Christopher Miguel Flakus is a writer, professor, translator, and poet whose literary journey spans continents and cultures. Born with a deep-rooted passion for storytelling, Christopher has dedicated his life to the craft of writing and the exploration of its power to elevate marginalized voices. Fluent in both English and Spanish, he writes, publishes, and teaches in both languages with equal command, drawing from a wealth of lived experience that bridges the U.S. and Mexico.

He earned his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston's prestigious Creative Writing Program in 2022, after completing a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from the University of Houston-Downtown in 2018. His academic path also includes time at St. Thomas University, St. Edward’s University, and Lone Star College-Montgomery, reflecting a long-standing commitment to education and literary study. In 2019, he was honored with the InPrint C. Glenn Cambor Fellowship, and he has received several other accolades, including the Fabian Worsham Award for Fiction and the Sterling Clack-Clack Prize for his story “Dead Mall.”

Christopher has twice participated in the Institute for World Literature, earning certificates in both 2021 and 2022. His 2022 visit to Mainz, Germany, was marked by presentations and talks including a colloquium on “Abjection and the New Cinema of Evil,” where he explored philosophical dualities of violence in cinema through the lens of theorists Georges Bataille and Julia Kristeva. These global engagements highlight his role as a thinker and creator working at the crossroads of literature, theory, and social critique.

Editorially, Christopher served as Fiction Editor for The Bayou Review, where he helped launch a special prison issue that gave voice to incarcerated writers. He also co-founded Defunkt Magazine, a publication dedicated to raising the voices of marginalized artists and writers. Though he has since stepped down from the Editor-in-Chief role, he continues to serve as a board member and contributor. His work has been published widely, including in New Square Magazine, Dumpster Fire Press, and Anti-Heroin Chic, and his story “The Jazz Somnambulist” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

As an educator, he teaches English Composition at the University of Houston and has led writing workshops through InPrint. He has also worked one-on-one with students at the UH Writing Center and contributed to outreach programs across Houston and beyond, including projects with Arte Público Press and The Prison Show on KPFT 90.1 FM. These roles reflect not only his mastery of the written word but also his dedication to nurturing new voices.

Christopher’s unique voice comes through in every performance and project—from co-headlining the Death Bird Poetry Tour with New Jersey poet Thom Bakelas, to organizing monthly reading series like Disconnection Hotline, to his solo readings at Deep Vellum, the Gulf Coast Reading Series, and festivals across Texas. His work is rooted in both the mythical and the marginal, the sacred and the profane.

Currently, Christopher is seeking publication for his debut novel, My Life Among the Outlaw Poets: The Books of Death, Life, and Hope—a vivid literary tapestry exploring the American Southwest, life on the fringes, and the power of words to preserve memory, myth, and identity. He is also at work on a second novel, Rhymes of the Renegades, a fictional biography of a fictional literary movement deeply inspired by Roberto Bolaño, Thomas Bernhard, and Roberto Arlt.