Writing
Irvina writes at the intersection of outsider identity, mental health, and self-advocacy. Her work blends memoir, journalism, and cultural criticism, often focusing on the lives and stories society tends to overlook.
Current Project: Rockets to Ruin
A braided biography and true crime memoir about her father, Irving Kanarek—rocket scientist, First Amendment defender, and Charles Manson’s infamous attorney. The book explores American justice, legal rebellion, mental illness, and cultural erasure through the lens of one man’s extraordinary rise and unraveling.
Previous Work
How To: Rewrite Beautiful
Part memoir, part workbook, How To: Rewrite Beautiful is a recovery story with guided exercises for readers to complete alongside the narrative. It was later used as a curriculum in schools and mental health treatment centers in the U.S.
Selected Writing
Knock LA - A Recap of the Progressive Sweep of Neighborhood Council Elections in 2021. Coverage of grassroots political change in Los Angeles
Orange County Register - Women’s History Month: ‘Why Aren’t Women Farther Along?’ Op-ed on gender equality and cultural barriers
Self-Advocacy
Outsider Identity
Mental Health
