Kristen Roupenian is a accomplished author, holding multiple degrees in English and creative writing. She graduated from Barnard College in May of 2003 before joining the Peace Corps and spending two years in Kenya teaching Public Health and HIV education. Upon returning to the United States, Roupenian worked a variety of jobs while pursuing her passion for literature. She enrolled in the PhD program in English at Harvard in the fall of 2007, focusing on postcolonial and transnational literatures. Her dissertation, "Dodging the Language Question: English, Politics, and the Life of a Kenyan Literary Magazine," highlights her expertise in contemporary African fiction.
Roupenian's teaching philosophy emphasizes clarity, cultural sensitivity, and ethical engagement, shaped by her experience as an educator with the Peace Corps. She has taught a variety of courses at Harvard, including "How to Write About Africa" and "The New Global Novel," and has worked as a tutor in History and Literature. In addition to her academic work, Roupenian has also volunteered with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and has traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival.
Roupenian gained widespread recognition for her short story, "Cat Person," which was published in The New Yorker and selected by Sheila Heti for The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2018. She holds an MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan and a BA from Barnard College. Roupenian is currently at work on a novel.