I am James Abbot, ‘Jim’ to my family and friends, and the author of The Burdens of Aeneas: A Son’s Memoir of Duty and Love, which was a finalist for a 2018 Georgia Author of the Year Award. I have a doctorate in classics and have written and taught courses on Latin poetry and Roman history. Born and raised in rural Georgia, I now live with my family in Brooklyn, where I dream about wild rivers and deep forests.

Andy Barrow is a New York–based writer whose debut novel, Peter in Progress, draws inspiration from his own later-in-life gay awakening. When he’s not writing, Andy is likely perfecting his backhand, chasing his next cold brew, or making up for lost time on the dance floor — preferably with nineties icons (Crystal, CeCe, Whitney …) on rotation.

An award-winning published author and multicultural communications strategist, guest speaker, business writer, and small business advocate, Susana G Baumann, MAA, MLS, is the president of Excel Branding, and founder and former editor-in-chief of LatinasinBusiness.us.

I am a lifelong learner and very passionate about education. However, growing up in Nigeria opened my eyes to issues of gender inequities around me. It was a common challenge encountered in different facets of the society, even in education. So, I chose to write this novel to add my voice to especially the issue of girls’ education.

Terry Cozad Taylor is a raconteur and photographer who has gained local fame for his storytelling ability and his image-creating acumen. He grew up in an industrial suburb of Chicago, and has earned degrees in English and philosophy, journalism, and art. He spent the first two-thirds of his life doing public relations for universities; the final third he spent leading non-profit organizations in the field of spirituality.

Evan Hulick, PhD, is a visiting instructor of English (VI) at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. He graduated with his PhD from The Catholic University of America (CUA) in May 2024 after successfully defending his dissertation titled, ‘Transcending Genres: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Influence on Narrative Worlds in Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, and Junot Díaz.’

Marina Lizio is a data scientist and a writer. She grew up in Sicily, Italy, where she studied computer science and bioinformatics. She moved to Japan in 2006, working as a bioinformatics researcher at the RIKEN institute in Yokohama until 2019.

For years, I had a dream. I wanted to write a book. Stories swam around my mind heading in no particular direction. Then one Christmas season, our elves came to visit. A little story began to brew in my mind and grew throughout the month. Then another lockdown hit us. This time, in January, I decided to tell the tale to my daughter Kayla on one of our frosty January walks. I went home and jotted down what I thought would be a simple eleven-chapter story. When lockdown ended, this dream was put to one side but remained in both my heart and my mind.

Susan Brink O’Flaherty is a writer, former sommelier, and stage-four cancer survivor. Taste, A Novel is her debut. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two terrier scruffs.

I have been writing since I was a teenager. I was born into an upper middle class African American family that had adopted me out into a working class family. My older adopted sister was an English teacher and encouraged me to write and she would give me Maya Angelou books to read. Later, when I found my African American family, I learned that they were English teachers as well.