About Kirk
Writer. Counselor. Storyteller.
Kirk Sheppard is a writer, counselor, photographer, coach and theatre journalist based in the Cincinnati area. His work has included books, plays, personal essays, professional wrestling, private practice, creative coaching, photography and more than fifteen years covering Cincinnati theatre.
Before all of that
Richwood, Ohio
Kirk grew up in Richwood, Ohio, where farm life meant baling hay, building grain bins and raising hogs. He was much more interested in writing stories and professional wrestling than in becoming a farmer.
He started writing young and spent a lot of time inventing stories, characters and entire worlds. He also spent a lot of time wrestling imaginary opponents on a trampoline.
Professional wrestling
The wrestling years
Kirk spent twenty years in independent professional wrestling, primarily as a manager and backstage personality. He was eventually inducted into the NWF Hall of Fame.
That experience later became part of his fiction. His 2026 novel Rope Burn is set in independent wrestling and follows the people who keep working in a promotion that asks a lot of them.
Explore Kirk's books →Home
Cincinnati
Kirk moved to the Cincinnati area in 1996. His counseling career, theatre work, writing, coaching and photography have all grown here.
He has covered Cincinnati theatre for more than fifteen years and now publishes Off Book Cincinnati, with essays, interviews, photography and coverage of theatre and the arts throughout the region.
Visit Off Book Cincinnati →The work now
Writing, counseling and photography
These are the main parts of Kirk's professional and creative work today.
Writing
Kirk has written novels, memoir, nonfiction, devotional writing, stage plays and a self-care focused travel guide to Disney World. His books include Rope Burn, Soul Audit, Jesus & Me, The Search Party and others.
In 2026, he launched Fifty, a yearlong series of weekly personal essays written during the year he turned 50.
He continues to work on new fiction, memoir and other writing projects.
Counseling & coaching
Kirk is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervisory Endorsement in Ohio. His career has included school-based counseling, psychiatric crisis care at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, clinical supervision and private practice.
His private practice is based in Mason, Ohio, where he works primarily with adults. He also offers coaching for writers, performers and other creative people.
Photography
Kirk is the photographer behind Story & Soul Photography, where he photographs theatre, performers, portraits, events and people.
Photography has become a significant part of his creative work, particularly work involving performance and people.
Everything else
The rest of it
Kirk is a Disney enthusiast and travel planner through Story & Soul Travel. He likes bookstores, theatre, independent wrestling, theme parks, cameras, Coca-cola, and spending more time than necessary thinking about whatever he is currently working on.
He also has unnecessarily strong opinions about ketchup brands.
Story & Soul Travel ↗Get in touch
Let's talk.
People find Kirk through a lot of different doors: a book, counseling, coaching, theatre, photography, Disney or something else entirely. If you'd like to get in touch, here's the easiest place to start.