Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Arnett.
Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Orlando (though I moved to Miami last year). My parents also grew up in the area, as did my Grandparents. I was a non-traditional student, working days at a library and attending college classes at Rollins College at night at the Holt School. I wrote during this time period, submitting fiction and stories, applying for workshops. After graduating, I began working at Rollins Olin library while I attended library school online in the evenings, working toward my Master’s in Library Science. During this time, I worked on my debut novel, Mostly Dead Things. It was published in 2019 and was a New York Times Bestseller. I now write full-time as a career.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a non-traditional student working in an industry that doesn’t pay much, I often struggled to pay bills and pay for classes.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a New York Times Best-Selling novelist. I’ve written for The New York Times, The Cut, Oprah Magazine, Guernica, Buzzfeed, McSweeneys, PBS Newshour, The Guardian, Salon, and elsewhere. I have been a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and I was also a Shearing Fellow at the Black Mountain Institute.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I have found many great mentors online. Many of my closest writing friends were made on Twitter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kristen_Arnett
