Alaina Lavoie (publishes journalism under the byline Alaina Leary) is an award-winning Boston-based “Swiss army knife” of publishing.

Alaina is currently a Program Manager for the literary nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, leading the Rise Up, Mentorship, and Walter Grants programs. They also teach graduate and undergrad courses in the Publishing, Literature, and Writing department at Emerson College, and are a book reviewer for Booklist. Alaina has also led workshops, keynotes, and training sessions for ACES: The Society for Editing, the Bisexual Resource Center, Bravery Magazine, Everyday Feminism, Bookbuilders of Boston, the Editorial Freelancers Association, and Westfield State University. Their journalism has been included in a number of syllabi for undergraduate and graduate-level courses, including in the Simmons University MFA in Writing for Children.

Their goal as a publishing professional is to amplify marginalized voices across all aspects of the industry. Alaina was awarded a 2017 Bookbuilders of Boston scholarship for her commitment to this work. They were a judge for the 2020 New England Book Show, assisting with the inclusion of categories for accessibility, diversity in young adult literature, and diversity in children’s literature. They were also the communications lead for the virtual Everywhere Book Fest. Alaina is also a sensitivity/authenticity reader (specializing in LGBTQIA+ and disability representation) and you can contact them with projects up to full-length book manuscripts. Alaina has completed sensitivity reads for Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Sourcebooks, DC, Bravery Magazine, and more, as well as directly for authors and journalists.

Their work has been consistently featured in Top 10 best national lists, and HelloGiggles named their essay as one of their staff favorites. Their social media and content campaigns have gone viral within hours. Their essay “My Dad Taught Me How to Shave My Legs” was featured on Cosmopolitan’s Snapchat in July 2016.

Alaina’s work has been published in New York Times, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Prevention, The Oprah Magazine, Boston Globe Magazine, Bitch, Refinery29, Good Housekeeping, The Week, Seventeen, HuffPost, Healthline, Quartz, Marie Claire, Vice, Chicago Tribune, The Rumpus, Narratively, Allure, Racked, Bustle, TalkPoverty, The Establishment, Everyday Feminism, HelloGiggles, Bust, Redbook, Woman’s Day, Brooklyn Magazine, Ravishly, YourTango, Culture: the word on cheese, Rooted in Rights, and more.

Alaina has a BA in professional writing from Westfield State University, where they were honored as a 2016 notable alumni, a Celeste and John Loughman fellow, and a Commonwealth honors scholar; and an MA in publishing from Emerson College, where they were recognized as a Dean’s Fellow.

They live in Massachusetts with their wife; their literary cats Blue, Gansey, and Kyo; and a rainbow bookshelf.

Some of Alaina’s current and former clients include OurShelves book subscription box, DC Entertainment, HarperCollins, Sourcebooks, Ubisoft, Inevitable Foundation, Equally Wed Magazine, Spoon University,  Disability Rights Washington, Healthline, Greatist, Bravery Magazine, Her Campus Media, AgoraPulse, Propriometrics Press, Tell Tell Poetry, Everyday Feminism, Shopify, The Food Network, Bustle Digital Group, Samsonite, American Tourister, Bust, Grateful & Co., Rue La La, Conscious Culture Publishing, Womenade Boston, Charlesbridge Publishing, Habitat for Humanity, and Dance Studio Life Magazine.

Pronouns: they/them, she/her, he/him

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