Kristi Smith

KRISTI J. SMITH grew up listening to southern stories before taking her ears on the road (and then off-road). Her eclectic mix of teachers include a Nigerian rainmaker, homeless men, rebellious students, haunted veterans, cheeky children, lively street vendors, and the exterminator who changed her life. She is indebted to all of them. She has degrees from Princeton, Harvard, and UNC-Chapel Hill, has learned while teaching in underserved urban and rural (Teach For America) schools, and currently serves as the adult advisor to “Kids Coloring For a Cause,” a non-profit she cofounded with her family. She likes to write, wonder, and wander with her husband and four children. Their gateway to the world is a happy home in North Carolina.