Alena Smith
Photograph by Cheril Sanchez for The New Yorker
I always start my day with...
My husband wrangling the kids out the door to school while I make coffee and sit down at my desk to write.
Where were you raised? Has the landscape of that place influenced your work in any way?
I was raised in the Hudson Valley, a place that’s both beautiful and haunted, and where you are always distinctly aware of seasons and the passage of time. It’s a place that feels like the past and the present simultaneously, and you can see the influence of it all over my work (for example, in the setting and vibes of Dickinson).
Dickinson on Apple TV I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT
What was the last thing you fell in love with?
Vidiots movie theater in Eagle Rock where you can go every week to watch movies from the 90s on the big screen… heaven.
We have 24 hours in your city... one recommendation.
Go to Huntington Gardens. Maybe on a fancy edible from Rose Los Angeles.
What do you love most about yourself?
I’m incredibly organized. And other people have told me that I make them feel creatively excited. Somehow these two things are related. Creative energy is released into the world through effective, passionate organization.
What did you do for your last birthday?
Last year I had a party at a pirate-themed speakeasy in someone’s backyard in Glendale! And this year I went out to dinner with some friends to Loreto in Frogtown where they have oyster martinis.
What book are you reading?
Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood by Ed Zwick.
If you could click your heels and be anywhere, where would it be?
London. I’m always threatening to move there.
How do you recharge your creative battery?
A combination of yoga, Feldenkrais, astrology, podcasts, phone calls, movies, finding excuses to get dressed up, and reading aloud to my kids.
What’s on your Bucket List.
It used to be going to Russia but I did that for my 40th birthday, right before Covid, phew. For now I would just say getting as much enjoyment and pleasure out of the next few decades of my life as possible is the goal. Doing what feels good while maintaining balance and presence, and welcoming joy and love into my life.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLAYS OF ALL TIME.
Me and Alena. Late 90’s. Hudson Valley.
