Michael A. Van Kerckhove is a native Detroiter and long time Chicagoan, with time in South Bend, Nashville, and various Michigan college towns under his belt.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and English from Western Michigan University and his Master of Arts in Writing & Publishing from DePaul University. He has served as Adjunct Theatre Professor at Indiana University South Bend and from 2013-2017 served as Executive Director of Theatre for Young Audiences USA.

He has also worked with other fine nonprofits including Open Books (Chicago) and the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce. He currently works in the association management field supporting nonprofits in a variety of sectors.

He has published several essays, stories, and poems and is active in Chicago’s vibrant live lit storytelling community. He received an Illinois Arts Council grant for his play The Melted Lampshade, and his short play Coffee Boy was adapted into a film.

If he were to describe himself in three fictional characters, he would choose Luke Skywalker, Edward Scissorhands, and Ally McBeal.