Bio:
Andrea Hairston is an African-American playwright, novelist, professor, director, and performer born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1952. Growing up Hairston spent her time organizing work for union, civil rights, and antiwar activism, a formative part of her youth. After growing up in Pennsylvania, Hairston moved to Western Massachusetts where she attended Smith College for her undergraduate academic career. After graduating from Smith College, she attended Brown University for her graduate career.
Hairston is currently the Artistic Director of Chrysalis Theatre, where she creates original productions using music, dance, and masks, which she has done for more than 10 years. She is also the Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Afro-American Studies at Smith College. In her free time, Hairston enjoys riding her bike, which she does every night no matter the weather.
Hairston has won various awards for her work, including the Carl Brandon Parallax Award and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for her 2006 novel Mindscape, and again the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for her 2011 novel Redwood and Wildfire.
Helpful Links:
Andrea’s Page on the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
Interview with Andrea Hairston
Smith College Page for Andrea Hairston
Andrea Hairston Video Interview
Suggested Reading:
Novels:
Mindscape (2006)
Redwood and Wildfire (2011)
Will Do Magic for Small Change (2016)
Plays:
Soul Reapers
Lonely Stardust
Hummingbird Flying Backwards
Dispatches
Archangels of Funk
Selected Anthologies and Essays:
The International Review of Science Fiction
So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Visions of the Future
Dark Matter, Reading the Bones
Exploding in Slow Motion
Narrative Power: Encounters, Celebrations, Struggles