I grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, where I obtained a PhD in physics-acoustics and worked in this field. Since 1993, I’ve lived in the United States, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1998. Working at a consulting company in Arlington,… 

E.J. Mankin is a Queer author from Missouri who writes as a form of resistance to the status quo. Though their works are fantasy, they can be read as allegories of the reality that we live in today.

I’m an educator, strategist, and theological thinker. My work focuses on how people learn, lead, and live with integrity across systems, cultures, and roles. Whether I’m designing leadership frameworks, coaching neurodivergent leaders, exploring fictional worlds, or writing about beauty in… 

Twenty-two-year-old writer, musician, and indie filmmaker Justin Hughes was born in Warrington, England, on April 12, 2004. Growing up in Cheshire, Hughes would write short stories and television pilot screenplays for fun before eventually taking the step into long-form work.

Alana Dowley balanced a legal career with raising three amazing children. She told them stories as they were growing up and now writes for clever, curious kids.

Even though I graduated from Tufts University with a BS in zoology, I knew I wasn’t cut out for the jobs being offered in science labs or hospitals or any of the usual spaces you might expect to find science-minded… 

Claire Ibarra’s second novel Alteration was recently published by Atmosphere Press. Her debut novel Fragile Saints was a finalist for the 2022 CAL Literary Book Award. Claire’s poetry chapbook Vortex of Our Affections was published by Finishing Line Press in… 

Rene lives in Central Texas, works as a solution engineer, and is an avid reader of literary fiction with underlying dark themes. He regularly goes kayaking and mountain biking. He also loves live music and traveling.

Currently a practicing cardiologist with Vandalia Health in South Charleston, West Virginia.

William Auman is an award-winning novelist and author of If Trees Could Testify… and Pioneer Paddling Colonial Carolina, in addition to numerous articles and his current release, Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South. He is a retired trial attorney, college… 

Arthur L. Jenkins is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, a poet, and a mental health professional. Arthur writes books for African American LGBTQ+ people of all ages. His debut novel, The Prince of Brown: A Fictional Memoir, focuses on… 

Born in Turin, Italy, in 1954, John A. Carollo was adopted by second-generation Italians and raised in Pennsylvania. A lifelong musician, he sang in a Catholic choir and began composing for piano in 1986. After earning a master’s degree in… 

Tilly Hornsby is a fantasy writer who loves creating stories where ordinary moments transform into impossible magic. Her work is guided by a love for the extraordinary, adventure, and beautiful scenes that come to life on the page.

Mary Morris is the author of four books of poetry, most recently, Lanterns in the Night Market. Other books include Late Self-Portraits (selected by Leila Chatti, winner of the Wheelbarrow Book Prize, MSU Press), Dear October (winner of the New… 

Naveen Sridhar is a novelist whose stories bring the ancient world vividly to life. From the bustling streets of Sumer to the royal courts of the Hittites and the crossroads of Indo-Greek kingdoms, his books uncover the untold lives of… 

Benjamin Ingram Jr., who began writing at just seventeen, introduces his debut children’s book Quentin and the New Friend, a heartfelt story inspired by real-life experiences that highlights kindness, friendship, inclusion, and emotional growth.

Kate Laack is a high school English teacher, theater director, and author. She earned degrees in English and secondary education from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, where she got her start in publishing with the university newspaper. Her… 

Ruth is a middle school teacher and poet living in the Somerset town of Frome with her husband and her son, Eddie.

Jennifer Nelson is a New Mexico–based trauma therapist and private practice owner with a degree in social work, specializing in PTSD, dissociative identity disorder (DID), and abuse recovery. A mother of two sons, she has long been drawn to the… 

Al Isaacs is a retired comedian who was twice named Long Island’s Best Comedian by the Long Island Press. With a career that spanned clubs, stages, and classrooms, Al not only made people laugh but also taught the art of…