Publications and Media Appearances

Forthcoming Memoir

(seeking publication)

How to Survive a Mass Shooting: A Columbine Memoir

Personal Essay: Huffington Post Personal – April 20, 2024

I Went To Columbine And Knew The Shooters. Here’s What I Struggle With 25 Years Later

“The shame of Columbine’s notoriety and the guilt of knowing killers meant that I hid my past. I stayed mostly silent about my experience for years.”

Interview & Article: ABC News – April 19, 2024

25 years after Columbine, survivors say they’re still haunted by the attack

Interview: All Things Considered, NPR – April 15, 2024

25 years after the Columbine shooting: What life now looks like for one survivor

A survivor of the then-unprecedented school shooting in Colorado struggled for years to understand her own response to trauma and now helps others learn to feel safe.

Interview: Colorado Matters on Colorado Public Radio – April 8, 2024

25 years after the attack, a Columbine survivor dedicates herself to making others feel safer

Krista Hanley, co-founder of We Are Safer Together, survived the attack on Columbine High School 25 years ago this month. For a long time, she tried to distance herself from the grisly event and get back to normal. She shares her journey towards a new normal and towards building what Hanley calls “community safety.”

Podcast – April 5, 2024

Disrupting the Dominoes S2 E7

*Content Warning* This episode mentions the occurrence of gun violence from a survivor’s perspective and may be activating for some viewers and listeners. Krista Hanley (she/her) is a writer, public speaker, artist, and safety programs facilitator. As a co-founder of the organization, We Are Safer Together, she is passionate about helping empower individuals and communities to gain effective strategies that foster safety, connection, and authenticity. She is an empathetic speaker and facilitator with a unique story about regaining her confidence and voice after surviving the Columbine High School Shooting.

Five Minutes / One Hundred Words – January 2023

The Activity

Los Angeles Times – July 3, 2022

Op-Ed: I lived through Columbine. Here’s what I have to say to survivors of mass shootings

Webinar: Tools for the Creative Life – March 2022

The Art of Surviving: Developing a Trauma-Informed Creative Practice

Join artist, writer, and curator Krista Hanley in exploring how creativity can help trauma survivors. Finding or reconnecting to creativity after a traumatic experience is one path to finding hope, resiliency, and healing, yet much of the art world doesn’t promote trauma-informed creative practices. We are here to change that.