About Kirin

I’ve been in the fields of printing and publishing since 1980. My life changed in 2000 when I moved to Tucson, Arizona. I was hired by Morgan-Cain, the parent company of the online educational publisher Reading A–Z (which is now part of the Learning A–Z family of websites). I became the design/production manager of Reading A–Z when it was in its infancy and also got my start at writing books for K–5 students. It was love at first sight.

I’ve since written 100+ nonfiction leveled books for Reading A–Z and Science A–Z, along with 200+ nonfiction books and many hundreds of reading passages (through Grade 8) for other clients, including:

Benchmark Education Company • Wright Group/McGraw-Hill
Trillium Publishing • BlueAppleWorks
Zaner-Bloser • Rosen Publishing
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Be Naturally Curious

I was also the principal writer for Vocabulary A–Z for five years, during which time I wrote 9,000 database entries (definitions, context sentences, multiple-choice questions, and more). In addition, I’ve done an extensive amount of educational copy editing and proofreading, including student materials for Reading A–Z’s and Science A–Z’s monthly uploads. I’m intimately familiar with The Chicago Manual of Style and am a crackerjack copy editor and proofreader.

Also, I have a writing partner who is an excellent fiction and magazine-style writer. We collaborate on Science in the News, a Science A–Z product. We also frequently work together on fiction/nonfiction paired passages.

Other information

• I worked in the field of archaeozoology for the Illinois State Museum and New Mexico State University.
• I found a mistake about dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia when I was seven.
• I grew up in a family that was active in social justice issues.
• I am also a certified life, purpose, and wellness coach and a memoir author.
• I love to travel and have visited all fifty states. Now I’m working on Canada and the U.S. national parks.
• My favorite place on Earth is the shores of Durness, Scotland.
• In my free time, I enjoy art quilting, reading, and taking long walks in the desert.
• My spouse, Charlie Alolkoy, is a gifted nature photographer, 3D artist, and illustrator.