s born July 9, 1952, in Pittsburgh PA, and lived there until she moved to Massachusetts to attend Smith College at 18, where she studied physics and math before switching to theater. She did graduate work at Brown, and has taught theater in the US and Germany. She is currently the Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Africana Studies at Smith College, and the Artistic Director of Chrysalis Theatre. Her debut novel Redwood and Wildfire (2011) won Tiptree and Carl Brandon Awards, and Will Do Magic For Small Change (2016) was a finalist for Mythopoeic, Lambda, and Tiptree Awards, a Massachusetts Must Read, and a New York Times Editor’s pick. Her latest novel is