C.E. McKenna

C.E. McKenna is a writer, historian, and software engineer from Colorado. She has history theses in the libraries of Reed College and Oklahoma State, and her short stories have found awards and publication with Writing by Writers, Desperate Literature, Cagibi, Lumina, Quarterly West, Northwest Review, and Shift. In 2022, she completed AWP’s 17th Writer to Writer Mentorship Program, and in 2024 was invited to the Chateau d'Orquevaux for a 4-week writing residency. She is an MFA student at UC Riverside-Palm Desert with an expected graduation of 2027. Most of C.E. McKenna's work focuses on the untold stories of the American West. Her short fiction and research often deals with the dangers of western environments—particularly wildland fire. Her long-form work combines deft historical research with speculative fiction. Her first novel, The Primary Source, is about the murderous origins of Stanford University. She lives with her husband and dog in Boulder, Colorado, where she works as a software developer and spends her free time traipsing high country trails by foot and cross-country ski, attempting to avoid moose. You can find her online at cemckenna.com and @‌ce-mckenna.bsky.social