Lani Montreal

Lani T. Montreal is an educator, writer, performer, and community activist. Her writings have been published and produced in Canada, the U.S., the Philippines, and in cyberspace. Among her plays are: Nanay, Panther in the Sky, Gift of Tongue, Looking for Darna, Alien Citizen, Grandmother and I, and her most-toured comedy drama about gender and immigration,  Sister OutLaw. She is the recipient of a 2016 3Arts Residency Fellowship at Djerassi Resident Artists Program, 2009 3Arts Residency Fellowship at Ragdale, 2001 Samuel Ostrowsky Award for her memoir “Summer Rain,” and a 1995 JVO Philippine Award for Excellence in Journalism for her environmental expose “Poison in the River.” She received the 2024 CO-Mission Artists Fellowship from Links Hall.

Lani holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Roosevelt University. She teaches writing at Malcolm X College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, and writes a blog called “Fil-in-the-gap” (filinthegap.wordpress.com). She lives (and loves) in Albany Park, Chicago with her multi-species, multi-cultural family.