Stories from a life spent with animals, stages, and wild places.

The first bio

Al has been engaged in the arts as a SAG actor for 25 years, part of two professional improv groups, a nature lover, avid outdoorsman, a lifeguard, and also gets warm fuzzies making furniture for the home.

As a veterinarian, he had a menagerie of pets over the years, ranging from reptiles, dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, and a chinchilla. Oh, and he appeared with David Letterman on “Stupid Human Tricks” in 1990.

After Upstream

After the success of his first children’s book, Upstream, Al Atkinson realized he wasn’t finished telling stories. As a longtime veterinarian, he has cared for just about every kind of family pet imaginable — chinchillas, reptiles, birds, cats, and all breeds of dogs. But when it comes to his own home, it’s always been Labradors. Their boundless energy, loyalty, and predictable mischief provided more than enough material for A Chew Story.

A natural storyteller, Al has sharpened his sense of timing through years of acting and improv, where quick thinking and laughter go hand in hand. He spends most of his time in Colorado with his wife of over 45 years. When he’s not writing, you might find him skiing, backpacking, lifeguarding at the local pool — or negotiating with his two current Labradors about what does and does not count as a chew toy.