Christina Marrocco is an award winning author from the Chicago area. Her work is a mix of gritty realism and even grittier transcendence. She is the author of two novels: the newly released The Way Beauty Comes Apart: A Novel in Stories Told by the Dead-and her debut novel, Addio, Love Monster, which won The Book of the Year Award from Chicago Writers Association, 2022. Christina’s doctoral dissertation, The Evil Eye in Italian American Literature, established her reputation in Italian American Studies and the study of “superstition” and Sicilian witchcraft. She’s also a poet whose work has appeared in many journals including The Laurel Review, Silver Birch Press, Red Fern Press, Voices from the Attic, and House Mountain Review. Christina teaches Creative Writing and other courses at Elgin Community College, with great passion.