Keith McWalter is the author of When We Were All Still Alive (on sale 5/4/21, SparkPress), writes the essay blog Mortal Coil, and his narrative nonfiction and opinion pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. A collection of his essays, No One Else Will Tell You: Letters from a Bi-Coastal Father, won the Writer’s Digest Award for Nonfiction, and his family memoir, Befriending Ending, was anthologized in the online literary magazine Feathered Flounder. McWalter grew up in Mexico and Pennsylvania, is a graduate of Denison University and Columbia Law School, and spent much of his first career in the legal and investment banking worlds of New York and San Francisco. He and his wife live in Granville, Ohio, and Sanibel, Florida.

Matthew Kerns is a historian, author, and digital archivist from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He grew up traveling in the western United States while listening to Steely Dan, pastimes that over the years have turned into writing about western history and following Steely Dan on their 2000 tour. His most recent public project is the Walter Becker Media Project, as reported in Rolling Stone. He has won no prestigious awards but was twice the recipient of Media Play #8171's Employee of the Month (May 1998 and August 2001). He manages the popular western podcast Dime Library and the Texas Jack Facebook page. He has had multiple articles about Texas Jack published in The Texas Jack Scout, the triannual publication of the Texas Jack Association. His forthcoming book Texas Jack: America's First Cowboy Star will be available May 1, 2021, from Two Dot Books.

Judith Ruskay Rabinor, PhD, is a clinician, author, writing coach, speaker, and workshop leader. In addition to her New York City private psychotherapy practice, she offers remote consultations for writers, clinicians and families. She has published dozens of articles for both the public and professionals and has authored three books, The Girl in the Red Boots: Making Peace with My Mother (She Writes Press, 2021),  A Starving Madness: Tales of Hunger, Hope and Healing in Psychotherapy (Gurze Books, 2002) and Befriending Your Ex After Divorce: Making Life Better for You, Your Kids and Yes, Your Ex (New Harbinger Publications, 2012). A sought-after speaker and workshop leader, Judy speaks at national and international mental health conferences and runs workshops at spas, colleges and universities and retreat centers.

David Hirshberg specializes in writing literary fiction concerning the American Jewish experience. His first novel—My Mother’s Son—was published in 2018 and won nine awards. His second novel—Jacobo’s Rainbow—will be published in May 2021. Reviewers have compared Hirshberg’s writing to Michael Chabon’s and Saul Bellow’s, among others. Hirshberg received an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Laurie Buchanan: I write the Sean McPherson novels—fast-paced thrillers set in the Pacific Northwest that feature a trifecta of malice and the pursuit and cost of justice. As a photographer and avid reader, I carry a laptop, book, and a camera with me wherever I go. Growing up, I wanted to be a magician, international spy, and mad scientist. There’s still time! I live in the Pacific Northwest with my pilot-husband, Len, where I enjoy yoga, bicycling, and camping. I love to travel and take walks—long walks! I walked across Scotland, a 211-mile journey from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. At the mid-point, I climbed Ben Nevis, the highest point in the British Isles. My Achilles’ heel? Red licorice. I adore it!

Rachel Zolotov was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri as a first generation American born into a Belarusian family. Rachel has a passion for antique jewelry, art, reading, cooking and history. She started her career as a Gemologist and Jewelry Designer, and studied Hand Engraving in Austria.

Barbara Linn Probst: I’ve embraced many sides of life. I’ve been a teacher, therapist, qualitative researcher, educational advocate, "serious amateur" pianist, and full-time mom. I’ve run a not-for-profit organization, mentored PhD students, counseled families, done webinars and radio interviews on how to nurture out-of-the-box children, and much more!

Richard Alther was born and raised in suburban New Jersey. He graduated as an English major from Cornell University and pursued twin careers as a writer and painter. He is the author of five novels: THE DECADE OF BLIND DATES (2008), SIEGFRIED FOLLIES (2010), THE SCAR LETTERS (2013), ROXIE & FRED (2017), and BEDSIDE MATTERS, published by Rare Bird Books on March 23, 2021.

Susan Devan Harness is a member of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes and award-winning author of Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption, as well as an American Indian transracial adoptee. She has written and presented nationally and internationally about American Indian assimilation policies, including adoption. Ms. Harness holds MAs in Cultural Anthropology as well as Creative Nonfiction, both from Colorado State University, where she is an affiliate of the Department of Anthropology and Geography.

Hilary Hauck is the author of From Ashes to Song, her debut novel. A writer and translator, her work has appeared in the Mindful Writers Retreat Series anthologies, the Ekphrastic Review, Balloons Lit. Journal, and the Telepoem Booth. She moved to Italy from her native UK as a young adult, where she mastered the language, learned how to cook food she can no longer eat, and won a karate championship. After meeting her husband, Hilary came to the US and drew inspiration from Pennsylvania coal history, which soon became the setting for her debut novel. Hilary is Chair of the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies, past president of Pennwriters, and a graduate of RULE. She lives on a small patch of woods in rural Pennsylvania with her husband, one of their three adult children, a cat with a passion for laundry, and an oversized German Shepherd called Hobbes—of the Calvin variety.

Saul A. Lelchuk holds a B.A. in English from Amherst College and a master's degree from Dartmouth College. He lives in Berkeley, CA. Lelchuk’s debut, Save Me From Dangerous Men, is the start of a series, which has been optioned for film and television and the foreign rights have sold in multiple countries around the world. Save Me From Dangerous Men was named a USA Today Best Book of 2019, a Booklist Top 10 Crime Debut of 2019, a Kirkus Best Mystery/Thriller of 2019, a Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, and also has been short-listed for a Barry Award to be named at Bouchercon 2020. The sequel, One Got Away, will release in April 2021. Lelchuk is a member of the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and International Thriller Writers (ITW). He is represented by the LGR Literary Agency and his film/television rights by the Gersh Agency.

Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau has published 17 books with French publisher, Fleurus Éditions. Her YA series, Journal de Los Angeles(paperback, 2018), has sold tens of thousands of copies. Her nonfiction books about fashion, beauty, and wellness for teens have been translated into Russian, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian, and Spanish to name a few. Her writing career began as a freelance journalist and now includes articles in Women’s Health Mag, Refinery 29, Yahoo Style, Yahoo Travel, and several other print and digital publications in both French and English. She also works as a copywriter and content creator in the lifestyle, beauty, fashion, and travel industries. Kisses and Croissants is her US debut.

Kris Clink is the author of Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy (Book 1, The Enchanted Rock Series) and writes about relatable characters who rely on humor and tenderness to navigate their complicated relationships. Set in middle America, her novels are laced with love, heartbreak, and just enough snarky humor to rock the boat.

Leslie A. Rasmussen was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated with a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA and went on to write television comedies for Gerald McRaney, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, Drew Carey, and Ralph Macchio, as well as The Wild Thornberrys and Sweet Valley High. Later, she earned a master’s degree in nutrition and ran her own business for ten years. Most recently, Leslie has written personal essays for online magazines such as Huffington Post, Maria Shriver, and SheKnows. She loves dogs and besides having two adorable Labradors, she volunteers at the Burbank Animal Shelter in Burbank, California. Leslie lives in Los Angeles and has two sons, and a husband she’s been with since college. This is her debut novel. She lives in Los Angeles.

Jamie Beck: My childhood writing dreams featured a Hollywood career in the television or film industries. I’d finish watching a dramatic family saga or love story and think, “I want to write something like this!” But a creative writing career seemed like a pipedream, so I went to Tulane University assuming I’d figure out what to do with the rest of my life by graduation day. I fell in love with psychology coursework, but psychiatrists go to medical school, and subjects such as biology and chemistry weren’t my forte. Alas, another career eliminated.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Shelley Nolden is an entrepreneur and writer, now residing in Wisconsin. Previously, she lived in the New York City area, where she first learned of North Brother Island. At the age of 31, Shelley was diagnosed with leukemia and completed treatment three years later. The sense of isolation and fear she experienced during her cancer ordeal influenced her debut novel, THE VINES.

Drēma Drudge suffers from Stendhal’s Syndrome, the condition in which one becomes overwhelmed in the presence of great art. She attended Spalding University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program where she learned to transform that intensity into fiction. Her debut novel, Victorine, is now available.

Dr. Matt Luckett studies and writes about the American West, World War II, and American History in general. Originally from the Midwest, Luckett received his B.A. in history from Southeast Missouri State University in 2003 and an M.A. in history from Marquette University in 2005. After taking a few years off he relocated to California, where he completed his Ph.D. in American history at UCLA in 2014. His first book, Never Caught Twice: Horse Stealing and Culture in Western Nebraska, 1850 - 1890, will be released by the University of Nebraska Press in fall 2020. He is also working on a documentary about earthquake prediction scares in the Mississippi Valley and a book about his grandfather's experiences during World War II. In his spare time, Luckett enjoys woodworking, traveling, and spending time with his family.

 Jim Reese is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Great Plains Writers’ Tour at Mount Marty University in Yankton, South Dakota. Reese’s poetry and prose have been widely published, and he has performed readings at venues throughout the country, including the Library of Congress and San Quentin Prison. Reese’s awards include a First Place Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award, a Distinguished Achievement Award from Mount Marty University, and a Distinguished Public Service Award in recognition of his exemplary dedication and contributions to the Education Department at Federal Prison Camp Yankton. His books include These Trespasses (The Backwaters Press, 2005), ghost on 3rd (New York Quarterly Books, 2010), and Really Happy! (New York Quarterly Books, 2014). A fourth collection, Dancing Room Only, is forthcoming by New York Quarterly Books in 2021. His first book of nonfiction, Bone Chalk, was published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press in December of 2019.

Nebraska native Melissa Amateis grew up on a farm near Bridgeport, Nebraska. She holds a BA in history from Chadron State College and an MA in history from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL). She is the author of two history books, Nebraska POW Camps and WWII Nebraska. Her debut historical fiction novel, The Stranger from Berlin, is forthcoming in August 2021 from Simon and Schuster UK. An amateur photographer, voracious Snoopy lover, and avid book collector, Amateis lives with her daughter in eastern Nebraska along with a rambunctious lab/border collie mix appropriately named Blitz and two kitties.