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Riley Blake (born January 22, 1998) is an American novelist, journalist, and artist. He is best known through his work in journalism, currently as a reporter for the Chico Enterprise-Record and his past work with Hollywood Blvd. Magazine, a Los Angeles based print and magazine founded by talent agent Earnest Harris and OK Whatever, an Oakland based news site focusing on alternative news. Blake's work has ranged from analysis on the career of Shepard Fairey to the homeless crisis in Chico, CA. His debut novel, American Kamikaze, was completed in 2018 with an expected release in 2021.

Blake previously created digital art rooted in modern and psychedelic approaches to collages. Blake's artwork has most notably been showcased at Art Basel in Miami, Florida.

Early life
Blake was born in Portland, Oregon. At a year and a half old, surgery was performed to correct craniosynostosis that had quickly progressed. Post this, he was diagnosed with epilepsy, a possible result of the surgery. Blake grew up in Sandy, Oregon and attended Kelso Elementary School (part of the Oregon Trail School District) and graduated from Sandy High School in 2016. Blake was raised by his mother in a single home following his parent's divorce when he was one years old. Blake attributes living in poverty as a child to shaping his work ethic.

His interest in journalism began as a high school student. After being reprimanded for reading comic books in an english class, Blake decided in protest to read something the school would consider inappropriate. Having heard of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson in passing and knowing it only as a "book about drugs," Blake checked it out from his library. To his surprise, he was hooked. Blake soon enrolled in his school's journalism courses. He cites Hunter S. Thompson as the reason he is a working journalist. Other notable influences on his work are Charles Bukowski, Anthony Bourdain, and Ken Kesey.

Career
In early 2016, Blake began an Instagram page based off of friends suggestions. With nothing to share, Blake began posting photoshop art made in his photography class to moderate success gaining over ten thousand followers in a year. The following year, he took a break from creating art to write his debut novel, American Kamikaze, and is in the progress of securing publication. In 2019, Blake began writing for Hollywood Blvd. Magazine, a Los Angeles based print and magazine founded by talent agent Earnest Harris. After this venture, Blake began publishing articles for the Webby Award-winning, Oakland based site OK Whateverand Portland Monthly. In 2021, Blake was hired by the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Chico Enterprise-Record as a general reporter and relocated to Chico, California.

Category:American male writers Category:1998 births Category:Living people