Kali Meister was born Kally Camille Miester in Saint Joseph Missouri, to writer and educator Kathy Swindler (b. 1951) and musician John Joseph Miester III (1950-1990). She grew up living a hippie lifestyle, moving across the state of Texas for most of her young life. While in Texas she began singing at a young age and often sang with her stepfather and his numerous musician friends for crowds at fairs and at restaurant openings. She attended three different high schools before graduating in 1990. After her graduation she attended Northeast Texas Community College where she majored in journalism and theatre and performed in numerous campus productions, participated in performance art, modeled for friends who were photographers, and began her own improvisational comedy group. During this time she also honed her writing skills and timing while performing stand-up comedy at open mic nights in Dallas, Texas.

October of 1991 Kali was raped by a stranger while out for an evening walk. This event changed her goals. After taking some time to recover she enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Tennessee where she majored in psychology, theatre, and creative writing receiving her B.A. degrees in 2005. July of 2009 Kali received an M.F.A. in creative writing with emphasis in playwriting from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. Her thesis play was a finalist with the 2010 Festival of Appalachian Plays and Playwrights at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. Currently she is transitioning her interest to screen writing while also rekindling her original love for acting.

Kali teaches reading and writing at Roane State Community College in Lenoir City, Tennessee. She offers numerous writing workshops in her home including workshops on the topics of playwriting and writing for recovery which is geared toward survivors of incest, rape, and domestic violence.

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Kali Meister

Writer

Actor

Producer

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