Kaiya Shunyata is a freelance TV critic and writer based in Toronto, and sometimes rural Ontario.

They presently cover television for RogerEbert.com, and are a contributor to The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, Paste Magazine, TV Insider, and Dread Central. Kaiya has also written for HuffPost, A.V. Club, AFROPUNK, Prime Timer, Xtra, Okayplayer, Alt Press, Polyester Zine, and Exclaim! Kaiya is also a member of GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.

In 2023, they obtained a Master’s in Cinema Studies from The University of Toronto, where their thesis focused on contingency and trans masculine representations in modern body horror cinema. They also hold a Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies from Carleton University.