ABOUT
Dana Kroos is a creative writer, visual artist, and instructor whose work explores our connections to space and place. She examines how environments—natural, historic, political, social, and cultural—can be both empowering and, at times, alienating.
Dana earned a Ph.D. in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston, an MFA in fiction from New Mexico State University, an MFA in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design, and an MA in studio art from Purdue University. Her writing, nominated for a Pushcart Prize, has appeared in American Short Fiction Online, Glimmer Train, The Florida Review, Superstition Review, Minnesota Monthly, and other literary journals. Her visual art has been exhibited widely across the United States and internationally and has been published in numerous journals.
C.V.
EDUCATION
PhD, Literature and Creative Writing (fiction), 2017 University of Houston, Houston, TX
MFA, Creative Writing (fiction), 2008 New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
MFA, Visual Arts (ceramics), 2005 Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
MA, Visual Arts (ceramics), 2003 Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
BS, Education, 2000 BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Boston, MA
UNIVERSITY TEACHING & RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
Assistant Professor 2025 - present
Creative Media Institute
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Visiting Assistant Professor 2023 - 2025
Creative Media Institute
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Lecturer 2020 - 2023
Creative Writing Program
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Visiting Assistant Professor 2019 - 2020
English Department
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Visiting Scholar 2017 - 2018
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts
University of Houston , Houston, TX
FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS, & GRANTS
LET CREATIVITY HAPPEN! EXPRESS GRANT $2500 2019
Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston, Houston, TX
For the project: Gallery of Cracked Pavement (an interactive and curated series of exhibitions and walking tours of Houston’s cracked pavements)
SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS AND CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS GRANT $15,000 2018
Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston, Houston, TX
For the project: Maps of Imaginary Places (an interdisciplinary novel, writing workshop, public presentation)
MITCHELL CENTER INNOVATION GRANT $10,000
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, Houston, TX
For the project: Poetry and Prose in the Shelter: Writing Workshops for Houston’s Homeless
LITERARY PUBLICATIONS & PRODUCTIONS
FICTION
“Family Man” Phantom Drift: A Journal of New Fabulism, issue, (11) Winter 2023
“Those Who Live in the Dark” West Branch, No. 98, Winter 2022
“Save-A-Child” American Short Fiction Online, July, 2018
“Island in the Sky” (novel excerpt) 45th Parallel, July, 2018
“Manboobs” West Trade Review, July, 2018
“Pull Yourself Together” (micro-fiction) Crack the Spine, Issue 203, November, 2016
“Uncle Santa” (micro-fiction) Burningword Literary Journal, Issue 80, Oct. 2016
“Questions After the Fire” Vestal Review, Issue 46 (web) & Issue 44, Sept. 2014
“Sand Castles in the Snow” The Adirondack Review, Vol. XIII, No. 2, fall 2012
“The Forces of Flight” Lindenwood Review, Issue 2, spring 2012
“Sleepwalkers” Glimmer Train, Issue 83, May 2012
“Pillar Street” The Florida Review, Issue 36.1, summer 2011
“Road Train” Cerise Press, Issue 8, fall/winter 2011-2012
“June” The Superstition Review, Issue 6, November, 2010
“Beyond the Foothills” Peregrine, Issue 25, December 2008
“When the Monsters From Outer Space Took Derrick to Play Baseball” FreshInk, Dec. 2003
“When the Monsters From Outer Space Took Derrick to Play Baseball” Maize, July 2003
“The War Tactics of Snow” Minnesota Monthly, November 2001
POETRY
“How to Find a Black Hole In Your Kitchen,” poem cycle, Defenestration.net, April 2022
“Walking, Baby in Arms, Thinking of Nazca” Gabby Journal, Feb. 2018
“Murder, Kettle, Exaltation, Siege” Otis Nebula, Issue 12, Winter 2017
“Lightning Struck the Big Maple” The Big Muddy, Issue 16.2, Winter 2017
“If I Had a Sharpie” The Big Muddy, Issue 16.2, Winter 2017
“Migrate” JuxtaProse, Issue 9, September 2016
“How to Understand Acoustics” Academy of American Poets (web) April, 2016
“How to Drink Tea in the Colonies” Mayday Magazine, Issue 5, Spring 2012
“How to Understand Acoustics” Mason’s Road, Vol. 2 Issue 2, 2012
“The Mailman” Booth: A Journal, Aug. 2011
“Coincidence” Bayou Magazine, Issue 55, 2011
“A Gray Day and Everything Turning" M Review, Issue 10, 2010
“The Birdwalkers” and “Everyone Wants a Cigar” Penumbra October 2004
“Losing Limbs” PenumbraOctober 2003
“Carry The Load” Spout Magazine Spring 2003
ESSAY
COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
Creator/Editor of Still Life: An Exhibition of Writing and Artonline journal and interdisciplinary and collaborative workshop, September 2019
Creator/Editor of the Cracked Pavement Gallery, Online, May, 2019
Coordinator/Co-Creator of the program Poetry and Prose in the Shelter: Writing Workshops for Houston’s Homeless, Covenant House, Houston, TX
“In My Shoes” woodcut print series Poetry and Prose at the Covenant House, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, Fall 2018
“It Was a Pleasure to Burn” Written Wor(l)ds Exhibition and Collaborative Project, University of Houston, December 2014
GRAPHIC NARRATIVE AND ILLUSTRATED TEXT
“How to Find a Black Hole in Your Kitchen” poem and sculpture series Penumbra May 2018
RECENT AWARDS & HONORS IN CREATIVE WRITING
2022
Hidden River Arts – Eludia Award
Semi-finalist for the short story collection, “Sleepwalkers: Stories of Endangerment and Delinquency”
2020
Hidden River Arts – Eludia Award for the novel
Semi-finalist for “The Wayfinder’s Guide”
2019
Victoria Literary Festival – 2018 Short Story Contest
Highly Commended for the short story “Save-A-Child”
Southern Indiana Review – Thomas A. Wilhelmus Short Prose Award
Finalist for the short stories “Sleepwalkers,” and “Those that Live in the Dark”
2018
Faulkner Society –William Faulkner Wisdom Creative Writing Competition
Finalist for the novel “Island in the Sky”
American Short Fiction - American Short(er) Fiction Contest
Semi-finalist for the short story “Save-A-Child”
WOMR Community Radio - Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest
National contest third place winner for “On New Year’s Eve”
2017
Glimmer Train, Portland, OR – Fiction Open Competition
Finalist for the short story “Gravity”
Glimmer Train, Portland, OR – Very Short Fiction Competition
Finalist for the short story “Save-A-Child”
Black Lawrence Press, New York, NY – Big Moose Novel Prize
Finalist for the novel “Wayfinding”
Santa Fe Writing Project, Santa Fe, NM – Literary Awards
Finalist for the novel “Wayfinding”
Inprint, Houston, TX – Joan and Stanford Alexander Prize in Fiction
Winner for the story “Tour of a House on Fire,” $10,000
Gemini Magazine, MA –Poetry Open Contest
Notable poem for “Vendor”
VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITIONS, PUBLICATIONS, & AWARDS
2021
Whitefish Review, artist spread, Wingless Guardian (ceramic sculpture series), Spring
Lunch Ticket, artist spread, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service (woodcut print series)
2018
Small Works Exhibition, Second Place, Georgetown Art Center, Georgetown, TX
3 AM Magazine, artist spread, There Was an Old Woman series, July
Storm Cellar Quarterly artist spread, work from the Revisited Fairytale Illustrations, May
Folio Literary Journal artist spread, Revisited Fairytale Illustrations, V. 33, spring
2017
From the Ground Up XXVIII Museum of Art, Las Cruces, NM
People’s Choice Award Las Cruces Museum of Art Las Cruces, NM
From the Ground Up Exhibition
Best of Show Las Cruces Museum of Art Las Cruces, NM
From the Ground Up Exhibition $350
SEGD Merit Award Society for Experiential Graphic Design
University of Houston visual and written collaborative team exhibition: Written Wor(l)ds
SEGD Honor Award Society for Experiential Graphic Design
University of Houston visual and written collaborative team exhibition: En/Gulf
Recent Work Galveston College Gallery, Galveston, TX
2016
Written Wor(l)ds, University of Houston Katherine G. McGovern Gallery, Houston, TX
2011
RISD NM, Scripps Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
Gambling the Aisle Magazine, interview and featured artist spread, work from the Revisited Fairytale Illustrations, spring
American Literary Review, cover artist, Revisited Fairytale: They Licked the Platter Clean, fall
Psychic Meatloaf Poetry Journal, artist spread, work from the Revisited Fairytale Illustrations, Issue 3
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