Rachel Rob­bins received her MFA from the School of the Art Insti­tute of Chica­go. She is a tenured assis­tant pro­fes­sor at Mal­colm X Col­lege, one of the City Col­leges of Chica­go. A visu­al artist and two-time Push­cart Prize – nom­i­nat­ed writer, her paint­ings have mate­ri­al­ized on pub­lic tran­sit, children’s day­care cen­ters, and Chicago’s Mag­nif­i­cent Mile. She lives in Chica­go with her hus­band, chil­dren, and Por­tuguese Water Dog. The Sound of a Thou­sand Stars is loose­ly based on her grand­par­ents, who worked at Los Alam­os but nev­er spoke of their time there.