BIOS IN AN INSTANT!

BERN

Alan Bern is a retired children’s librarian who received an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University where he studied with poet Anne Sexton and classicist Donald Carne-Ross. Bern is a Pushcart nominee and has published three books of poetry and a hybrid fictionalized memoir, IN THE PACE OF THE PATH, UnCollected Press, 2023. Bern has a chapbook, because lack, forthcoming from back room poetry in June 2024, https://backroompoetry.co.uk.  Recent awards include: Longlist, The Bedford Competition (2023); Winner, Saw Palm Poetry Contest (2022). Recent/upcoming writing and photo work include: Third Street Review, EcoTheo Review, Thanatos, The Hyacinth Review, DarkWinter, Feral, Porridge Magazine, and Mercurius. Bern performs with dancer/choreographer Lucinda Weaver as PACES: dance & poetry fit to the space, is a published/exhibited photographer, and runs a fine press/publisher with artist/printer Robert Woods, Lines & Faces: linesandfaces.com.

BLOCK

Hildie S. Block is one of those writer/teacher types whose day doesn’t start until after one cup of coffee. She lives in Virginia with her family and her axolotl named Xipe! After publishing over 50 short stories she’s be told to stop counting. When she’s not writing, she’s teaching, currently leading workshops at the Writer’s Center and on her own site as well.

BRAUN

Robyn Braun

holds a PhD in the sociology of science, and teaches argumentation, rhetoric and writing in the faculty of engineering at the University of Alberta. She earned her MFA from UBC’s School of Creative Writing in 2022. Her fiction, art and poetry have appeared in various print and online venues and her debut novella, The Head, is out in May 2024 with Great Plains Press. Find Robyn here and here. Find The Head here.

COLE

Jared Cole was born and raised in the Pacific Northewest and spent most of his young adult life dearly holding on to the dying art and music scenes of Seattle, Washington. After finishing his degrees, he became a school teacher, focusing primarily on helping kids become better people. He met his beautiful wife and mother to their sons in the most unlikely of circumstances. They married, and with nothing but two suitcases and the clothes on his back, flew to Amsterdam. Find him here.

CURTIS

Nicole Marie Curtis writes poetry, fiction, and material for live performance. Over the last decade, her creative work has appeared in: Impressions; Turk’s Head Review & Turk’s Head Review Best of; NAILED Magazine; Santanero Zine; Hoosier Lit; Trampset; Heimat Review, and onstage at STAGEStheatre and California State University, Fullerton in Fullerton, California. Visit her at nmcvortex.com or on Instagram @cheeversghost. 

DAS GUPTA

Sarah Das Gupta is an English teacher who has taught in UK, India and Tanzania. She lived in Kolkata for some years. Her interests include equestrian sports, the countryside, medieval history and ghosts. She has had work published in journals and magazines online and in print, in 15 countries, including US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Germany, Croatia and Romania. Recent work appears in Halloween Party ’23.

DOYLE

Anthony Doyle was born in Dublin and raised in Wicklow Town, Ireland. In 1999 he moved to São Paulo, Brazil, where he works as a translator of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenplays from Portuguese to English. Doyle is a member of the Old Scratch Press short-form collective and writes fiction for adults, teens and children. His first novel, HIBERNACULUM, a futurist exploration of human hibernation technologies, was published in 2023. He is also the author of the children’s books O LAGO SECOU (The Lake Ran Dry) and the forthcoming LIVRO DAS SEREIAS SURPREENDENTES (Book of Unusual Mermaids), which he also illustrated. 

ELLIOTT

Ellis Elliott the creator of Bewilderness Writing, received her MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University. She has also been a high-school English teacher, was a ballet teacher for over 30 years, and a yoga teacher. She lives in Juno Beach with her husband, and they have six sons in their blended family. Ellis was on the editorial staff of QU literary magazine at Queens University, and is currently a contributing writer for The Southern Review of Books and on the editorial staff of The Dewdrop online digest. Her latest literary adventure is writing her first cozy mystery novel. Ellis’ collection BREAK IN THE FIELD was the first collection to be published by the Old Scratch Press collective.

FITZGERALD

Jane H. Fitzgerald

is a former middle school history teacher who loves to write. She has written four books including Notes From the Undaunted. Her work has been published in; Instant Noodles, Little Old Lady Comedy, The Haven, Isele Quarterly Magazine, Green Ink Poetry, and more. Fitzgerald enjoys living in sunny Florida. You can find her here, and here.

FLEMING

Robert Fleming lives in Lewes, Delaware.   He retired from writing television comedy and game shows to literary writing.  Robert’s twists bring the reader to the limit to find truth.   Listeners heard Robert reading his Beat-Poetry in May at They-Call-Me-Mitch, an online reading series in San Francisco, California; in April his play the 8th wonder had a casted reading at the Playwright’s Collective; and he co-hosts a local artist share at the Lewes, Delaware library.  Readers read his writing in publications in United States, Canada, and Australia.  Fleming is a repeat contributor to Local Gems Press, Radical Fairy Diary, Devil’s Party Press, Failed-Haiku, Rehoboth Beach Writer’s Guild, Spilled-Ink Virginia, and Camp Rehoboth art shows. His poetry and word-art will be in Ethel Zine and Failbetter.  Follow Robert. See his new book White Noir.

FLYNN

Penelope Flynn

Penelope Flynn creates mixed genre adult-targeted speculative fiction and illustrations featuring elements of horror, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and erotic romance. Her works have been featured in anthologies including Voyages: SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire, MVMedia’s Dark Universe anthologies, and Genesis: The Black Science Fiction Society Anthology. She has published two novels in her dark paranormal series, The Chronicles of Renfields.
She moderates the weekly podcast, Discussions From the Otherhood, and heads Prolific Hybrid Multimedia, LLC. She is the creator and co-editor of the Blerdrotica Anthology Series. She has appeared at MultiverseCon, WorldCon, World Fantasy Con and Blacktasticon. View her works and connect to social media.

FULCHER

R. David Fulcher is an author of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and poetry. Major literary influences include H.P. Lovecraft, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allen Poe, Fritz Lieber, and Stephen King. Fulcher’s first novel, a historical drama set in World War II, Trains to Nowhere, and his second novel, a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories, Blood Spiders and Dark Moon, are both available from authorhouse.com and  Amazon. David’s work has appeared in numerous small press publications including Lovecraft’s Mystery Magazine, Black Satellite, The Martian Wave, Burning Sky, Shadowlands, Twilight Showcase, Heliocentric Net, Gateways, Weird Times, Freaky Frights and the anthologies Dimensions and Silken Ropes. David’s work can also be found in the DPP collection Halloween Party 2019. A passion for the written word has also inspired David to edit and publish the literary magazine, Samsara, which has showcased writers and poets for over a decade. Fulcher resides in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife Lisa, and their rambunctious cats. Fulcher’s short story collection, The Pumpkin King and Other Tales of Terror, is also availabe Stateside on Kindle Vella where the first episodes are free!

GEISINGER

Jennifer Geisinger writes flash fiction and poetry. Her work has been published by various journals including Parliament Literary Journal, Nightingale and Sparrow, and she is a recipient of the 2020 Rails to Trails poetry award for Southern Minnesota. Geisinger is a writer and teacher who lives and teaches on a small island in the Pacific Northwest.

GILLESPIE

GJ Gillespie is a collage artist from Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island WA. A prolific artist with over 20 awards to his name, Gillespie’s work has been exhibited in 64 shows and appeared in more than 130 publications. Beyond his studio practice, Gillespie channels his passion for art by running Leda Art Supply, a company specializing in premium sketchbooks. Whether conjuring vivid collage compositions or enabling other artists through exceptional tools, Gillespie remains dedicated to the transformative power of art.

GILLIAM

Gabby Gilliam lives in the DC metro area with her husband and son. Her poetry has most recently appeared in One Art, Plant-Human Quarterly, The Ekphrastic Review, Pure Slush,Deep Overstock, Vermillion, MacQueen’s Quinterly, and Anti-Heroin Chic. Gilliams’s book, CHASING A CURE in her DRUMMING FOR THE DEAD series is available now.

HOPPIN

John Winfield Hoppin  (he/him), emerging from intersecting social, environmental and physical catastrophe, is an artist and writer living and working in San Leandro, California. In 2001, he received his bachelor’s degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Film, Video and Performance. He has multiple sclerosis and hosts the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast to find support and explore disability theory. Chernobyl happened on his seventh birthday. Read more here.

HUI SULAIMAN

Nancy Hui Sulaiman is a Chinese-Canadian writer living in Ontario. Her work has been shortlisted for the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize and chosen as a runner-up in the 2020 Little Bird Contest. She writes short fiction, CNF, and is working on a novel. She is a TA for the Story Intensive with the Sarah Selecky Writing School. Find her here.

JANICKE

Jean Janicke lives in Washington, DC. She is an economist and executive coach and enjoys writing, dancing, long walks, and strong coffee.

LOREK

Taylor Lorek is a creative generalist with a soft spot for lyrical poetry, (very) short stories, and statement art. Say “Hi” here for more of here work.

MARIL

Nadja Maril is a former magazine editor and journalist living in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the Stonecoast Program at the University of Southern Maine and her short stories, poetry and essays have been published in literary journals and anthologies that include Lunch Ticket, Across the Margin, and The Compressed Journal of Creative Arts . She blogs weekly about writing and life. Her twitter handle is SNMaril and she is on Facebook.

MEYER

Michelle Meyer is a 50+ poet and the author of The Trouble with Being a Childless Only Child (Cornerstone Press, 2024) and The Book of She (2021), a poetry and visual art collaboration devoted to women. Recent work appears in Under Her Eye: A Blackspot Books Anthology, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Remington Review, Spank the Carp, Tiny Spoon, and Welter, among others. In addition, Meyer has written, directed, and produced numerous one-act plays and skits for children and adults. Find her on Instagram @meeshmeyerwrites

MILOSCH

Joe Milosch has four books of prose and poetry. A Walk with Breast Cancer was selected for a San Diego City Library Local Poet Award. His book Homeplate Was the Heart & Other Stories was nominated for the American Book Award and the Eric Hoffer, Best Small Press Publication award.

PETSKA

Darrell Petska is a retired university engineering editor and two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. His work appears in Verse-Virtual, 3rd Wednesday Magazine, Nixes Mate Review, Amethyst Review, and widely elsewhere. Father of five and grandfather of seven, he lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife of more than 50 years.

SCHWEI

Stephen Schwei is a Houston poet with Wisconsin roots, published in Wax Poetry & Art, Beneath the Rainbow, Hidden Constellation, Borfski Press, and the New Reader Magazine. A gay man with three grown children and four wonderful grandchildren, who worked in information technology most of his life, he can be a mass of contradictions. Poetry helps to sort all of this out. FInd him here.

SIMON

Sally Simon (ze/hir) lives in the Catskills of New York State. Hir writing has appeared in Citron Review, Emerge Lit, Raw Lit, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, Before We Move On, will be published later this year. When not writing, ze’s either traveling the world or stabbing people with hir epee. Read more.

STETZ

Margaret D. Stetz is the Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Delaware and a widely published poet. Although she is the author of several scholarly books and more than 130 critical essays, she never considered herself a “real” author until she returned to her first love— creative writing—late in life. Find her here.

SUPRANOWICZ

Edward Michael Supranowicz is the grandson of Irish and Russian/Ukrainian immigrants. He grew up on a small farm in Appalachia. He has a grad background in painting and printmaking. Some of his artwork has recently or will soon appear in Fish Food, Streetlight, Another Chicago Magazine, The Door Is a Jar, The Phoenix, and other journals. Supranowicz is also a published poet who has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize multiple times.

TOWERS

Susan Towers is a published journalist and short story writer. For more than 25 years, she worked as a reporter and editor on daily newspapers, a time when she earned several local and national journalism awards. Over the past 20 years, she has published both fiction and nonfiction stories in magazines and anthologies. During her professional career, she earned a masters in medical writing and wrote factual articles for the healthcare industry. Find out more here.

TURES

John A. Tures (originally from El Paso, Texas) is a regular newspaper columnist and magazine writer who has published in Politico, The Conversation, Yahoo News, MSN, Savannah Morning News, Houston Chronicle, HuffPost, USA Today, SFGate, Newsweek Europe, The Observer, Salon, The Daily Beast, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Forward, AlterNet, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more newspapers. He published “Deep Plots” in Ariel Chart, International Literary Journal and “Prime Time Crime Drama” in DeKalb Voices Review. He is a professor of political science at LaGrange College.

WATTS

Virgina (Ginny) Watts  is the author of poetry and stories found in Epiphany, CRAFT, The Florida Review, Reed Magazine, Pithead Chapel, Words & Whispers, Sky Island Journal among others. She has been nominated four times for a Pushcart Prize and four times for Best of the Net. Her debut short story collection Echoes from the Hocker House, won third place in the 2024 Feathered Quill Book Awards. Please visit her here.