My name is Lenika Cruz. I’m a senior editor covering culture at The Atlantic, where I’ve been a staffer since 2014. I also write.

I’m currently working on a coming-of-age memoir about home, transformation, grief, and identity.

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I’m an indigenous writer and editor of Chamorro, Okinawan, and Filipino heritage from the beautiful Pacific island of Guam.

I graduated from UCLA in 2012 with a B.A. in English.

I have been based in Washington, D.C. since 2014, when I became an editor on The Atlantic’s culture section.

My literary agent is Lucy Carson with the Friedrich Agency.

I’ve written about Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Mad Men for The Atlantic’s popular weekly roundtables.

My interests include pop culture, mental health, race and gender, horror, books, and BTS.

I’ve been a guest on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR’s Code Switch, and other shows.

My work has appeared in L.A. Weekly, Glamour, The Rumpus, LAist, East Bay Express, and elsewhere. I also contributed to a forthcoming essay collection about the cult classic The Room (Indiana University Press, 2022).

I’ve edited stories that have been nominated for James Beard Awards and anthologized in collections such as Best Food Writing.

This is my cat, Link. He is a good boy. He also has cerebellar hypoplasia. Other CH kitty parents, say hi!

This is my cat, Link. He is a good boy. He also has cerebellar hypoplasia. Other CH kitty parents, say hi!