About Marena

I'm Marena Kutschman, a writer drawn to memory, identity, grief, and the complicated ways we become ourselves.

I write both fiction and personal essays, usually beginning with a question I can't quite leave alone. My nonfiction explores memory, relationships, boundaries, growing up, and the experiences that continue shaping us long after they're over.

I'm currently revising my first novel, The Lost Piece, a speculative novel set in a virtual city where human consciousness can permanently Transfer from the physical world. What began as a question about consciousness and identity became a story about friendship, memory, inequality, and what happens when we try to bury the parts of ourselves we can't forgive.

When I'm not writing, I work as a physician—a career that has probably contributed to my fascination with people, bodies, uncertainty, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.

I grew up in San Diego and still feel most at home somewhere near salt water.

Currently: Revising The Lost Piece and publishing essays on Medium.