer based in Northern California. Her work includes seven novels, memoirs about motherhood and family, spiritual essays about faith and recovery, and influential guidance for writers. Her writing is marked by candor, humor, compassion, and attention to imperfect human lives.
literary fictionmemoiressaysspiritual nonfictionwriting advice
Catalog record updated .
Anne Lamott's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
A widely recognized entry point that combines practical writing advice with Lamott's characteristic candor and humor.
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
A representative memoir exploring faith, recovery, family, and spiritual questioning.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (11)
- Hard Laughter
novel · 1980
A sensitive and reflective twenty-four-year-old woman chronicles her family's confrontation with illness when it is discovered that her father suffers from an inoperable brain tumor
- Rosie
novel · 1983
From the New York Times bestselling author of Help, Thanks, Wow; Small Mercies; and Stitches, a wise and witty novel about motherhood. Look out for Anne's next book, Hallelujah Anyway, coming in 2017. In Anne Lamott’s wise and witty…
- Joe Jones
novel · 1985
Louise, a cook at Jessie's Cafe, relies on humor and the friendship of her co-workers and the regulars at the cafe to get over her breakup with Joe Jones.
- All New People
novel · 1989
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
nonfiction · 1994
Anne Lamott gives her perspective on the art and work of writing. The title comes from a family story when her brother had to complete a report on birds. He put it off until the last minute and was overwhelmed. Her father counseled him…
- Crooked Little Heart
novel · 1997
With the same brilliant combination of humor and warmth that marked Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, her two bestselling works of nonfiction, Anne Lamott now gives us an exuberant richly absorbing portrait of a family for whom the…
- Blue Shoe
novel · 2002
- Imperfect Birds
novel · 2010
A novel about an imperfect, i.e. normal, family as they struggle with life and the passage of a child to adulthood.
- Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers
nonfiction · 2012
- Stitches: A Handbook of Meaning, Hope and Repair
nonfiction · 2013
- Good Writing
nonfiction · 2026
Nonfiction (3)
- Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
memoir · 1993
It seems no mother of a newborn has ever been more hilarious, more honest, or more touching than Anne Lamott is in Operating Instructions. A single parent whose baby's father is out of the picture, Lamott struggles not only to support her…
- Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
memoir · 1999
- Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son
memoir · 2012
Essays and speeches (7)
- Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
essay-collection · 2005
From the New York Times bestselling author of Hallelujah Anyway, Bird by Bird, and Almost Everything, a spiritual antidote to anxiety and despair in increasingly fraught times. As Anne Lamott knows, the world is a dangerous place.…
- Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith
essay-collection · 2007
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dusk, Night, Dawn, Bird by Bird, Hallelujah Anyway, and Almost Everything "Lamott has chronicled her wacky and (sometimes) wild adventures in faith in...the wonderful Grace (Eventually)."…
- Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace
essay-collection · 2014
- Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy
essay-collection · 2017
- Almost Everything: Notes on Hope
essay-collection · 2018
From Anne Lamott, the New York Times-bestselling author of Dusk, Night, Dawn and Help, Thanks, Wow, comes the book we need from her now: How to bring hope back into our lives "I am stockpiling antibiotics for the Apocalypse, even as I…
- Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage
essay-collection · 2021
“Anne Lamott is my Oprah.” -Chicago Tribune From the bestselling author of Help, Thanks, Wow comes an inspiring guide to restoring hope and joy in our lives. In Dusk, Night, Dawn, Anne Lamott explores the tough questions that many of us…
- Somehow: Thoughts on Love
essay-collection · 2024
From the bestselling author of Dusk, Night, Dawn and Help, Thanks, Wow, a joyful celebration of love “Love is our only hope,” Anne Lamott writes in this perceptive new book. “It is not always the easiest choice, but it is always the right…
Frequently asked questions about Anne Lamott
Who is Anne Lamott, and what is she known for?
Anne Lamott is an American novelist, memoirist, essayist, and nonfiction writer known for candid, humorous writing about faith, family, recovery, and the writing life.
Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)californiamuseum.org (opens in a new tab)
Where was Anne Lamott born and raised?
Anne Lamott was born in San Francisco on April 10, 1954, and grew up largely in San Francisco and neighboring Marin County. Her father was the writer Kenneth Lamott.
Sources: encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)californiamuseum.org (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Anne Lamott’s writing?
Her father’s diagnosis with brain cancer prompted her to write her first novel. Her later work also draws on alcoholism and drug use, recovery, conversion to Christianity, and her experience as a single mother.
Sources: californiamuseum.org (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)
What awards and honors has Anne Lamott received?
Lamott received a Guggenheim Fellowship and was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2010.
Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)californiamuseum.org (opens in a new tab)
Why is Anne Lamott considered an influential writer?
Her self-deprecating humor, emotional candor, and compassion have inspired a wide readership, particularly through her writing about difficult personal experiences and the creative process. The California Museum has described her as “the people’s author.”
Sources: californiamuseum.org (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)