Larry Smith (born September 17, 1968) is an American author and editor, and publisher of ''Smith Magazine''. He is best known for developing the best-selling book series ''Six-Word Memoirs'', a literary subgenre that took on a life of its own in popular culture as publications began holding reader contests and publishing the results. The form has been described as "American haiku." Smith credits Ernest Hemingway's reputed shortest story, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn", with inspiring the viral literary movement.

Background and early career

Smith grew up in New Jersey, the son of Burlington, New Jersey, Burlington attorney Louis Smith and Carol, a clinical social worker. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a founding editor of the magazine ''P.O.V. (magazine), P.O.V.'' and editor-in-chief of its sister publication, ''Egg (U.S. magazine), Egg'', as well as an editor of ''Might (magazine), Might'' magazine with Dave Eggers. Smith was also managing editor of the news service AlterNet and editor of the city guide network, Boulevards. Smith also worked as executive editor of ''Yahoo! Internet Life'', editor at ''ESPN The Magazine'', and articles editor at ''Men's Journal''. His writing has appeared in ''The New York Times'', ''Popular Science'', ''Men's Health (magazine), Men’s Health'', ''Salon (website), Salon'', ''Slate (magazine), Slate'', as well as other places. In 2004, Smith's then-fiancée, Piper Kerman, served a 13-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, Connecticut, the result of a 1998 arrest for drug-related offenses committed about five years prior. Smith visited her in prison almost every week, and wrote about the experience in ''The New York Times''. Kerman later wrote a memoir about the experience, ''Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison'', which was subsequently made into a Orange Is the New Black, television show by Netflix productions, in which Smith's homologue ("Larry Bloom") is played by Jason Biggs.

''Smith Magazine'' and "Six Word Memoirs"

On January 6, 2006, National Smith Day, Smith co-founded the online ''Smith Magazine'' with Tim Barkow.Smith, Larry (January 6, 2008)
"Happy National Smith Day, Happy Birthday To SMITH"
''SMITH Magazine''. Two years later, Smith's book, ''Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure'', co-edited by Rachel Fershleiser, was selected as a Top 100 Editors' Pick by Amazon in 2008 and became a ''New York Times'' bestseller. Smith and Fershleiser went on to co-edit three more books in the series, including '' Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak,'' ''I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure,'' and ''It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure,'' all published by Harper Perennial.

Books

* ''Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure'' (with Rachel Fershleiser.) Harper Perennial, 2008. . * ''Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure—Deluxe Edition'' (with Rachel Fershleiser). Harper Perennial, 2008. . * ''Six Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak: by Writers Famous and Obscure'' (with Rachel Fershleiser.) Harper Perennial, January 2009. . * ''I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure'' (with Rachel Fershleiser). Harper Teen, September 2009. . * ''It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure'' (with Rachel Fershleiser). Harper Perennial, January 2010. . * ''The Best Advice in Six Words''. St. Martin's Press, November 2015.

References

External links

Smith Magazine website

Gothamist interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Larry 1968 births Living people American non-fiction writers American magazine editors Writers from New Jersey University of Pennsylvania alumni Managing editors

Background and early career

''Smith Magazine'' and "Six Word Memoirs"

Books

References

Further reading

External links