Author interviews

Christopher J. Rziha completed his undergraduate studies at Benedictine College, earning degrees in philosophy, theology, and Spanish. He earned his MA at Baylor University, where he analyzed the presence and role of marriage in the religious theater of the Spanish Golden Age, and he is currently completing his PhD at the University of Notre Dame. On the way he met and married his amazing wife and welcomed two children. Christopher’s research interests lie at the intersection of mystical and theatrical literature of the Spanish Baroque.

Ted Virts’ life has wandered and wondered through preschool teaching, labor in startup manufacturing, Planned Parenthood management, ministry and pastoral supervision. There were stops along the way: Korea, the Philippines, China, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Arctic. There were stumbles and sorrows, play and puzzles: SCUBA diving, triathlons, friends lost and found, dulcimer playing, academic degrees, divorces, a happy marriage of forty-two years to Charlene, and homes in desert, suburbia and forests of the Western US. Ted and Charlene are recent residents of southern Arizona.

Marinela was born with a rare form of Retinitis Pigmentosa, where she lost her central vision but not her peripheral vision. She has written her blog, Nerdy Shique Universe, which is a variety blog that aims to all types of nerds, such as books, anime, music, and more. She has also done press for conventions and interviewed such actors as Richard Epcar, Tia Ballard, and Christopher Kayman Lee. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Humanities and a Minor in Writing & Rhetoric in 2014 from the University of Central Florida and her Master's in Assistive Technology from George Mason University in 2023.

Former journalist for a short time before I married. Studied journalism (dah) and international politics. Taiji player. Bridge bum. Genealogist focusing on family stories. Cat lover. Destroyer of almost any houseplant. Hockey fan. Bite at poetry but I have written a novel that's in the drawer and am halfway through with another. Student of Don Maass and Lorin Oberweger and graduate of their Breakout Novel Intensives, which is my version of getting an MFA.

Carol A. Taylor is a Texas-born poet who loves meter, form, and rhyme. Her poems are more intellectual than emotional. She has four chapbooks, including the bilingual Sonetos del Inglés, and in 2023 she gathered up her complete works to date and had them printed as a private legacy to her children. Houston Skyline is her first commercial book. Her poems have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies.

Nancy Golden is a wordsmith with an inquisitive mind and adventurous spirit. She has held many positions in her life, ranging from assistant manager of a pet shop to a semiconductor test engineer, and most recently, a mentor and coach to software boot campers. She has always had a heart for pouring into her community, including teaching ESL and starting a writers group. Nancy has always loved space and has been a Trekkie for as long as she can remember. She has a love for learning about other cultures and believes we are much richer when we open our hearts and minds to one another.

Susan Scheid is the author of After Enchantment, which was inspired by beloved fairy tale characters. Scheid’s poetry has appeared in The Southern Quill, Blue Heron Review, The Mid-Atlantic Review, The Orchards Poetry Journal, Burgeon Press, Gargoyle, About Place Journal, Truth to Power, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Little Patuxent Review, The Sligo Journal, Silver Birch Press, Tidal Basin Review, and other journals. Her work is also included in the anthologies Poetic Art, Enchantment of the Ordinary, and Dear Vaccine: Global Voices Speak to the Pandemic. Scheid served for a number of years as the Board co-chair for Split This Rock. She lives in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Harry Edgar Palacio is a U.S.-born celebrity: an award-winning author, prize-winning fine artist, and critically acclaimed underground indie/alternative musician. He reached #1 on Luxembourg’s indie/alternative charts with the single “Coral Relief” and has performed with Grammy winners and nominees, including Ari Up of The Slits (godmothers of punk) and former members of The Raincoats—bands championed by Kurt Cobain. He has been featured on MTV.

Elaine taught middle school Language Arts for thirty-six years, co-authored The Great Debate Project and Educators Take Charge, and her plays won the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival and the Premiere Stages New Play contest. She’s a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Dramatists Guild, NEA and NJEA, and is an avid tennis player.

Originally from Austin, I grew up in Dallas and Waco and attended Texas Tech University, where I received a BA in Spanish with a minor in public relations. After teaching Spanish in Midland and Richardson ISD, I received a master's degree in curriculum. Bruce grew up in West Texas and attended school in Wichita Falls and the University of Houston. We retired together in 2020 after returning to Texas from Brazil and currently live out in the country near Horseshoe Bay.