Naomi Rivkis was born in New York City in 1970, a time and place where anything seemed possible. She first learned to be an activist at the University of Chicago, and a writer at Clarion West Writer's Workshop, before expanding both skills through frequent usage over the intervening years. In 2024 she emigrated to the Netherlands, where she lives now with her husband, her chosen brother, and four cats. Multiple adult children drop in regularly. She is part of a folk music band called Kaleidofolk, which performs mostly within the science fiction community.