D.J. Hawkins is an author and poet from Upstate, New York whose writing has been praised for its use of poetic imagery and exploration of complex topics like self-harm and depression. Her debut YA novel “This Mess You’ve Made” was published in November 2020. She published “Quietus,” the first installment of her dark, paranormal romance series The Death Witch in June of 2021 and released a second, expanded edition in 2022. Her poem “The Allegory of Us” has also been published by Oprelle publications in the anthology titled “Matter.” A middle school teacher by day, novelist by night, D.J. earned her BA in Literature from Hamilton College and a Masters of Teaching in English Education from BU. She currently lives in southern Massachusetts with her fiancé and chonky cats Tofu and Luna.