Susan Souza is a writer, author, singer, musician, and overall creative person who believes in the power of storytelling and artistic expression. Through books, music, and creative projects, Susan shares experiences, reflections, and inspiration with others. Her work is rooted in the belief that building connections through truth and creativity creates opportunities for healing, meaning, and a supportive community. Susan hopes to inspire individuals to embrace their own unique journeys and find beauty in life’s moments.

Katharine English grew up in the Midwest, where she developed a lifelong fascination with the hidden lives of ordinary people. Whether writing about the quiet corners of rural Kansas or the shifting silhouettes of New York City, she is drawn to stories about unconventional beauty and finding symmetry in the unexpected.

A nerd. Every sci-fi or fantasy movie or novel gains my attention. Warhammer, Risk, Stratego, love it all. I am an avid historian with memberships in numerous clubs. But the greatest accomplishments in my life are being a father and a grandfather ... or Oppa, as my grands call me. Being an author is nice; being a father is spectacular!

I was a chimney sweep—a service technician for forty years. I had a business with two locations and a hearth store when I retired. Chimney sweeps are the multi-tools of the trades. We need to have professional experience ranging from masonry and framing to electronics and physics. The trade is different from other trades in that there is a real feeling of camaraderie internationally.

I’ve often described himself as the product from a long line of storytellers. Aunts born in the 1890s could quote long passages of classical literature, poetry, and the Bible from memory. Dad was constantly telling jokes to illustrate points he wanted to make. Some are hard to clean up. My friends, colleagues, and former financial planning clients talk about stories I used the same way to illustrate advice and make it memorable.

Sandra Fox Murphy grew up a “military brat” and was inspired to write while studying the beatnik poets. Her novels are historical fiction, to include the Fidelia McCord Series set in early Texas. Her current work, The Weight of Lost Letters, is the prequel to her novel The Dalhart Girls, a tale of mischief in the 1950s Texas Panhandle. She loves researching small-town Texas, and you can find more about Sandra’s books and published poetry, at her website, www.sandrafoxmurphy.com.

An emerging poet drawn to the tender edges of existence—love that lingers, death that reshapes us, and the small, ordinary moments that reveal who we are. A collection of copyrighted poems that form a landscape of heartfelt emotions while stepping into the world of publication.

Isobel de Border is a Melbourne-based diarist and writer of autofiction. Bella & Rami is her debut novel.

I was born in California, lived an entire life in Las Vegas, and eventually moved to Portland, Oregon with a girlfriend many girlfriends ago. I’ve been in the PNW for about nineteen years now and call it home.

Poet—nominated for Pushcart Prize—rabbi, teacher, attorney, vocalist.