Andre Perry is a writer and arts worker based in Iowa City. His debut nonfiction book, Some of Us Are Very Hungry Now, was hailed by NPR as “extraordinary” and Foreword called him “a fresh American voice that demands to be heard.” His work also appears in The Believer, Catapult, Granta, The Paris Review, Guernica, and other journals. He co-founded and continues to produce Iowa City’s Mission Creek Festival, a celebration of music and literature, as well as the multidisciplinary festival creative process, Witching Hour. In 2015-2017, Andre participated in the inaugural cohort of the Association for Performing Arts Professionals’ Leadership Fellows Program and later returned as a group leader for Cohort III.
Perry served as Executive Director of The Englert Theatre, one of Iowa’s most robust presenting and producing arts organizations. During his 11-year tenure, he elevated the theater’s profile into a nationally recognized, locally valued arts institution.
He currently works as Director of Arts, Engagement, and Inclusion and Senior Advisor to the Executive Officer at the University of Iowa’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI).