Daisy Hernández

Daisy Hernández is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the English Major in Writing at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. She holds an M.F.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. from New York University. Her work bridges creative writing, journalism, and scholarly inquiry, focusing on intersections of race, ethnicity, immigration, class, and sexuality.

Her award-winning books include The Kissing Bug (2021), which explores Chagas disease and systemic neglect, and the memoir A Cup of Water Under My Bed (2014). She co-edited the seminal anthology Colonize This!, now in its 2019 edition. Her essays appear in Brevity, Tricycle, and National Geographic, and she contributes regularly to Buddhist journalism.

• Awards: PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, IPPY Award, Lambda Literary Award
• Teaching: Taught at Miami University, Vanderbilt, UNC Chapel Hill (2015-2016 Kenan Fellow)
• Fellowships: MacDowell, Bread Loaf, Rona Jaffe Foundation

Hernández’s research emphasizes narrative as a tool for social justice, with a focus on underrepresented voices. She serves on the board of the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund and has reported for The Atlantic, New York Times, and NPR.