About

A photo of the author Maryann Aita in front of an abstract painting with blue and green shades. Maryann is a white woman with brown hair. She is wearing a black sleeveless shirt, revealing a large colorful tattoo on her upper arm

Maryann Aita is a writer, comedian, and coach. She is the author of Little Astronaut: A Memoir in Essays (ELJ Editions, 2022) and nonfiction editor of Press Pause Press. Her writing has appeared in [PANK], Okay Donkey, The Porter House Review, Sledgehammer Lit, and others. She is the creator of My Dysfunctional Vagina, a one-woman comedy show.

Born and raised in Montana, she now calls Brooklyn her home, where she lives with her cats, Gus, Ellie, and Doughboy. Maryann has a BA from New York University, an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and is pursuing an MS in counseling and expressive arts therapy at Prescott College. Her last name rhymes with beta. You can sign up for her newsletter here.

Maryann is the founder of Writing Spark, a compassionate coaching service for writers of all levels, especially those navigating trauma and identity.

She is also an expert tutor who provides executive functioning coaching and virtual workshops through Tutoring by Maryann.

Curious about my coaching and teaching credentials?

  • My acclaimed memoir, Little Astronaut, published with indie press ELJ Editions, is in its second printing

  • I write and perform regularly, including a one-woman show called My Dysfunctional Vagina that was featured at The People’s Improv Theater

  • My nonfiction, poetry, and fiction has been widely published online and in print

  • I am the nonfiction editor at Press Pause Press

  • My teleplay pilot, The Matchbreaker, made it to the Austin Film Festival’s second round and won the 2016 Broad Humor Film Award for best comedy pilot

  • I have an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College and I’m a counselor in training in the MS in counseling program at Prescott College