Irena Smith is a former Stanford admissions officer, long-time college counselor, and relatively new author. She emigrated from the Soviet Union with her parents when she was nine, and after vowing strenuously that she would never learn English, she earned a PhD in Comparative Literature and taught literature and composition at UCLA and Stanford before transitioning to admissions counseling and writing. Her memoir, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays, recently won the 2023 Best Book Award for creative nonfiction. Forbes lauds it as "captivating and smart," an antidote to conventional thinking about elite college admissions.

Debut author Emily Hood is a primary school teacher from Warwickshire, UK. She started writing nearly two years ago and is incredibly excited for her debut release, The Black That Surrounds Us. She has several other works in progress, all based around the fantastical Vadorian Universe. When she isn't writing, she is spreading her love of creativity through teaching, drawing animals, or taking long walks.

Jessica K. Foster is an author of young adult contemporary romances including Andy and the Extroverts and the forthcoming Andy and the Summer of Something. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two boys, and ragtag crew of rescue animals. Find out more at jessicakfoster.com.

Ian D. Feldman writes page-turning, apocalyptic fiction that explores Christian themes in the real world with unique characters who challenge common thinking and shed light on issues we all face. Because no life is free from catastrophe, the apocalypse is a useful meme to explore the impact of disasters on our lives while being entertained along the way.

Jessica Genia Simon began writing poetry at age seven. As a teenager based in Rockville, MD, she competed and won a spot on the Brave New Voices D.C. National Youth Poetry Slam Team. She earned a B.A. in English and Textual Studies and Policy Studies at Syracuse University and her M.S. in Education from University of Pennsylvania. She works at a gun violence prevention nonprofit in D.C. and lives with her wife and daughter in Silver Spring, Maryland. Built of All I Shape and Name (Kelsay Books, 2023) is her first poetry collection. The poem Even After in this collection was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Laura Taylor Cox was born in Nashville, TN, and raised in Lewisburg. She earned her BS degree from Vanderbilt University and holds a Masters of Communications in Theater Arts from Regent University. While studying at Regent, she met her husband, Bill. They have been married over forty years and have four children and seven grandchildren.

Daniel is a history nerd with a passion for all things historical fiction. As an English and ESOL teacher, he spent a decade living in Italy, Japan, Poland, and the UAE. He is now back in his native Yorkshire with his young family.

Morgan Solis is an American author and piano composer who is known for The Backrooms novella, which has created a new buzz around psychological genres.

G. S. Gerry is an award-winning author and master storyteller, bringing a unique blend of humor, satire, and captivating narratives to the literary stage. With nine prestigious awards and multiple Amazon #1 Best Sellers, Gerry's work transcends genres, inviting readers into worlds where laughter and insight coexist seamlessly.

In 1987, a young man was born to a young couple of 24 and 25 years old. As life went on, this young man, Robert J Nugent, defined his life through education and the culinary arts and found himself gaining four associate degrees within a ten-year span at Brookdale Community College. Most importantly, Robert channeled his artistic abilities through the writing of poems! However, it was the inspiration from his mother’s poem Speak, Hear, or See that made him want to write.