Born and raised in Bristol, Virginia, Chris Hale was educated in North Carolina, receiving an A.B. summa cum laude in French from Pfeiffer University in 1975 and an M.B.A. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1979. She worked in investment banking in New York City in the early 80s, began teaching writing in 1996 and in the intervening years worked part-time as a freelance writer, editor and copy editor in business communications. Since earning her M.F.A. from Warren Wilson College in 1996, Chris Hale has published essays and stories in the New York Times, Mothering, Parents, North Dakota Review, Apalachee Review, and other literary journals. Her short story “Redbird” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and “Virgins, Again” was a finalist for the 2005 Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers. Her novel, Basil’s Dream, will be published by Livingston Press in 2008. A novel-in-progress, In the Stand, and a memoir-in-progress, entitled How Long, the Way Home, are both set in the southern Appalachian Mountains, where she and her parents grew up. She has held fellowships at the McDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Chris Hale teaches at Warren Wilson College, the Great Smokies Writing Program in Asheville, North Carolina, and the Murray State University Low-Residency MFA program in Murray, Kentucky.

"Teaching at the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference is a uniquely rewarding experience. The students, from all over the country (and some far-flung places around the globe), bring a heady mix of energy, concentration and curiosity into the classroom. We read and wrote every day; we laughed at each other’s jokes, cheered the insights we discovered together, and challenged each other to exceed what seemed barely possible the day before. The other faculty and guest readers are fantastic writers and dedicated teachers—I found new colleagues and learned things I needed to know. The conference staff works constantly—really, their efforts seem non-stop—to keep the learning and the fun flowing smoothly. And Sewanee itself—the land with its the venerable trees and lush lawns; the elegant architecture; and the compact, convenient and friendly town—is a gem. The Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference is a place to work hard and play hard, at the craft of writing, the life of the mind, and the recreation of the spirit."