Stacey Ballis

Stacey Ballis was born on May 25, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Her love of language was apparent early on; from the age of nine months it was nearly impossible to shut her up. Reading was also an early passion, happening pretty much spontaneously before her third birthday, making her both a minor prodigy and a little freakish. As a child, she was a natural storyteller. Her parents referred to this skill as "lying," but really she was just preparing herself for a future in fiction writing. Her first major poetic work, "Suppose I Were a Snowflake," written at age seven, was a critical success, and was published in the Chicago Public Schools' creative writing anthology Freckled Fantasies. A deeply conceptualized piece about identity and precipitation empathy, it marked the beginning of her life as a real writer.

After the usual trials and tribulations of grammar and high school, she matriculated at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she majored in English Literature and American Studies, and took a minor in Creative Writing. Mostly she hung out in the Student Events office. In the summer of 1990, she went to Kenya for three months where she lived in a remote village without electricity or running water, taught at the local secondary school, and did small community-service projects. Shortly after her return, she began a relationship with her future husband and future ex-husband. She graduated from Brandeis, and immediately they moved home to Chicago. After four years teaching high school English in the Chicago Public Schools, and having completed a master's degree in Education at De Paul University, she accepted a job at a professional Chicago theatre as their Director of Education, where she remained for nearly four years. She was hired by the Goodman Theatre to be their Director of Education and Community Programs in May 2000 and has been there ever since. In 2003, TIME magazine named the Goodman the Best Regional Theatre in the country. Stacey agrees with them wholeheartedly.

In September 2001 Stacey divorced, returning her to the world of dating. Having not been single since 1989 made her very much the neophyte. And as any single woman in her 30s can tell you, dating is a major pain in the ass. Being a plus-sized woman in a society which reveres thinness doesn't help. Working long hours in professional theatre (not known for being a target-rich environment for straight single men) is also something of a detriment. She tried it all. Personal ads in The Reader, online matchmaking sites. She had a lot of first dates. She did not so much have second dates. She certainly has not (as yet) found anyone meaningful to share her life with. This is perfectly fine, as she has a pretty great life, and finding a partner will occur in its own time. She is, however, hoping its time is in the reasonably foreseeable future. So do her friends Rachel and Rick who seem to get suckered into air conditioner duty twice a year in the absence of a boyfriend.

Inappropriate Men is her first novel, and while she continues to write poetry and short fiction, she has found the world of novels suits her admirably. Sidney may or may not be back. Her latest book, Sleeping Over, is available in April 2005. For more information, log on to www.staceyballis.com