about
KATIE LYNN JOHNSTON (they/them)
Or Kae, for short, is a queer, non-binary, and autistic writer, dancer, and graduate of Columbia College Chicago. A first gen college student, they are an ambitious fiction writer working to advance their literary and editing skills and are deeply passionate about the written word, performance, fashion, and the arts. They love to explore the artistic link between performance, movement, and language. Currently they are an MFA Fiction Candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
IN WRITING
Kae has been a junior and senior acquisition editor as well as a production editor for the Columbia Poetry Review. They have also been a production and assistant managing editor for Hair Trigger Magazine, and the founder, managing editor, and editor-in-chief of Mulberry Literary.
Their written work focuses primarily on the human and queer experience and weaves in magical realism, hyper-realism, and historical elements. They aim to write for the outsider and explore the trauma of being forgotten and left to the wayside.
Their prose and poetry has appeared in numerous online and print publications, and their essay, “The Barriers Faced by Female Writers,” was published on the Fountainhead Press website and won the Excellence Award at the Student Writers’ Showcase in 2019. Their work was nominated for Best of the Net in 2022.
They are currently working on numerous short-form and long-form writing projects, including an illustrated novel with German digital and tattoo artist, Rae June.
IN DANCE
Kae has been a dancer with Indiana Ballet Theatre, Joel Hall Dancers and Center, and Lucid Banter Project. They have also taught after-school dance programs with Elevate Dance LLC in Chicago.
Currently they are working with Transit Dance Collective, an up and coming collaborative dance company based in Chicago and Milwaukee.
Their dance pieces have been showcased at En Pointe’s yearly performances, Joel Hall Dancers and Center’s in-studio showcases, as well as at Fresh Perspectives.
They have performed in and throughout the Chicago and Midwest Area as well as in Europe.