Tess holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Chapman University, where she was an English Graduate Fellow and developed and taught a course on feminist rhetorics. Her fiction and essays have appeared in publications such as Five Points, Santa Monica Review, Barnstorm Journal, Charge Magazine, Citric Acid, WePresent, and elsewhere. She also provides editorial support to emerging writers and bestselling authors alike.

As a lifelong creative who is passionate about championing the voices of others, Tess has mentored teens in writing and creative work for over 15 years through organizations such as 826 Valencia and WriteGirl. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Better Youth and is the co-founder and managing director of 50 Free Books, a literary initiative that distributes free books by historically marginalized writers each month.

Tess began her career at Emerson College, where she studied audio production and worked with artists such as Regina Spektor and Amanda Palmer. She went on to work in the music industry in various capacities, producing events at festivals like SXSW, and curating independent artists for major brand campaigns with companies including Red Bull and Converse. She later launched an interior design and organizing company, with work featured in publications such as People Magazine, High Snobiety, and Houzz. She lives in Los Angeles.