Kristen Hare is Poynter's director of craft and local news. She teaches local journalists the critical skills they need to serve and cover their communities. Before joining faculty in 2021, Kristen spent eight years covering the people and business of local news for Poynter. She writes Local Edition, a weekly newsletter for and about local news. Kristen previously worked as a projects reporter with the St. Louis Beacon and as a features writer with the St. Joseph News-Press. Before that, Kristen spent two years in Guyana, South America, with the Peace Corps. Her stories have earned national honors, including the Darrell Sifford Memorial Prize in Journalism from the University of Missouri and first place wins from the Society for Features Journalism. Kristen writes feature obituaries for the Tampa Bay Times, and is the author of the book "100 Things to do in Tampa Bay Before You Die." Kristen lives outside Tampa, Fla., with her family. You can follow her on X at @kristenhare.