MY STORY
I'm Alison, and I'm the illustrator behind Pen Jar Productions, the book store and print shop for people looking to add more honesty, beauty and whimsy to their home or office.
Here are some basic facts about my life:
• In my first career, I was an art historian. I had research fellowships at the Smithsonian Institution (Peale Family Papers) and the Musée d'Orsay (La Documentation - "La Doc").
• When Twitter was a baby bird, I was an editor at Elle Canada. Then I freelanced for 15 years.
• I'm an award-winning magazine feature writer who's now focused on interpreting and reporting how AI is enhancing our creativity and altering how we show up on the internet.
I share how all of it's unfolding on:
- My blog, Society Pages
- My classes at the University of Toronto (SCS), where I teach courses in Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media in the Age of AI (plus its two Micros) and Writing Digital Content.
• In 2021, I received an Excellence in Teaching Award in Business & Professional Studies from the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. That was nice.
• I draw. A lot. The internet likes my art better than my writing, and I'm okay with that.
• If you're here, you know I recently published an illustrated novel about grief, a subject I know something about. It's called I Miss My Mommy: 150 Portraits of Orphaned Adults . Maybe you'll find yourself in some of the stories? The book earned high praise from Publishers Weekly, plus a Kirkus Star and a spot on the Best Books of 2024 by Kirkus Reviews. I talk about the book with Carla Luccetta (a fellow orphan) on Steve Paikin's Agenda.
Shop here
I'll see you over on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Alison and her godson, Rupert.