Christopher Miguel Flakus is a writer, poet, translator, and professor of creative writing based in Washington, DC. He holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston (2022) and a BA in English from the University of Houston-Downtown (2018), with additional studies at St. Edward’s, St. Thomas, and Lone Star College.
His work has earned several honors, including the Fabian Worsham Award for Fiction, the Inprint C. Glenn Cambor Fellowship, and the Sterling Clack-Clack Prize for his acclaimed short story Dead Mall. His Pushcart-nominated story The Jazz Somnambulist was highlighted by the committee, signaling him as a writer to watch.
Christopher’s editorial experience spans roles such as Fiction Editor for The Bayou Review and Co-Founder of Defunkt Magazine. His writing has appeared in New Square Magazine, Dumpster Fire Press, Akashic Books, The Houston Chronicle, The Poetry Question, and many others. His chapbooks include Hurricanes, Christiana, and Bear Down Into Hell With Me.
Beyond publication, he has taught at the University of Houston, led community workshops, and presented at events across the U.S. and abroad, including the Institute for World Literature in Germany. His talks often explore cinema, myth, violence, and critical theory.
As co-founder of The Odessa Collective and co-headliner of the Death Bird Poetry Tour, Christopher continues to merge performance and literature. He is currently seeking representation for his second novel, Rhymes of the Renegades—a fictional biography of an imagined literary movement influenced by Bolaño, Arlt, and Bernhard.
