Inspiration: alto
someone I love to read and am proud to know
Let me begin by saying that the amount of writers on this platform who are wonderful storytellers, narrators, poets and activists are literally too many to list. Which makes this type of feature a difficult one to write an entry for. Having said that, there are a number of writers here who inspire me every time I read their words. And although this piece is about one writer in particular, I do have to mention some of my special favorites who inspire me in so many different ways.
In no particular order: Gutbloom Crooked Little Flower Gloria DiFulvio David Montgomery Jules Sherry Kappel Sherry Caris Jason Stelzner Hana Leshner Thaddeus Howze Ezinne Ukoha Classical Sass Clay Rivers Sean Howard Alexainie Veronica Montes arnold.davydov Oliver “Shiny” Blakemore Meg Tre L. Loadholt Sorry for the late addition Tre, it took me forever to get your name to go green!
And many others. Though I have to confess that narrowing it down to just one was not especially difficult. Not only because he has been one of my best real time friends since I was literally 13 years old, but because alto, otherwise known as Allan, is an amazingly gifted writer. His talent is huge, and his breadth wide. Tender, beautifully narrated memoir pieces such as these:
Layered and sometimes challenging free form poetry containing so much in a single phrase or description, you find yourself coming back to it again and again:
Compelling, thoughtful flash fiction:
Staunch, justice focused issue writing. In the second piece below he shows us his sharp wit in a brilliant parody:
Not only is Allan a great writer, he is often seen as something of a leader on Medium. The creator and lead editor of C(G), a hugely popular independent publication for writers looking to publish nonfiction, poetry, and social justice work, he also created The Writer Archives, a place for writers to house links to their entire Medium body of work.
Finally, his support of other writers and their unique voices, especially writers who are traditionally culturally overlooked is huge. Either as a vocal ally, through publishing their work, or in solidarity via responses to their work, these are only some of several reasons I am proud to call alto one of the best and most inspirational writers on Medium.
