Alison Smith

I was a combat medic in the Texas Army National Guard. I served for five years at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. I also attended the University of Texas at El Paso for my bachelor's in biology. I have an MFA in Creative Writing program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. I am also a WordCommando - in a creative writing program at Veteran's Affairs and UCLA lead by Robert Morgan Fisher, and I volunteer as an associate editor for a local journal. I love reading fiction, including science fiction, and poetry. I write short stories and poetry, but haven't been published yet. I recently moved to the mountains of North Carolina for respite and inspiration. The peaceful valleys and verdant mountains serve as a beautiful backdrop for daily life. Arts and crafts abound in the small mountain cities and nearby metropolises. Inspiration is indeed all around us, even in the cold, where the grey sky dominates the barren winter landscape, sprinkled with cardinals who forgot to fly home and forage in the cold.