The daughter of a Cambodian refugee and a Vietnam Veteran, Simone Cottrell is a multidisciplinary theatre-maker in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As the former Outreach Director with The Artist’s Laboratory Theatre, Simone led programs with the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, Marshallese Educational Initiative, A+ Residency, Teen Action Support Center, and other regional partners. Simone earned her B.A. in Communication-Theatre from Mississippi State University (MSU) in 2008 and then trained at Lexington Children’s Theatre. She later studied English-creative writing at MSU and received training at Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing. Simone has held positions with MSU’s College of Arts & Sciences, Trike Theatre, and served as a teaching artist and director for various youth theatre projects. Simone is an Artist INC Fellow, a finalist for 2018 Artists 360, and was nominated by the Tishman Review for the 2016 PEN America/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers.