Anne Stockwell – Editor

I got my professional start as Editor in Chief of The Advocate, editing fiction, humor, memoir, and commentary in the LGBTQ+ market. I have developed a second career as an editor and writer in the fields of personal growth, survivorship, and spirituality.

Thanks to my years at The Advocate, I’ve edited a stellar list of LGBTQ+ writers including Amy Bloom, Gore Vidal, Allan Gurganus, Armistead Maupin, Lance Loud, Rita Mae Brown, Kimberly Peirce, E. Lynn Harris, Michele Kort, Ron Nyswaner, James Oseland, B. Ruby Rich, Frank DeCaro, and many more.

I was the longtime editor for Bruce Vilanch, the go-to comedy writer for Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Bette Midler, and the Oscars. I also served as editor for revered lesbian comedian Kate Clinton. My work with them was anthologized in Bruce! My Adventures in the Skin Trade and Clinton’s collection What the L? Through our subsidiary Alyson Books, I also had the opportunity to copy-edit fiction titles including Deadline, by Steven Cooper, and Light, Coming Back, by Ann Wadsworth.

Since 2010, I have explored the fields of personal growth, survivorship, and spirituality. I have worked with thought leaders including Marianne Williamson and CTI Master Coach Cynthia Loy Darst; I edited Cynthia’s latest book, Meet Your Inside Team. My storytelling work in personal growth extends beyond editing: under the banner of my nonprofit, Well Again, I lead creative storytelling workshops, helping survivors of major health events imagine and embrace new life stories for themselves.

I continue to work as an independent writer. My credits include my book The Guerrilla Guide to Mastering Student Loan Debt (HarperPerennial), reviewed in The New York Times as “excellent, unhyped and nonjudgmental, written with enough clarity and style to lure even the most print-averse young person.” I contributed an essay to the queer anthology 50 Ways to Support Lesbian and Gay Equality. My writing has also appeared in Esquire, New York, Ms., The Advocate, and Ploughshares.

My creative background includes an MFA in Film Writing and Directing from NYU, where I studied with Martin Scorsese. I am a member of GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.

I specialize in editing memoirs, spiritual and personal growth titles, and—my personal passion—genre fiction (particularly mysteries, thrillers, and sci-fi/fantasy/speculative/paranormal).

I’m expert at helping individual authors recognize the core of their story and how they can use their own strengths to tell it best. I want the writer’s voice to shine, not my own.

Here are a couple of comments from colleagues who’ve worked with me.

“She has an extraordinary gift for working with people, and she has exquisite taste. More importantly, she knows how to give readers what they already want to know about while deftly crafting new and important material in a way that makes it interesting and compelling.”—Alonso Duralde, 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas

“In my professional life (and personal as well) I come across many, many journalists and editors. Anne Stockwell is easily near the top of the list of real gems in every category. Her track record is exceptional, with a genuine love of the written word and a lifelong fascination with ideas, events, the arts, and people. She really is a pro's pro.”—Bob Witeck, Stanford School of Communication

“She is detail oriented, but always with an eye on the big picture—a balance all too rarely seen anymore. And, she is incredibly patient and gives great editorial advice. I always look forward to our conversations--as a person, she is warm, approachable, has an easy, wonderful sense of humor. I deeply admire her vision and her work ethic, and can't recommend her enough.”—Kera Bolonik, Editor in Chief, Dame magazine; author of the upcoming Gullible (Dey Street/HarperCollins)

“Working with Anne Stockwell is and will always be a highlight of my career. She was open, supportive, honest, encouraging, a great editor, a great mentor and every other superlative you can name. My career was boosted tremendously by Anne.”—Michael Giltz, Broadway Direct

“Anne was one of the best editors I ever had.”—Etelka Lehoczky, NPR