Irvina Kanarek is a writer, street artist, and mental health speaker. She is the author of How To: Rewrite Beautiful, a self-published memoir and workbook for young adults that’s been used in narrative therapy groups and as a curriculum for her mental health prevention nonprofit, Rewrite Beautiful. Combining education and street art, the organization served more than 6,000 people from the US to Korea in six years

Irvina is currently at work on Hearsay, a literary exploration of justice and cultural memory centered on her father, Irving Kanarek—the rocket scientist turned criminal defense attorney best known for representing Charles Manson. Blending biography and memoir, the book examines American justice, mental illness, and identity, showing how one man’s life left enduring questions of law and culture.

More about Irvina:

Her journalism and essays have appeared in Knock LA, the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Times, and across feminist and healthcare platforms. She’s delivered over 100 talks across the U.S. and has worked in the mental healthcare field for more than a decade. Her commentary has aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and reached diverse audiences through workshops, schools, and street art installations.

Irvina holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a BA in Photojournalism. She is currently a presenter with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Her creative and advocacy work centers themes of outsider identity, systemic injustice, and the power of telling inconvenient truths.