**Jere Pfister** is a writer, storyteller, and truth-seeker who has captivated audiences on stages and in art galleries across Houston, Okemos Michigan, and Kansas City. Raised in the Jim Crow South in New Orleans, her natural curiosity led her to question and ultimately reject the rules and customs of her birthplace-a rebellion that would become the foundation of her lifelong quest for authenticity.Pfister writes and tells stories of people and places where the tension of opposites collide: truth and lies, silence and revelation, shame and liberation. Her work explores the complex landscape of family secrets, religious hypocrisy, and the courage required to live authentically in a world built on beautiful deceptions.With an MFA in Theater from the University of Houston, Pfister brings both dramatic sensibility and raw honesty to her storytelling. *Like a Fish Denied a River* marks her transition from performing truth on stages to excavating it on the page-a deeply personal memoir that chronicles her journey from a child crying out to God over dead pets to a woman bold enough to tell her most difficult truths to audiences, therapists, friends, famous playwrights, and most importantly, to herself.