“As a queer black woman, I write from the margins. I write because I want to imagine a world where we are free, a world where we can just live. I want to imagine a world where we can be superheroes, magical, or just basic everyday people.”
Berneta L. Haynes
Growing up in Arkansas, I began writing stories and exploring visual art from the moment I could pick up a pencil and put it to paper. By the time I was eleven, I had written my first “chapter book” and had a sketchbook full of drawings. Writing and visual art have lived on in me ever since.
At Drury University, where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English, Writing, and Psychology, I never stopped writing. Meanwhile, my visual art interests led me to photography as a hobby. During all this artistic exploration in my twenties, I obtained a Master of Arts in English and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa. Afterward, I got a “real job” but never abandoned my creative passions.
I have continued to write, including founding a website for writers, publishing my first novel in 2015, and experimenting with photography.