MEET SHERRY
Author, Teacher + Story Steward
Sherry Sidoti is an award-winning author, teacher, and founder of Embodied Memoir Writing. She believes writing is a spiritual, sacred, and courageous practice of self-awakening, with profound potential for healing.
Through online programs, community gatherings, and writing and embodiment retreats, Sherry creates supportive spaces for people to explore the craft of memoir, deepen their stories, and connect more fully with themselves and one another.
DEBUT MEMOIR
A Smoke and a Song
Faced with the looming loss of her mother just as her second-chance life begins to bloom, Sherry Sidoti moves forward with self-awareness to confront one of life’s most elusive questions: Is freedom found in letting go, or in digging our heels deeper into the earth and holding on to our humanness?
Written with tenacity, tenderness, and wry New York City humor, Sherry moves toward self-actualization, spiritual awakening, and—despite it all—love. Steeped in art and spirituality, the memoir explores womanhood, transgenerational bonds, and the wisdom found by leaning into our wounds.
HONORS + DISTINCTIONS
A Smoke and a Song (She Writes Press/Simon & Schuster), has earned wide acclaim, including the 2025 Sarton Women's Silver Medal, 2024 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal (Non-Fiction/Inspirational), and 2023 Living Now Book Awards Gold Medal (Inspirational Memoir), plus an Honorable Mention for 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize and finalist recognition for the da Vinci Eye Prize and National Indie Excellence Award.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
“Inspiring and reflective, A Smoke and A Song should be required reading for anyone looking within and beyond. Sherry Sidoti weaves us through a journey of self-discovery, heartbreak, and self-actualization. She brings to life each part of ourselves—the parts we know and the parts we have a harder time listening to—all in the name of self-love.”
Chelsea Handler - #1 New York Times best-selling author, comedian, and Dear Chelsea podcast host
"Sherry Sidoti’s wisdom and compassion are a powerful gift that she generously shares in this achingly beautiful story of loss, survival, and healing."
Jeannette Walls, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Glass Castle
“A Smoke and a Song is a winning book! Sherry Sidoti’s prose is absolutely gorgeous—lyrical and tender, moody and insightful, mystical and relatable. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. A memoir told with such nuanced self-awareness; you’ll find yourself needing to put the book down at moments just to pause, take in her reflections, and make meaning of your own story through hers.”
Nancy Slonim Aronie - author of Writing from the Heart and Memoir as Medicine
"A Smoke and a Song will have you crying, laughing, and shaking your head in amazement as you follow along and become a part of Sherry’s story as the words draw you into her reality... This is a must-read for women from all walks of life who are looking for answers to the frequently asked question: Who am I, and what is my purpose? Please do not pass up this book, but put it on the top of your reading list as you will not regret it."
Readers’ Favorite Reviews: 5-Stars
"A stylish and substantial remembrance with poignantly memorable characterizations."
Kirkus Reviews
“Inspiring and reflective, A Smoke and A Song should be required reading for anyone looking within and beyond. Sherry Sidoti weaves us through a journey of self-discovery, heartbreak, and self-actualization. She brings to life each part of ourselves—the parts we know and the parts we have a harder time listening to—all in the name of self-love.”
Chelsea Handler - #1 New York Times best-selling author, comedian, and Dear Chelsea podcast host
Listen to the AUDIOBOOK
Available on Audible & Spotify.
Available at local retailers & online.
Print + eBook
