Kristen is an emerging Mexican-American author and founder and editor-in-chief of Five South, a biannual literary journal. Her novella Why, Arizona was a finalist for the 2019/20 deGroot Prize. She has had several pieces published in The Los Angeles Press, Sheriff Nottingham, and 100 Words of Solitude. Kristen is a LARB and Kenyon Writer's Workshop fellow. She is currently working on a novel series, going to school, and building the Five South community.