Kimberly Mack

Kimberly Mack is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the Department of English, School of Music, and Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory. She specializes in African American literature, American popular music, and autobiographical narratives. Her research bridges literary studies with music criticism, emphasizing marginalized voices in cultural production.

Education: Ph.D. in English (UCLA, 2015), M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Antioch University Los Angeles). Her notable works include *Fictional Blues* (2020) and *Living Colour’s Time’s Up* (2023), exploring narrative identity and rock criticism history. Her current project examines BIPOC and women’s contributions to 1960s-70s rock journalism.

Research interests include American popular music criticism, autobiographical writing, and intersections of race/gender in cultural forms. Awards include the 2021 Nancy Dasher Award for scholarly excellence. She contributes to journals like *African American Review* and *Journal of Popular Music Studies*, blending academic rigor with public-facing commentary.