About Casa Libre

| Mission & Name | Concept & Origin | Casa's Keepers |
| Tucson | Location & Map | Links |

Casa's Keepers

Kristen E. Nelson
Co-Founder/ Executive Director
casakeepers@casalibre.org
Kristen was born and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York 20 minutes north of Manhattan. She earned a B.A. in English with a minor in Marine Science/Biology from the University of Tampa in 2000. In college Kristen served as the assistant editor of UT’s literary magazine Quilt, as a college diplomat, as a newspaper staff writer, as vice-president of a social sorority, and as a member of the executive board of several campus organizations concerned with cultural & social issues. Kristen worked for The Village Voice in NYC, The Weekly Planet in Tampa, and for two years as a full-time staff reporter for the Rivertowns Enterprise in Hastings, New York. She was also a freelance reporter for other newspapers and magazines for four years until relocating to Tucson in April of 2003. She works as the associate editor of the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth at The University of Arizona. At ISPE Kristen edits publications designed to make science more accessible, and is the webmaster and graphic designer. In July 2003 Kristen founded Casa Libre with Ann Fine. Kristen is a writer of short fiction and prose poetry. She has recently published or has work forthcoming in Cranky Literary Journal, Quarter After Eight, In Posse Review, and you are here.

Casa Libre's Board of Directors

Sama Raena Alshaibi - salshaibi (at) casalibre.org
Secretary Wendy Burk - wburk (at) casalibre.org
Audrey Ching - aching (at) casalibre.org
Marvin Gladney - mgladney (at) casalibre.org
Vice-President John Reid - jreid (at) casalibre.org
President Rebecca Seiferle - rseiferle (at) casalibre.org
Judith Treistman - jtreistman (at) casalibre.org

Founders

Ann M. Fine - Co-Founder
Ann grew up in Prescott, Arizona and returned to Tucson from New York in 2002. She holds a B.A. from the University of Tampa in English and Writing and an M.F.A. from Bennington College (VT) in Writing/Poetry. Ann left life working as an EMT/PCA in the medical field nine years ago to pursue her love for writing and literature. During college she worked simultaneously at an independent bookstore, as Assistant Director of Writer’s Voice in Tampa, as a first reader for the Tampa Review, as a poetry tutor at UT, and served as the editor of the college’s creative writing magazine, Quilt. After college Ann moved to Mount Vernon, NY and worked at the Bronxville Montessori school, then as the A & E editor for the Scarsdale Inquirer, and finally as the Assistant to the Dean of Graduate Studies at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville. Her poetry has appeared in Diner, Nocturnes Review of Literary Arts, For the Gathering, Sonora Review,The Drunken Boat, NoTell Motel, and elsewhere. Ann worked as the Events Coordinator for the University of Arizona Poetry Center for a year, before quitting to become Casa Libre's full-time director. In 2007 Ann resigned from Casa Libre and was hired as executive director for the community writing center Inktank World Headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. If you would like to contact Ann you can email her at ann(at)inktank.org. Visit Inktank's web site at http://inktank.blogharbor.com/.