Sam is a writer, editor and university lecturer who has taught writing for almost two decades in the US and Europe. After graduating from Oxford University with a First Class Degree in Philosophy and Modern Languages, he spent a brief period working in magazine journalism then earned an MFA in creative writing from UC Irvine. He taught writing and literature to undergraduates at UC Irvine for close to a decade. Since leaving California he has taught at NYU, Bard and RISD, where he was on the Literary Arts faculty for 4 years and was a graduate writing advisor. Over the years, he has worked with business professionals, engineers, artists, style gurus, dentists, architects, novelists, even prisoners. He has edited thousands of essays, stories, articles, books and personal statements, and has developed a fine ear for the unique and compelling elements of each writer’s voice and perspective.

Sam brings a rich set of professional experiences and intellectual interests to his editorial practice. As a writer of fiction and creative non-fiction, Sam has earned fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Centre, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, MacDowell, and the Dora Maar House. As an editor with a philosophical background he is particularly skilled at sharpening the central idea in a piece of writing. He has taught in the Bard Prison Initiative and continues to mentor refugees and torture survivors at Freedom from Torture in London. An avid runner and squash player, currently he lives with his partner (also a writer) and their daughter in Scotland, where he writes, leads writing workshops and works as a freelance editor.