Linda Tirado

Linda is a completely average American with two kids and two jobs. She also writes essays on poverty and class issues, which is really a skill she only realized she had a week ago. Her husband served honorably in Fallujah with the USMC and struggled with PTSD, and she has experience in veterans’ issues. She currently works as a night cook at a national chain restaurant and as a voting rights activist for a disability nonprofit. She has a background in campaign politics, food service, the bar industry, and snarky Internet comments. She hopes someday to personally and with love give the finger to Rahm Emanuel.

Her scattered background gives her a view from the inside about what it’s like to live in the lower classes of America. She is an amateur wonk and news junkie, and has a solid understanding of the larger issues surrounding poverty. She’s lived in every sub-strata of the lower class and brings a unique perspective to discussions of class issues and poverty.

Since the publication of her first essay, she has been asked to give lectures around the country. She has seen her work taught at elite universities that wouldn’t let her in the door off the street. She is currently working with an agent on a book proposal. And she has been lucky to have thousands of conversations with people all around the world about class and its impact on the individual, and how that makes a difference in the macro.

She is currently available for commentary on the following topics:


Poverty Policy
Veterans’ Issues
Voting Rights
Classism and Barriers To Entry


Most Recent Publication: Why I Make Terrible Decisions, or, Poverty Thoughts
Blog: killer-martinis.squarespace.com