Christopher Aquino spent 33 years teaching high school English—predominantly honors-level, AP Literature, and film studies—where he introduced thousands of students to the works that shaped his own literary sensibility. Toni Morrison, Ken Kesey, Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood, and Tennessee Williams are numbered among some of his favorites to teach. Robinson Jeffers’ 1946 translation of Euripides’ Medea made regular appearances in the curriculum and directly inspired his own literary ambitions.

Now retired from teaching, he writes the fiction he spent decades thinking about. His debut novel, The Pain You Seek, is forthcoming.

He lives in the far western suburbs of the Chicago area with his wife and two cats. When not writing, they travel in their camper and work to train his wife’s Mustang Wyatt. Christopher also built his talents and presence as a nature photographer. His other hobbies include competitive shooting and Crossfit.