About
Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz Photography
Professional Biography
Stephanie Krzywonos (she/her) is the author of The Blue Hours: My Summers and Winters in Antarctica, a memoir about living in Antarctica as she searched for answers and tried to save her own life in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. From 2015 to 2021, Stephanie spent 886 days over seven seasons living and working at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The Blue Hours is a kaleidoscopic blend of memoir, science, criticism, and histories of polar explorers from the margins. Her work on the book was supported by organizations like Hedgebrook, Vermont Studio Center, and Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference; her essays have appeared in publications like Emergence Magazine, Sierra, Dark Mountain, and more. She was a student in and graduated from the University of Iowa with an MFA in Nonfiction Writing and is represented by Marya Spence at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. She lives in Michigan.
Pronunciation: Kriz - wan (rhymes with “swan”) - ess
Fun Facts
Steph and Stephanie are interchangeable, her last name is Polish, and she’s a proud daughter of a Mexican-American migrant family
Steph has worked as a nonfiction acquisitions editor, organic farmer, professional driver, U.S. Air Force-certified load planner, bartender, park ranger, thrift store cashier, university instructor in literature and creative writing, warehouse worker, small group therapist, cargo department supervisor, deep field coordinator, volunteer librarian, sous chef, and more
Stephanie has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with a minor in English Literature, an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa, and half of a Master Gardener’s Certificate from Michigan State University Extension
Personality: she is the eldest child, an only daughter, an elder Millennial who resents smartphones, an Enneagram 5-wing-4, a Meyer’s Briggs INTJ or INFJ (depends on the day), and a Leo born in the year of the Tiger who is inconveniently allergic to cats
Steph was born in California’s Central Valley, grew up in near the shores of Lake Michigan, and has lived in ten U.S. States (her favorites were Vermont, Alaska, and Washington)
She lives in mid-Michigan at an intentional community with her partner, Nathan, and Milton, a Pomapoo who allows them to sleep in his king-sized bed, insists on being part of every hug, and boops Stephanie precisely at 4:00 p.m. for his daily fetching session