Cortney Chaffin Kim is an educator, writer, and Sinologist. She grew up near Detroit, Michigan. As a child, Cortney dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. She has always loved learning the stories of people both past and present. She earned a BA in Art History from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on Chinese art and archaeology.

Cortney is passionate about sharing the stories, histories, and lives of people of the past. She is especially intrigued by the things they made and left behind, the technologies they invented, and their creativity of expression, all of which have had a lasting impact on our lives today. This inspired her to create the middle grade non-fiction series Unearthing the Stories of Us. Her first book Fu Hao: China’s Warrior Queen was created with her long-time collaborator and friend Ellen Larson. Cortney is currently a professor of Asian art history and is also a co-founder and The Alchemist of ARTSQ, an organization that strives to make art and archaeology accessible and fun for all ages, from kids to kids-at-heart. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, son, and their mischievous cat, Ziggy.