Ayun Halliday is the Chief Primatologist of the long running, award-winning East Village Inky zine and author of the self-mocking autobiographies No Touch Monkey! And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late, The Big Rumpus  Dirty Sugar Cookies: Culinary Observations, Questionable Taste, and Job Hopper.

She collaborated with illustrators Dan Santat on the picture book Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo, and Paul Hoppe on Peanut, a graphic novel for young adults. Luddite vagabonds may remember her as the author of the analog guidebook, The Zinester's Guide to NYC.  

Those seeking inspiration and a creative push (or creative solace) should check out Creative, Not Famous: The Small Potato Manifesto and its interactive companion Creative, Not Famous Activity Book: An Interactive Idea Generator for Small Potatoes & Others Who Want to Get Their Ayuss in Gear.

Ayun's latest book is Panther City: Tales of a Gen X Grade 3 Class Project Run Amok, an adult comedy of elementary school manners, illustrated by her then-8-year-old penpal, Leni Yow-Fairs.

Ayun is also an improviser and theater maker. More about that here: theater-of-the-apes.com/

She lives in East Harlem with the playwright Greg Kotis.