Kendra Mims

Kendra Y. Mims won her first writing award in third grade for her short story, “The Big Splatter.” That moment encouraged her to keep writing. Today, she is a writer based in Charlotte. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism. In addition to writing fiction, she serves as the managing editor for a medical magazine. She has earned multiple Awards of Excellence for her feature writing on sickle cell disease and health care disparities.

Kendra writes stories with edge and heart, exploring themes of loss, grief, faith, family structures, and the tension between holding on and letting go. Her work has appeared in Breast Reconstruction Magazine, (In) Courage, Mahogany Hallmark, The Masters Review, Hair Trigger, Midnight & Indigo and elsewhere. She was a featured writer in the 2026 Purple Threads Community Showcase at Theater Charlotte.

A creative at heart, Kendra loves reading and all things autumn. When she is not writing, you’ll find her listening to jazz on vinyl, collecting books, discovering coffee shops throughout Charlotte, or rewatching iconic TV series like The Office and A Different World. She has completed a novel and is developing a short story collection.

Instagram: kymwrites