Author Interviews

Irene Cooper is the author of Found, a crime thriller noir set in Colorado, Committal, a poet-friendly spy-fy about family, and Spare Change, a finalist for the Stafford/Hall Award for poetry. Writings appear in Denver Quarterly, The Feminist Wire, The Rumpus, streetcake, Witness, and elsewhere. Irene supports AIC-directed creative writing at a regional prison and lives with her people in Oregon.

I was born on July 4, 1975, in Illinois, but I currently reside in Indiana. I want to take life by the horns; to be somebody who wants to do good things. It’s not enough to be liked, I want to be loved!

I am a native of Pike County, Kentucky—back in the hills, as we say. We didn’t have electricity until I was about six, but we had a swimming hole! Later we left and, of economic necessity, explored the world a bit. Eventually I landed up in New York and then Chicago, and I always meant to write something entitled “A Savage in Wonderland” but never got around to it.

Dee Arianne Rockwood is from a Small town in South West Ohio (Middletown/Hillbillyellegy). As a misfit in school and to redirect her energy, she began her martial arts (Judo) training in 1958 at the local YMCA, winning her first trophy at the age of nine. She achieved her black belt at 12 years old, and began Tae-Kwon-Do lessons, earning a black belt at 14, in 1964. She then found her next challenges: Aikido and religion. Dee received a black belt equivalent at 16 and began studying to become a Presbyterian Minister, earning a BA in Theology and Physiology. While in the Seminary, she found another martial arts challenge: Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, and achieved yet another black belt at 18.

Darlene Kwarta is a retired special education teacher, mom to three adult children, grandma to six kids, former foster mom, author, Honor Flight Chicago volunteer, wife of a very patient man, and mom to two dogs who don’t know they’re dogs, not honored guests in our house. And yes, Mr. B. was the best principal, mentor, friend, and the kindest man Darlene ever had the honor of knowing.

Brant Vickers started out as a caddy and then delivered flowers before going into the military, living in three foreign countries and seven states. He later found his true profession and vocation teaching students with special needs, some of the most endearing, sweet, loving people on the planet. He is the author of Chucky’s in Tucson and Fedor.

Anne Harding Woodworth is the author of eight books of poetry and four chapbooks. Her book Trouble received the 2022 William Meredith Award for Poetry. Gender was a Literary Titan Silver. An excerpt from her chapbook, The Last Gun, won the COG Poetry Award and as a result was animated: https://vimeo.com/193842252. Anne is a member of the Board of Governors at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA. She and her husband live in Washington, D.C.

Bernadette Dawson is a mother of two boys who lives in London, England. She has worked in pre-schools for the last 24 years, meeting some of the most brilliant and intriguing children. She loves to see the world through children’s perspectives, to have fun and develop a wide range of vocabulary. She has read thousands of books to children, so writing has not only allowed her to follow her passion, but it has been helpful to collate her own experiences of reading stories to be able to turn this into something children will enjoy and want to repeatedly re-read.

Born in Athens, Greece, as an Air Force brat, Teri M. Brown now calls the North Carolina coast home. In 2020, she and her husband, Bruce, rode a tandem bicycle across the United States from Astoria, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., successfully raising money for Toys for Tots. Teri’s debut novel, Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, is a historical fiction set in Ukraine, and her second novel, An Enemy Like Me, is set in WWII. Learn more at www.terimbrown.com.

C.J. McGroarty is a former reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her short stories have appeared in a variety of journals and magazines. In between her writing hours, she reads, gardens, talks to her cat, and spends time with her wonderful husband.

Linda Fifer grew up in Ohio with writers and musicians in her family. She graduated from Kent State University with BS and MA degrees in Speech/Language Pathology, then moved west. She has written a musical, songs, and poems, published locally in Spokane Writes. Now retired, she completed her debut novel, The Road Between Two Skies, an uplifting story of a woman who discovers her strength when faced with demanding challenges. Living in the West with her husband and two dogs, Linda is inspired by the nature surrounding her.

Always the Ice Cream Man, Jeff has worked as a CFO in philanthropy and now serves as a Professor in Impact Investing. Jeff is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where he crossed campus to serve as the editor of the literary magazine, Praxis. In high school, he drew many a rainbow on many a desk, paying homage to Blackmore’s Rainbow.

Dr. Burris-Kitchen is an activist who fights against violence, racism, exploitation, greed, and capitalism.

Dr. Paul Dunion is a senior faculty member of Mobius Executive Training. He has written eight books. His newest book, The Family, is due summer of 2023.

I’ve been telling tales for as long as I can remember. I dropped into the art form in high school with the literary magazine and then in college as well. From there, I worked hard on my craft, writing several novels, learning how to edit those novels, and eventually becoming more skilled as an artist. My first novel, Big Beasts, was published by Atmosphere in 2020 and my second series kicked off with Unburied in 2022. I’m now gearing up for the sequel to Big Beasts this year.

Cat Ritchie is a writer, healer, bee advocate, bird watcher, and menagerie attendant. She enjoys spending time in her gardens with the visiting birds, bees, and occasional fox or coyote. An avid reader and writer for most of her life, she lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, with her husband Don and numerous pets. Her works have appeared in The Talking Stick: Volumes 16, 17, 19, and Dust and Fire 2008. Her debut MG fantasy, Bosco and the Bees, was published January 2021 and selected by Kirkus Reviews for inclusion in their Best 100 Indie Books of the Year. Her second MG fantasy, Mirror and the Bobcat, was released September 2022.

Darlene Greene (Ann Curtis) is president and CEO of DGreene Sales Solutions, LLC, a sales, and marketing support company for manufacturers of health and beauty products. Her professional background includes over 30 years in the area of sales and marketing in which she has received numerous distinguished sales awards.

Michael Baldwin is a retired library administrator and professor of American Government. He may also be a descendant of the Lakota mystic warrior, Crazy Horse, and will be glad to explain over a couple of beers. As a youngster, Michael wanted to be an astronaut, built his own six-foot telescope, and studied astrophysics. In college, he became active in the civil rights movement and took a degree in Political Science and Philosophy. His intellectual appetite led him to a career as a librarian and teacher. Because of his eclectic interests, he has written books in several genres: a mystery novel, Murder Music, a children’s science-adventure book, Space Cat, four volumes of science-fiction short stories, the Passing Strange series, and five books of poetry.

Fran Abrams’ poems have been published online and in print in Cathexis-Northwest Press, The American Journal of Poetry, MacQueen’s Quinterly, Delmarva Review, The Raven’s Perch, Gargoyle, and many other journals, as well as in over a dozen anthologies. In December 2021, she won the Washington Writers Publishing House Winter Poetry Prize. Her autobiographical book of poems, titled I Rode the Second Wave: A Feminist Memoir, was released in November 2022. Her chapbook, The Poet Who Loves Pythagoras, was released in early April 2023. She read at the Kensington, MD, Day of the Book Festival in April 2023 and will read at the Gaithersburg, MD, Book Festival in May 2023. Please visit franabramspoetry.com for details.

Karissa has written more than they’ve ever spoken, finding it an easier way to communicate. They live quietly, spending most of their time with their five pets and family while also working full-time and attending graduate school.