Kathleen Lacey is originally from Arcadia, Wisconsin, a small town near the upper Mississippi River. She holds bachelor's degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay in English and Humanistic Studies, and a M.A. in English and M.F.A. in fiction from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She completed her Ph.D. in English at UNL in 2017.
Kathleen's current research addresses the representation of Black girlhood in African American women's literature, Black girls' intellectual production, and the study of chronic illness in academia. She regularly teaches courses in writing, literature, popular culture, and women's and gender studies.