Andrea Hairston is an accomplished author, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1952. She is known for her work as an essayist, novelist, playwright, and the Artistic Director of Chrysalis Theater. Hairston's plays have been performed at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, Yale Rep, Rites and Reason, StageWest, and on Public Radio and Television. Her talent for storytelling extends beyond borders, as she has also translated plays by Kaca Celan and Michael Ende from German into English.
Hairston is particularly celebrated for her contributions to the genres of science fiction and fantasy, with a focus on African-American themes and characters. Her novels, including Mindscape and Redwood and Wildfire, have received critical acclaim. Mindscape, Hairston's first novel, won the Carl Brandon Parallax Award and was short-listed for the Philip K. Dick Award and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. These accolades speak to Hairston's ability to weave compelling narratives that both entertain and challenge readers to think more deeply about issues of race and identity.
In addition to her work as a writer and director, Hairston is also an esteemed educator. She holds the position of the Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Afro-American Studies at Smith College. In this role, Hairston teaches playwriting, African, African American, and Caribbean theatre literature, sharing her expertise and passion for the arts with a new generation of students. Her commitment to education and the arts is further evidenced by her work with the Chrysalis Theatre, where she has created original productions with music, dance, and masks for over a decade. Through her multifaceted career, Hairston continues to make important contributions to the worlds of theatre, literature, and education.