Andrew K. Smith is a Pacific Northwest native through and through. He grew up in Edmonds, Washington, but spent his undergrad years across the mountains at Washington State University studying English and creative writing. The literary and arts journal LandEscapes published both his fiction and nonfiction works there, and in 2013 he received an honorable mention for the Sarah Weems Award in creative nonfiction for an essay-length version of The Adderall Empire. Andrew worked part-time as a writer for Camp Korey, a summer camp for children with life-altering medical conditions.