MK Chavez

MK Chavez is an Afro-Latinx writer and educator. MK co-directs Berkeley Poetry Festival and is co-founder/curator of Lyrics & Dirges reading series.

MK's writing explores mixed-race identity, social justice, environmental resilience, horror cinema, ritual, and the creative process.

MK’s work has been recognized with a Pen Oakland Josephine Miles Award, Alameda Arts Leadership Award, San Francisco Foundation/Nomadic Press Literary Award, and Ruth Weiss Maverick Award. It has also been recognized by the Berkeley Public Library Foundation and with an Alameda Leadership Award. In 2023, she was a Yerba Center of the Arts 100. MK has received fellowships from CantoMundo, Caldera, Community of Writers, Hedgebrook, Playa, Small Press Traffic, and VONA.

MK’s literary offerings include Dear Animal, Mothermorphosis, the lyric essay chapbook A Brief History of the Selfie, and Virgin Eyes. Recent work can be found on the walls of the art installation Manifest Differently.