Bio

Kris Spisak - Author, Editor, Storyteller

Mini Bio:

Kris Spisak wrote her first three books—Get a Grip on Your Grammar, The Novel Editing Workbook, and The Family Story Workbook—to help writers of all kinds sharpen their storytelling and empower their communications. Her award-winning debut novel, The Baba Yaga Mask (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing), was inspired by her family’s experience in the post-WWII Ukrainian diaspora and has been called “A complex, poetic tale” by Kirkus Reviews and “edu-tainment at its best” by the Historical Novel Society. Her fifth book, Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods (nonfiction), is an exploration of the complex origins of this Slavic folktale character and her lingering lessons for empowering us all. Kris knows well-written words and well-told stories can change the world, and she cannot wait to tell you her next story.

 

Short Bio:

Kris Spisak knows that well-written words and well-told stories have the ability to change the world. She wrote her first three books—Get a Grip on Your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017; HarperCollins India 2020), The Novel Editing Workbook: 105 Tricks and Tips for Revising Your Fiction Manuscript  (Davro Press, 2020), and The Family Story Workbook: 105 Prompts & Pointers for Writing Your History (Davro Press, 2020)—to help writers of all kinds sharpen their storytelling and empower their communications. Her Grammartopia® events and Story Stop Tour programs follow the same mission.

Her award-winning debut novel, The Baba Yaga Mask (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 2022), was inspired by her family’s experience in the post-WWII Ukrainian diaspora and has been called “A complex, poetic tale” by Kirkus Reviewsand “edu-tainment at its best” by the Historical Novel Society. Her fifth book, Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods (nonfiction), is an exploration of the complex origins of this Slavic folktale character and her lingering lessons for empowering us all.

Kris has been spotlighted in Writer’s Digest and The Huffington Post for her work as an author dedicated to helping other writers, and she is passionate about transforming book signings and storytelling events into humanitarian aid efforts when the opportunity allows itself. When not working on her own projects, she is an active speaker, workshop/webinar leader, and creative strategist. Kris is a member and former board of directors chair of James River Writers and is also a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Virginia Writers Club, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Long Bio:

Kris has always had a fascination with the ways one can capture an audience with language—from telling a captivating story to knowing the rules of grammar. The place where right brain and left brain meet is her favorite place to work.

Kris Spisak began her career as a college writing instructor and taught at the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, and John Tyler Community before deciding to shift her work toward professional writing and editing. In 2010, she founded K. S. Writing, where she found her sweet spot in the writing, editing, wordsmithing, ghostwriting, teaching, and creative strategy space. Many of her clients have gained literary agents, publishing deals, Amazon best-seller status, and more. Kris is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Virginia Writers Club, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and James River Writers.

She has led workshops and communications seminars for middle school, high school, college, and corporate audiences, as well as for creative writing conference attendees and military commands. Kris’s presentations, including her popular Grammartopia events, have been held for standing-room-only audiences in libraries, breweries, professional summits, and beyond–including events that have been broadcasted on television and radio.

Though born in Houston, Texas, Kris was raised in Roanoke, Virginia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the College of William and Mary and her Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Richmond, and she also did additional graduate work in fiction through the University of Iowa in Florence, Italy.

Kris’s first personal publication came in 2001 in poetry; however, when in the spring of 2005, a sixth grade class in Richmond, Virginia read and discussed her in-process middle grade novel, Kris’s desire to connect with audiences through fiction was solidified. Since that time, Kris has created and maintained her popular writing tips blog (now with over 400 posts, over 20 of which are at the top of the search engine results!) and published Get a Grip on Your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017; HarperCollins India, 2020), The Novel Editing Workbook: 105 Tricks and Tips for Revising Your Fiction Manuscript (Davro Press, 2020), The Family Story Workbook: 105 Prompts & Pointers for Writing Your History (Davro Press, 2020), and her first novel, The Baba Yaga Mask (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 2022). She cannot wait to announce details about her fifth book, coming soon!

When not researching, writing, editing, or at creative play, she can often be found going on hiking trips in the Appalachians, sneaking off to the Gulf coast beaches of Florida, and travelling as much as she can.