AJ Smith is a writer from Somerville, New Jersey. After graduating from The College of New Jersey in 2010 with a degree in English, he spent over a decade teaching English, philosophy, creative writing, and journalism.

AJ’s first novel, Growth, was published in August 2017. It is a semi-autobiographical (emphasis on “semi) account of his work with the man who mentored AJ in his proverbial “side hustle” as a landscaper.

Two years later, AJ wrote By the Thumbings of a Prick, a collection of 154 Shakespearean sonnets made to parody 154 of then-president Donald Trump’s Tweets (the number 154 an homage to the Bard’s sonnet count).

In addition to his continued refusal to give up on fiction and poetry writing, AJ does blog posts on sports and culture, tries to get freelance copywriting gigs wherever he can find them, and writes grants as a volunteer member of the Somerville Recreation Committee. He also still landscapes.

You can contact him at ajsmith253 [at] gmail [dot] com.