Alice L. McLean

A seasoned writer, editor, and educator, I began writing professionally when a former colleague asked me to create the dining section of an arts-and-entertainment weekly he was founding. After serving as the paper's inaugural food critic, I ventured west to California, where I channelled my passions for food and for literature into a PhD in literary food studies. Doctorate in hand, I was awarded a four-year fellowship by a women's college in Virginia, where I taught honors seminars and led the gender studies program. Eventually, I made my way back west to become a founding faculty member of California's first Master of Arts in Food Studies Program. Over the years, I've authored four books and am currently at work on my fifth book, which uses food as a lens through which to examine America's relationship with nature, from pre-contact up through the Rights of Nature movement.

Teaching Experience

Editorial Experience

I collaborate with authors on their journey from concept to polished manuscript. Whether you need help organizing ideas, fleshing out and supporting your core arguments, crafting an engaging narrative, or responding to peer reviews, I am ready to provide assistance, support, and editorial guidance. Please visit Idea into Word should you wish to learn more about my services, which include developmental editing and line editing of book manuscripts, essays, and book proposals.

Master of Arts in Food Studies Program, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA (2015–2020) Lecturer, Thesis Director, and Faculty Advisor

Taught Food Writing, Thesis Development, Literature, Critical Food Studies, and American Culinary History, 1500–2000

Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA (2005–2009) Honors Fellow & Faculty Lead of the Gender Studies Program

Served as faculty mentor and primary instructor of the Honors Program.

Served as faculty advisor, curriculum lead, and primary instructor of the Gender Studies Program.

English Department, University of California, Davis (2000–2005) Lecturer & Associate in English

Taught Literary Analysis, Expository Writing, Writing in the Profession: Journalism, and Advanced Composition