Dana Kroos is a visual artist, creative writer, and instructor. Her visual and written work explore the importance of environments (natural, historic, political, social, and cultural) that can be at once empowering and alienating. Her recent work investigates the distance between geographically located spaces and culturally endowed personalized places. Dana has an MA in ceramics from Purdue University, an MFA in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design, an MFA in fiction writing from New Mexico State University, and a PhD in Fiction Writing and Literature at the University of Houston. She has been teaching art and English courses for twenty years to students from pre-school aged to adult including English and creative writing courses at New Mexico State University and the University of Houston, and art courses at Purdue University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Texas-El Paso. She currently writes, makes art, and teaches in Houston, TX.