James Stewart III is a Black author from Chicago whose debut novel, Defiant Acts, is forthcoming from Acre Books in May 2025. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, including Lampblack, Midwest Review, Zone 3, The Forge, 580 Split, Pangyrus, Cleaver, and Another Chicago Magazine. He earned an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA from North Central College. He is also co-founder of the text-based performance series Exhibit B. www.jamesstewart3.com [2]