Kalani Shimizu

Kalani Shimizu (she/her) got her start writing fanfiction as a child, creating an awareness of tropes, characterization, and the importance of retellings. From there, she refined her analytical skills both in academia and through fandom with critical analysis of media to gain a better understanding of how the parts of a work come together to form its whole.

She has degrees in psychology, writing, higher education administration, and is pursuing a phD with a research focus on critical disability studies through a queer lens. In her free time, she’s a lifelong gamer, particularly of JRPGs, many of which have shaped her storytelling strategies and love of media.