“Journalist Tea Krulos has made a curious and enlightening career out of examining groups of people with odd beliefs.” — Skeptical Inquirer

“Local treasure Tea Krulos enjoys delving into the fringe side of social movements, oddball personalities and the supernatural. With a quick wit and measured tone, the Milwaukee author and journalist gleefully blogs and chats about our strange world and the paranormal in his ‘Tea’s Weird Week’ column and podcast.” — MKE Lifestyle Magazine

Photo by Megan Berendt Photography

Tea Krulos is a freelance journalist and author from Milwaukee, WI. Some of his favorite subjects to explore include subcultures and social movements, weird news, the paranormal, and strange personalities. He also writes about local art and entertainment, lifestyle, and food/drink for publications like Milwaukee Magazine, Shepherd Express, and Milwaukee Record. His five non-fiction books are American Madness, Wisconsin Legends & Lore, Apocalypse Any Day Now, Monster Hunters, and Heroes in the Night. He’s also been published in publications like Atlas Obscura, Fortean Times, and Scandinavian Traveler and writes a weekly column called “Tea’s Weird Week” at teakrulos.com.

Krulos was awarded a Gold Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Award in 2021 for an article he wrote for Milwaukee Magazine on “citizen journalists” titled “Reporting Live From the Street.” He picked up two more Milwaukee Press Club Awards in 2023 for his Milwaukee Magazine articles “The Last Frame” and “Wanna Buy a Famous Tugboat?” A documentary he is producer on, I’m Your Host, won a 2022 Brico Forward Fun Award. His book American Madness won the National Indie Excellence Book Award in the “Current Events” category. His book Monster Hunters was a finalist in the 2015 Midwest Book Awards.

Non-fiction Books

Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement (October 2013, Chicago Review Press). An investigation of the movement or subculture of people who call themselves “Real Life Super Heroes” and adopt their own costumed personas and hit the streets to fight injustice.

Monster Hunters: On the Trail With Ghost Hunters, Bigfooters, Ufologists, and Other Paranormal Investigators (June 2015, Chicago Review Press). A documentation of paranormal investigators, experiences from investigations, and social aspects of the field. It was a finalist in the Midwest Book Awards and made several reading lists ranging from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to Cult of Weird.

Apocalypse Any Day Now: Deep Underground with America’s Doomsday Preppers (April 2019, Chicago Review Press). An exploration of American “apocalypse culture.”

American Madness: The Story of the Phantom Patriot and How Conspiracy Theories Hijacked American Consciousness (August 25, 2020, Feral House) examines the life of conspiracy theorist Richard McCaslin and how conspiracy developed into the zeitgeist of our times.

Wisconsin Legends & Lore (Fall 2020, The History Press) explores Wisconsin folklore, ghost stories, and urban legends.

Brady Street Pharmacy: Stories & Sketches (Dec. 2021, Vegetarian Alcoholic Press)

Chicago Mothman: A History and Cultural Study of a Monster Case (eBook, March 29, 2023, Tea Set Press)

Minor Works

The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History (edited by Marc Eaton and Dennis Waskul, Temple University Press, 2018). Krulos wrote chapter 10, “Cryptozoology: the Hunt for Hidden Animals and Monsters” for this sociology study.

Tea’s Weird Week: 2019 Review (e-book, December 2019, Tea Set Press). Collection of columns and other articles from 2019.

Tea’s Weird Week: 2020 Review (e-book, January 2021, Tea Set Press). Columns from 2020.

Krulos has also had his words of wisdom quoted (accurately, even!) in the following books:

–Live and Let Live: Diversity, Conflict, and Community in an Integrated Neighborhood by Evelyn M. Perry, University of North Carolina Press, 2017.

–The Slenderman Mysteries: An Internet Urban Legend Comes to Life by Nick Redfern, New Page Books, 2018.

–The Rise of Real-Life Superheroes (And the Fall of Everything Else), by Peter Nowak, Douglas & McIntyre, 2020.

Contact: teakrulos@gmail.com

Follow Tea on:
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“Journalist Tea Krulos accurately captures both the optimistic joy and the disappointments and heartbreak involving this fascinating movement.” –Aaron Dietz, author of Super (on Heroes in the Night)

“Tea Krulos has forged a fascinating collection of work by immersing himself in various sub-cultures that exist on the fringes of society.” —Cult of Weird

“For some reason, though some of his observations are alarming, whenever I read Tea’s work I feel better because of his level-headed reportage and humor.” –Lee Gutowski, editor, Riverwest Currents

“No one knows strange times better than Milwaukee author Tea Krulos.”–Milwaukee Record