10 things about me:

1. I am a Black woman, born and raised in Chicago. I grew up knowing race and politics are full body, contact sports. Also that real fried chicken (wings, 6 piece) comes soaked in mild sauce under a white bread blanket. Best when ordered through bulletproof plexiglass.

2. I’m a nonfiction writer, essayist, and occasional poet. Facts are my raw materials.

3. My work explores history and culture, sometimes braided together with my personal stories of identity. My work has appeared in Cutleaf Journal and Roxane Gay’s The Audacity, among others. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net Nominee, I am working on my first nonfiction book.

4. My book looks across 18 generations of Black survival and resistance in America. Their revolutionary rage, love, and defiance stuns me every single day. I write to celebrate that we are still here and to rouse our biggest, most revolutionary dreams.

5. I’ve got another collection of essays underway exploring my identities, aliases, and assorted places of residence.  I have lived in some random places, and I’m related to an unwieldy assortment of people and historical events.

6. I am proud to claim emerging writer status though I was born in the 60’s. Turns out, I had other business to attend.

7. For thirty years, I worked in philanthropy, politics, and higher education to equalize resources and knowledge where I could. I think I did some good.  Over time, I had less humor to bring to navigating power, privilege disguised as process, and bullshit. There’s less downside to my lack of poker face when I write.

8. I am usually hungry, always curious, and alarmingly caffeinated.

9. I studied international relations, political science, history, and humanities. There’s an MA, (also an MF), but no MFA.

10. I would love to hear from you and show you what I’m up to. kriswritenow at gmail dot com or follow the socials up top. Thanks for reading.