We are grateful for the many MockingOwl Roost Contributors who’ve shared their beautiful works through our magazine and blog. From visual artists and writers to performing artists and poets, the works you’ve given the world are tremendous and we couldn’t be more pleased than to share in your creations. Thank you!
Carla M. Cherry – New York, USA
Carla M. Cherry is a veteran English teacher studying for her M.F.A. in Creative Writing at The City College of New York. Her poetry has appeared in Random Sample Review, MemoryHouse, Bop Dead City, Anti-Heroin Chic, 433, The Racket, and Raising Mothers. She has written five books of poetry: Gnat Feathers and Butterfly Wings, Thirty Dollars and a Bowl of Soup, Honeysuckle Me, These Pearls Are Real, and Stardust and Skin.
You can find Cherry on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or her website.
Rachael Britton – Florida, USA
Rachael Britton is currently studying stage management at Florida State University’s School of Theatre. She loves all things Star Trek, Mamma Mia!, and can often be found hanging out in her favorite city (Chicago), relaxing on a beach somewhere in her home state of Florida, or decked out in her favorite Mickey ears at Walt Disney World.
Chris Hagberg – Illinois, USA
Chris Hagberg is a lover of dogs, travel, and photographing landscapes from a moving vehicle. She is happy for any time she gets to spend with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. In her spare time brought on by the 2020 pandemic, Chris joined a group of women forming a startup company that makes apps for the Amazon Echo. She aspires to be a writer someday, but for now, is content to polish up the writings of others.
Angie Arnold – Michigan, USA
Hailing from Michigan (a “Michigander” as locals say), Angie Arnold is a wife and mother of four children. Growing up in a home filled with music, Angie was inspired to sing, play, and compose from an early age. As a busy mother, she began a new journey of poetry and photography. For where others see a picture, Angie sees a story.
Julie Hazlett – Indiana, USA
Julie Hazlett, of South Bend, Indiana, creates art using many materials from tinted mica powders to special effects makeup. When not creating this art “officially,” she is driven to learn the things and whys of life and the world.
Rebecca Vickery – Vermont, USA
Rebecca Vickery was born and raised in Staten Island, NY. She attended SUNY Plattsburgh and moved across the lake to marry and raise a family in Vermont thereafter. Rebecca writes songs, poetry and prose as often as she finds time to do so. She has published a non-profit children’s book called A Christmas Tale of Two Mountains to benefit JCH orphanage in Bombardopolis, Haiti. She also turned a song she wrote for her children into a colorful picture book called If I Was a Dinosaur. She is hoping to finally record an album or two (or three) in the near future.
You can hear her music on Youtube or follow her on Facebook.
Ben McClure – Western Australia
Ben McClure is a writer and filmmaker. Born and raised in the United States, he now makes his home in Perth, Australia where he works with a Christian missionary society alongside his wife Liesbeth and their three daughters. He enjoys creating stories for work and for fun. He gets excited about science fiction and superheroes, and is deeply interested in matters of faith.
You can follow his WordPress blog.
Paul H. de Neui – Illinois, USA
Exploring global cultures, experiencing God in all of creation, producing up-cycled art, promoting organic food production in small urban spaces, vermicomposting, and alley shopping are all part of the joys of Paul’s life. He loves sharing an empty nest with his wife, but is glad to see the kids when they want to come visit. He has over 3,000 pet red wrigglers that never complain.
Daniel Leonard – Illinois, USA
My name is Daniel Leonard. Daniel lives in Chicago, IL with his beautiful wife and two lovely children. He enjoy reading and writing poetry. His go-to pastime usually involves an independent bookstore and a coffee in hand, or a hike in the woods with his family. He loves each season and uncovering the beauty they conceal. He loves language, words, syntax, and the power they have. A college professor once said, “show, don’t tell”. Every word, structure, and punctuation has its purpose. “I love when they surprise me.”
You can read more of Daniel’s works on his blog.
PJ DeGenaro – New York, USA
PJ DeGenaro’s current job title is “communications associate,” but she has been a freelance writer, a writing instructor, and—most enjoyably—a graphic designer. A New York native, PJ grew up on Long Island and has lived and worked in New York City. She now lives in White Plains, New York, with her husband, her son, and a large Labrador-mix. PJ’s short stories and poems have appeared in The Westchester Review, The Adirondack Review, River River, and The Write Launch. It’s all well and good, but in her next life she’ll play lead guitar in a postpunk band.
Kelly Eddington – Missouri, USA
Kelly Eddington was a high school art teacher for seventeen years before deciding to pursue painting full-time in 2010. She specializes in detailed portraits and still life. One of her first fans was film critic Roger Ebert, who recognized one of his books in the background of Kelly’s portrait of a little girl named Mabel. Strathmore produced two pads of watercolor paper with step-by-step instructional material and videos by Kelly in 2016. Learn to Paint Watercolor Flowers and Watercolor Basics are designed for people who are new to the medium. Kelly is a signature member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and the Watercolor Honor Society, among others. Her award-winning paintings are in private and public collections throughout the world. She has shown her work in numerous one-person shows and in China, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, and the United States, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two of her paintings are part of The Little Museum of Dublin’s permanent collection. She lives with her husband Jeff and their cat Pooj in northeast Missouri.
Follow Kelly: Websites: Achtoon Baby & KellyEddington.com, Prints, Patreon, YouTube, Strathmore newsletter, “Painting What I Love”, Strathmore Learning Series-Learn to Paint Watercolor. Or find her on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Donna Townsley – Illinois, USA
Born in Essen, Germany, raised in Chicago, Illinois. Studied Operatic Vocal Technique, majored in Theatre, worked as voice-over talent, and now dabbling in writing.
Barbara Denington – Florida, USA
Barbara is a Christian wife of 27 years, mother, and grandmother living in Tallahassee, Florida. She is a graduate of Florida State University with degrees in Clinical Social Work and Psychology, formerly specializing in counseling for families with sexual trauma history. In her spare time, she worked with youth at her church and was often a featured speaker at conferences both professionally and at youth retreats which resulted in the writing and development of training materials for professional staff, retreat programs, and Bible studies. As a teenager, Barbara fell in love with creative writing and now has chosen to pursue writing again.
EJ Rose – Wales, United Kingdom
E.J.Rose is a Welsh author from a small town in Wales. Growing up as a bit of an introvert, he found writing poetry as a way of expressing himself, and fell in love with it. His other passion is writing for children and is working on a variety of children’s books. When not writing, E.J can be found strolling across the craggy headlands and sandy bays of the beautiful Gower beaches, taking inspiration from the stunning views and mysterious rocky coves.
You may follow EJ on Twitter, get some answers on Quora, or read more of his writings on his blog.
Andrea Vasile – Ontario, Canada
Growing up in Ottawa and New Jersey, Andrea is greatly inspired by nature and the ever-changing city. She has written ever since she won a contest for Valentine’s poetry in The Ottawa Journal in 1979. Andrea found continued success in publications such as Clevermag, Turbula, Jones Ave, and Ascent Aspirations, and most recently in The Basil O’Flarhety, Feminist Voice, and Event Horizon Literary Magazine Issue 9. Andrea received a third-place honour from the Poet Laureate of Ottawa. She finds our world changing in many puzzling and curious ways and feels the need to speak out and also to remind us of the goodness we challenge for.
You may follow Andrea on Twitter.
Michelle Marcoux Schuneman – Ontario, Canada
Michelle Marcoux Schuneman is an emerging photographer who grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is inspired by the pandemic and cultural events with a strong intent to be seen. She is currently studying to be a yoga teacher and enjoys painting, playing guitar and Ukulele and is looking forward to making new and old connections.
Mark A. Fisher – California, USA
Mark A. Fisher is a writer, poet, and playwright living in Tehachapi, CA at the southern end of the Sierra Nevadas just west of Mojave. He ended up here by accident, having inquired about a job with Enron Wind (yes that Enron) and getting hired before the company went bankrupt. He’s been living in the same small town for over twenty years and has acquired a wife (Sharon), a dog (Moonpi), and a cat (Bill).
Dee Allen – California, USA
Dee Allen is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. He’s been active in creative writing and Spoken Word since the early 1990s, and the author of seven books [“Boneyard”, “Unwritten Law”, “Stormwater” and “Skeletal Black”, all from POOR Press, “Elohi Unitsi” from Conviction 2 Change Publishing and coming in February 2022, “Rusty Gallows” from Vagabond Books and “Plans” from Nomadic Press], with 42 anthology appearances under his figurative belt so far. Dee Allen applies his pen to notebook and responds to current events, long-suppressed historical events, and inscrutable human nature.
Amy Bassin/Mark Blickley – New York, USA
New York interdisciplinary artist Amy Bassin and writer Mark Blickley work together on text-based art collaborations and experimental videos. Their work has appeared in many national and international publications as well as two books: Weathered Reports: Trump Surrogate Quotes from the Underground (Moria Books, Chicago) and Dream Streams (Clare Songbird Publishing House, New York). Their videos, “Speaking In Bootongue” and “Widow’s Peek: The Kiss of Death,” represented the United States in the 2020 year-long world tour of Time Is Love: Universal Feelings: Myths & Conjunctions, organized by the esteemed African curator, Kisito Assangni.
Mark Blickley grew up within walking distance of the Bronx Zoo. François Truffaut’s film The 400 Blows made him want to become a writer because he saw that childhood trauma and abuse could be turned into poignant works of art. Just weeks before the international pandemic shut travel down, Amy Bassin was mugged and had her phone robbed while visiting Barcelona, Spain. She’s hoping for a much more satisfying and triumphant visit abroad once it’s safe to travel. Her upsetting European experience did not result in the knee-jerk reaction of far too many Americans to run out and buy a gun.
Susan H. Evans – Tennessee, USA
Susan H. Evans writes and teaches writing at a community college in east Tennessee, USA. Her contribution speaks of community in an indirect way. In Tennessee alone, there are nearly 400,000 people, or about 1 in 20, who abuse or are dependent on alcohol or drugs. She sincerely hopes this piece helps in some way, gives hope to someone, and inspires all readers. Evans is published in many online and print magazines and journals.
You may follow Susan on Facebook.
Deborah L. Bean – Texas, USA
Deborah L. Bean is a native Texan raised during the height of the moon race, which piqued her interest in science-fiction from a young age. She won First Place from The Writers Guild of Texas for her flash fiction piece “The Visiting Professor,” 2017. Ms. Bean has authored four technical user manuals on Act! Contact Management and Peachtree Accounting for Windows (Wordware Publishing 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002). In 2016, she completed her Graduate Certificate in the Your Novel Year program at ASU’s Piper Center for Creative Writing. She is currently working on her series, The Moabim Chronicles.
Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier – Canada
Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier is a Canadian indigenous photographer and visual artist. When she’s not walking her Siberian Husky under the Northern Lights, she designs with Art of Where. Her publication covers include Synkroniciti, The Feel Magazine, Doubleback Review, Arachne Press, Pretty Owl Poetry, Wild Musette, Existere Journal, Vine Leaves Literary Journal, Gigantic Sequins, and Ottawa Arts Journal, among others. Karen has also been featured in Vox Popular Media Arts Festival, Bracken Magazine, Zoetic Press, New Feathers Anthology, Maintenant 15, Parliament Lit, and Pure in Heart Stories to name but a few.
Visit Karen’s website for more.
Lorraine Caputo – Latin America
Lorraine Caputo is a wandering troubadour whose poetry appears in over 300 journals on six continents, and 19 collections – including Notes from the Patagonia (dancing girl press, 2017), On Galápagos Shores (dancing girl press, 2019) and Escape to the Sea (Origami Poems Project, 2021). She also authors travel narratives, articles, and guidebooks. Her writing has been honored by the Parliamentary Poet Laureate of Canada (2011) and nominated for the Best of the Net. Caputo has done literary readings from Alaska to the Patagonia. She journeys through Latin America with her faithful knapsack Rocinante, listening to the voices of the pueblos and Earth.
Jean Ende – New York, USA
Jean Ende is a nice girl from the Bronx trying to exorcize her background by writing short stories about her immigrant family. Her stories have been published and recognized by a dozen publications and contests. She is a former newspaper reporter, corporate marketing executive, political publicist, and college professor. Jean is almost finished with her first novel and wishes it weren’t so hard to find an agent.
Ivanka Fear – Ontario, Canada
Ivanka Fear is a former teacher pursuing her passion for writing. She resides in Ontario, Canada with her family and the stray cats that wander in. When not reading and writing, she enjoys watching mystery and romance shows, going for walks, and visiting the lake. Her poems and stories appear in Last Leaves Literary, Analogies and Allegories, The Mark Literary Review, Dead Fern Press, Defenestration, Autumn House Review, South Shore Review, Black Moon, Red Alder Review, eucalyptus and rose, and elsewhere.
You may follow Ivanka on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or website.
Karrie Huberts – Michigan, USA
Karrington Huberts is from the small town of Hudsonville, Michigan. After trying digital art and finding it wasn’t for her, she returned to traditional mediums – though she often combines the two. With a love for all things black and white, she can usually be found at her desk working on her most recent pen and ink drawing.
Jinn Zamayla – Philippines
Jinn Zamayla is a short story writer and an aspiring artist living in the Philippines. Aside from being a writer, she loves fashion, cinema, and any mediums relating to art. She has always loved stories. Her earliest memories were not memories relating to the real world but memories of stories that she has conjured up in her mind. Her daydreaming led her to write down all of her thoughts on paper. Ever since then, she has always been a writer.
You may follow Jinn on Facebook to keep up with her writing.
Chelsie Kreitzman – Kentucky, USA
Chelsie Kreitzman lives in Kentucky with her husband, two young sons, and a tuxedo cat named Cookie. Along with reading and writing, she loves animals, outdoor activities, and spending time with her family. She has published poetry in several literary journals, including Poetic Sun and The Purpled Nail.
Mike Lee – New York, USA
Mike Lee is a labor journalist and editor who’s lived something of a magical life, including being a single parent for nearly twenty years, building an editorial career by sheer force of will, and attracting interest as a short story writer and photographer.
His philosophy is simple: “I fall in love with the impossible to grasp the improbable. My priority is finding joy in the effort of creation.”
Mike’s work is published and forthcoming in Ghost Parachute, Drunk Monkeys, The Quarantine Review, and others.
Claire Loader – Ireland
Claire Loader is a New Zealand born writer and photographer now living in Galway, Ireland. In her spare time Claire may be found with a camera in tow, exploring the medieval ruins of the Irish countryside, soaking up inspiration. Her work has been published in various magazines and anthologies, including Poetry Bus, Splonk, Crannóg and The Cormorant.
You may follow Claire on her website.
Tiffany Lindfield – Tennessee, USA
Tiffany Lindfield is a social worker by day, trade, and heart, advocating for climate justice, gender equality, and animal welfare. By night she is a prolific reader of anything decent and a writer.
You may follow Tiffany on Facebook or visit Tiffany’s website.
Joris Soeding – Illinois, USA
Joris Soeding’s most recent collections of poetry are Forty (Rinky Dink Press, 2019) and Home in Nine Moons (Clare Songbirds Publishing House, 2018). His writing has appeared in publications such as Another Chicago Magazine, Columbia Poetry Review, Red River Review, and Spillway. He is a fifth-grade Language Arts teacher in Chicago, where he resides with his wife, son, daughter, and kittens.
Eve Lyons – Massachusetts, USA
Eve Lyons is a poet and fiction writer living in the Boston area. Her work has appeared in Lilith, Literary Mama, Hip Mama, PIF, Welter, Prospectus, Poetry Quarterly, Barbaric Yawp, Word Riot, Dead Mule of Southern Literature, as well as other magazines, and several anthologies. Her first book of poetry, Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World, was published in May of 2020 by WordTech Communications. She works as an expressive arts therapist at an outpatient mental health clinic and teaches at Lesley University.
You may follow Eve on Instagram.
Melissa St. Pierre – Michigan, USA
Melissa St.Pierre is an English professor at Rochester University. Her work has appeared in The Blue Nib, Ponder Savant, Panoply, Valiant Scribe, and Arzono Anthology. St..Pierre has also performed her work in Listen to Your Mother, a literary nonfiction storytelling showcase. When she is not writing, she is misplacing things, making construction paper art, playing with her daughter, or both.
Michele Mekel – Pennsylvania, USA
Living in Happy Valley, Michele Mekel wears many hats of her choosing: writer and editor; educator and bioethicist; poetess and creatrix; cat herder and chief can opener; witch and woman; and, above all, human. Her work has appeared in various academic and creative publications, including being featured on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac and nominated for Best of the Net. Her poetry has also been translated into Cherokee. She is co-principal investigator for the Viral Imaginations: COVID-19 project.
Michele is co-principal investigator for the Viral Imaginations: COVID-19 project.
Jeremiah G – Midwest, USA
Jeremiah G., an 18 year old with high functioning autism, lives with his parents, three younger brothers, and his beloved dog Lily in Indiana. A long-time Christian and homeschooler, he loves reading, but really isn’t a fan of writing, even though his parents insist he’s good at it. He is great with words and impressions, has a killer sense of humor, and cherishes his anonymity.
Amb. Maid Čorbić – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe
Maid Čorbić is a 21 yr old poet from Tuzla. He is a moderator for WLFPH (World Literature Forum Peace and Humanity) in Bhutan, a forum for humanity and peace in the world. He is an editor and selector for the First Virtual Art portal led by Dijana Uherek Stevanovic, that aims to bring together poets from around the world.
Dan Flore III – Pennsylvania, USA
Daniel J. Flore III’s poems have appeared in many publications. Some which are- Eunoia Review, Kiss My Poetry, Clock Radio Magazine, Lummox, Open Arts Forum, Sick Lit, Sledgehammer Lit, Many Mountains Moving, Once Upon a Crocodile, The Daily Drunk and Triggerfish Critical Review. He is the author of 5 poetry chapbooks. They are Lapping Water, Humbled Wise Men Christmas Haikus, Home and Other Places I’ve Yet to See, Pink Marigold Rays, and Written in the Dust on the Ceiling Fan. They are all available on Amazon. He lives with his wife Jamie and their cat Tulip.
You may follow Dan on Facebook.
John Grey – Rhode Island, USA
John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, and an avid collector of everything from early editions of Mad Magazine to vinyl to art books, all of which somehow find a way into his writing, along with the view from his study window and the happenings and/or non-happenings in his life.
John Muro – Connecticut, USA
A native of Connecticut, John’s professional career has been dedicated to environmental stewardship and conservation. In the Lilac Hour, his first volume of poems, was published in fall 2020 by Antrim House and is available on Amazon. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous literary journals, including River Heron, Euonia, Sheepshead, Moria, Willawaw, Writers Shed, and The French Literary Review. He is also a two-time nominee for the 2021 Pushcart Prize.
John and his wife, Debra, live on the Connecticut shoreline and they enjoy travel, kayaking, and spending time with friends and family. John has a life-long passion for art, music, and all things chocolate.
You may follow John on Instagram.
Heidi Hermanson – Nebraska, USA
Heidi Hermanson is a first-generation Nebraskan. Upon finding herself with an abundance of time due to Covid-19, she is documenting and photographing nearby rivers and cemeteries. A recipient of both the Nebraska Book Award and the Arts Council Fellowship, she organized the first Poets’ Chautauqua at the State Fair. She aspires to found a library of towns that no longer exist and learn dialects of the 17-year cicada. Her books are Waking to the Dream (Stephen Austin University Press, 2018) and Cocktails with God (forthcoming from Finishing Line Press). She received her MFA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2008.
Nalini Priyadarshni – Punjab, India
Nalini Priyadarshni is a poet, a writer, an editor, a translator, and an educationist though not necessarily in that order, who has authored Doppelganger in My House and co-authored Lines Across Oceans with the late D. Russel Micnhimer. Her writings have appeared in numerous literary journals, podcasts, and international anthologies including but not limited to The Madras Courier, Ugly Writers, Counter Currents, Art Hut, Silence Between Notes, Witness, and Still We Sing. She has edited several poetry collections including Contemporary Major Indian Women Poets and lives in Ludhiana, India.
Gerard Sarnat – California, USA
Gerard Sarnat MD has won the San Francisco Poetry’s Contest, Poetry in Arts First Place Award/Dorfman Prizes. Nominated for Pushcarts/Best of Net Awards, Gerry’s published in Hong Kong Review, Tokyo Journal, Buddhist Review, Gargoyle, Main Street Rag, New Delta Review, Arkansas Review, Hamilton-Stone Review, New Haven Institute, Texas Review, Vonnegut Journal, Brooklyn Review, SF Magazine, LA Review, NY Times plus by Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, Penn, Chicago, Columbia presses. He’s authored collections: Homeless Chronicles, Disputes, 17s, and Melting Ice King. Stanford professor/healthcare CEO, Gerry’s built and staffed clinics for the marginalized and devoted energy/resources toward climate justice on Climate-Action-Now’s board. Married since 1969, Gerry has nine grand/kids.
You may read more about Gerad’s works at http://www.gerardsarnat.com/
Aidan Sydik – Nebraska, USA
Aidan Sydik is a student, artist, and writer of stories and poetry. He has been doing creative writing since 2018, and began creating Shatters in May of 2021. He enjoys games, fencing, and music, and is currently located in Nebraska. You can find more of Aidan’s works on Red Bubble.
Roger Topp – Alaska, USA
Previously from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Yorkshire, Roger Topp lives in the boreal forest of Interior Alaska. He came north for sea ice and the nightlife and received an M.F.A. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. By day, he directs museum exhibitions and digital media design. To date, his fiction and nonfiction have appeared in more than a dozen publications including The Maine Review, Dunes Review, Into the Void, Bennington Review, Zyzzyva, and West Branch.
Lynn White – Wales, UK
Lynn White lives in North Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice, events, places, and people she has known or imagined. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and a Rhysling Award.
Ace Boggess – West Virginia, USA
Ace Boggess is author of six books of poetry, most recently Escape Envy (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2021). His poems have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Harvard Review, Moon City Review, Hotel Amerika, and other journals. An ex-con, he lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where he writes and tries to stay out of trouble.
Angela Acosta – Ohio, USA
Angela Acosta is a bilingual Latina poet and scholar from Florida. She is currently completing a PhD in Iberian Studies at The Ohio State University. She won the 2015 Rhina P. Espaillat Award from West Chester University, and her work has or will appear in Flying Island Journal, Pluma, The Blue Moth, WinC Magazine, and MacroMicroCosm. When not teaching, she can be found conducting research on women writers in Spanish archives and enjoying churros with hot chocolate.
You may follow Angela on Instagram or check out her academic website.
Chandra Rice – Alabama, USA
Chandra began writing as a child but never thought it would lead anywhere. She had other plans for her future. It wasn’t until she was recruited to be a newspaper reporter that she began writing professionally. It was a different kind of writing, but it brought the joy back for her. Now, she writes for release, for therapy, for fun, and for distraction.
You can follow Chandra on Twitter.
Carol Edwards – Arizona, USA
Carol Edwards is a northern California native transplanted to southern Arizona. She lives and works in relative seclusion with her books, plants, and pets (2 dogs, 5 cats, + husband). She grew up reading fantasy and classic literature, climbing trees, and acquiring frequent grass stains. She enjoys a coffee addiction and raising her succulent army. Her work has recently appeared in Trouvaille Review, Open Skies Quarterly, Otherwise Engaged Literary and Art Journal, and Red Penguin Books.
Ayan Chakraborty – India
Ayan Chakraborty is a PhD Research scholar and a Junior Research fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He comes from Kolkata, West Bengal in India. He is a student of English Literature and enjoys poetry and fiction. He has published several critical academic articles in his sphere of work that mostly concern philosophical linguistics and political philosophy.
TAK Erzinger – Zurich-highlands, Switzerland
TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background. Her poetry has been featured in Cornell University’s Bien Acompañada, McMaster University’s The Muse, River and South Review, Welter, and more. Her debut chapbook Found: Between the Trees was published by Grey Border Books in 2019, and her 2021 poetry collection At the Foot of the Mountain won the University of Indianapolis’s Whirling Prize for best nature poetry book. A staff writer for Alebrijes Review, TAK lives in a Swiss valley with her husband and cats.
Sha Huang – Georgia, USA
Sha Huang grew up in China. Her poems appeared in many literary journals and anthologies in China, the U.S, Canada, and Europe, including Muddy Review Poetry Review, Ekaphrastic Review, Verse Virtual, The Wild Word, Panloply Zine, and Chinese and Western Poetry (中西诗歌). She was a nominee for Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net 2021. She has a bilingual poetry book October Fruit with the Milky Way Publishing (银河出版社) in Hong Kong and her poems were awarded the outstanding translated poems in the third Flush Poetry Festival. In addition to writing poems, she also enjoys creating art. Her art works were published Ekaphrastic Review and exhibited in Suzhou, China, Asheville, North Carolina, and Acworth, Georgia. She currently teaches Chinese and Asian cultures at Kennesaw State University.
You may find on Sha on Facebook.
John Backman – Upstate New York, USA
A bigender person and quasi-hermit, John Backman (she/her) writes about gender identity, ancient spirituality, strange wrinkles in human behavior, and how they collide from time to time. This includes personal essays in Catapult, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Tiferet Journal, Amethyst Review, and Sufi Journal, among other places. For the past two years John has been named a top 10 creative nonfiction finalist in the Wild Atlantic Writing Awards.
Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.
Katrina Kaye – Southwest United States
Katrina Kaye is a writer and educator living in Albuquerque, NM. She hoards her published writings on her website ironandsulfur.com and is seeking an audience for her ever-growing surplus of poetic meanderings. She is grateful to anyone who reads her work and in awe of those willing to share it.
Donna Kathryn Kelly – Illinois, USA
Donna Kathryn Kelly practiced law for many years in the Illinois criminal justice system. After spending the first decade of her legal career as a criminal defense attorney, Kelly worked as a felony prosecutor in McHenry County, Illinois. Kelly is the author of the crime novel, Cop Eyes, a murder mystery concerning a northwest suburban Chicagoland area public defender, Cheney Manning, whose police officer husband is shot and killed in the line of duty. Cop Eyes is available for purchase on Amazon.com.
Jamie Gogocha – Washington, USA
Jamie Gogocha is a library assistant by day and rock music loving writer by night. Previous work has been published by such publications as Creative Colloquy, Adelaide Literary Magazine, and Avalon Literary Review. She currently writes for House of Stitched Magazine and the publication’s blog. Jamie is also working on her first novel and a collection of essays. She lives in Washington state with her beloved and their cat.
Maria D. Holderman- Upstate New York, USA
Maria D. Holderman is a college adjunct professor at SUNY Plattsburgh and an acclaimed science teacher ― Vermont Teacher of the Year Finalist (2011) and Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering Outstanding Teacher of the Year (2014.) When she’s not teaching, she writes nonfiction books.
As an international reporter to Romania, she is invited to talk about socio-political events happening in the United States. She lives in New York State with her two children and her husband. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.
William Wren – New Brunswick, Canada
A self-described “established-unestablished writer”, William Wren’s story “Clock” was published in Agnes and True, and other stories and poems of his have appeared in OpenDoor Magazine. William lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and has worked as a writer in radio, the web, and for other business venues. His personal website is billwren.com.
Cynthia Yachtman – Washington, USA
Cynthia Yatchman is a Seattle based artist and art instructor. A former ceramicist, she received her B.F.A. in painting (UW). She switched from 3D to 2D and has remained there ever since. She works primarily on paintings, prints and collages. Her art is housed in numerous public and private collections. She has exhibited on both coasts, extensively in the Northwest, including shows at Seattle University, SPU, Shoreline Community College, the Tacoma and Seattle Convention Centers and the PaciNic Science Center. She is a member of the Seattle Print Art Association and COCA.
You may follow Cynthia on Instagram.
Jeffrey L. Taylor – Texas, USA
Jeffrey L. Taylor’s first submitted poems won Riff Magazine’s Jazz and Blues Poetry Contest. He has been published in di-vêrsé-city, The Perch, Red River Review, Texas Poetry Calendar, Langdon Review, and Texas Poetry Assignment. Serving as Sensei (instructor) to small children and as Professor to graduate students has taught him humility.
Follow Jeffrey’s blog for more.
Evelyn Groch – Northern California, USA
Evie Groch, Ed.D. is a Field Supervisor/Mentor for new administrators in Graduate Schools of Education. Her opinion pieces, humor, poems, short stories, recipes, word challenges, and other articles have been widely published in the New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Contra Costa Times, The Journal, Games Magazine, and many online venues. Many of her poems are in published anthologies. Her short stories, poems, and memoir pieces have won her recognition and awards. Her travelogs have been published online with Grand Circle Travel. The themes of travel, language, immigration, and justice are special for her.
D. Dunn-Carr – North Carolina, USA
Deborah Dunn-Carr is a retired middle and elementary school teacher. She currently works part-time as the Vice President and office manager for her family’s fabrication and welding shop. Deborah studied creative writing while attending Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where her poem “Strands” was published in the University’s journal: The Dominion Review. Deborah shares her love of writing with her husband of 30 years, Chip, who is her first critic. Together, Deborah and Chip have two children and four furry friends.
James Bohen – Minnesota, USA
Jim Bohen is a poet/songwriter from St. Paul, MN. His poems have appeared in the Minnesota Daily, Conclave, Third Wednesday, Talking Stick and elsewhere. He’s been short-listed twice for the international erbacce prize. Unsolicited Press published his first poetry collection, “I travel in rusting burned-out sedans” (2018), and will publish his second, “The Management has seized control of this book,” in 2024. His music CD, “Never Too Late,” contains 12 of the hundreds of songs he’s written (samples at iTunes, cdbaby; search: “J B and the Phantom Band”). Jim and wife Bonnie have two adult children, and do daycare for their two grandchildren.
Deborah Cutler – Missouri, USA
Debbie Cutler, a writer of more than 30 years, has been published in numerous mainstream and literary magazines, including Cirque Literary Magazine, Wingless Dreamer, Journal of Expressive Writing, The Dewdrop, and others. She currently works at the University of Missouri, writing for seven departments in the College of Arts and Science. She was the former editor of Alaska Business and Alaska magazines.
Brittany Anne Forster – North Carolina, USA
Brittany Anne Forster grew up in a small beach town in Florida. She has gone through life events of graduating with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy, married her beautiful wife Stephanie Forster, and recently moved to the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. She finds inspiration in the changing clouds, earthy formations and landscapes, and satisfying word plays and rhymes.
For more, follow Brittany’s website.
Melanie Hyo-In Han – Seoul, South Korea
Born in Korea and raised in East Africa, Melanie Hyo-In Han currently lives in Seoul where she’s a poet, teacher, and author of ‘Sandpaper Tongue, Parchment Lips’. She has received awards from Boston in 100 Words, Valiant Scribe, and The Lyric Magazine, and earned her M.F.A. in Poetry and Translation from Emerson College. Learn more on Melanie’s website.
Ryan Wendt – Illinois, USA
Ryan Wendt is a seminary student at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. After completing seminary, he aspires to help the church become more aware in helping people who are homeless. He is married to his wife, Sara. His inspiration in life comes from his relationship with God. Ryan enjoys writing primarily nonfiction. He loves to read and cook in his off time. Ryan and his wife enjoy going on long walks together and watching Netflix.
Debradita – India
Debadrita Dey is a high school student. She has a love for words that she finds difficult to explain. She has a passion to write and express herself through distorted yet arranged sentences. Writing gives her peace, happiness, solace and solitude in the nothingness of the crippled pages. She is a dreamer on the verge of creating her own world of phrases. She has been published in the Indian Periodical and Indian Review. She is also a permanent contributor to The Teen Magazine. She loves to spend her free time idly glancing at the sky and watching it change colours.
Find more by Debradita on her website.
Stephanie Stone – Cheongju, South Korea
Stephanie Stone currently resides in South Korea and is working as an ESL teacher. She is from the USA and was born and raised in North Carolina. Stephanie attended Appalachian State University where she received her bachelor’s degree. She enjoys reading, playing with her golden retriever, listening to music, traveling, and writing poetry. Stephanie is dedicated and has a strong enthusiasm for adventure.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram.
Laurie Kolp – Texas, USA
Laurie Kolp is an avid runner and lover of nature living in southeast Texas with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She is the author of Upon the Blue Couch and Hello, It’s Your Mother. She enjoys writing found poetry because it creates restraints and unleashes inhibitions at the same time. Laurie is currently working on a project to honor her father, who passed away in 2021.
Gray Stanback – North Carolina, USA
Gray Stanback was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, and ever since has been fascinated by storytelling. Some favorite authors include Stephen King, H. G. Wells, and Japanese manga writer Mohiro Kitoh. Gray graduated Guilford College in 2016 with a major in biology and a minor in environmental studies. He has been writing original works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror since middle school.
Follow Gray on his website.
The Mad Artist (Derek Roper) – Maryland, USA
Derek Roper has dedicated his creativity and ingenuity to the cosmic mythos. The Mad Artist focuses much of his work on the mysteries of cosmic horror.
To find out more, follow his various outlets via Linktree.
Gurupreet K. Khalsa – Alabama, USA
Gurupreet K. Khalsa is a current resident of Mobile, Alabama, having lived previously in Ohio, Washington State, India, New Mexico, and California. She holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and is a part time instructor in graduate education programs. Her work has appeared in The Poet, TL;DR Press, New York Quarterly, Far Side Review, Necro Productions, IHRAF Publishers, Aurora Journal, Last Leaves, Delta Poetry Review, Ricochet Review, Pure Slush, and other online and print publications. Several poems have won awards. She lives with her husband of a billion years, and a sweet cat.
Follow Gurupreet on LinkedIn.
Gregg Shapiro – South Florida, USA
Gregg Shapiro is the author of eight books including the poetry chapbook Fear of Muses (Souvenir Spoon Books, 2022). Recent/forthcoming lit-mag publications include The Penn Review, Book of Matches, Sangam Literary Magazine, Exquisite Pandemic, RFD, Gargoyle, Limp Wrist, Mollyhouse, Poetic Medicine, Impossible Archetype, Red Fern Review, The Pine Cone Review, and POETiCA REViEW. An entertainment journalist, whose interviews and reviews run in a variety of regional LGBTQ+ and mainstream publications and websites, Shapiro lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his husband Rick and their dog Coco.
Jonah Jones – Wales, UK
Born in England but having lived in Wales for over fifty years, Jonah has been writing since he was a teenager. His first success was with stage plays, eight of which have been produced. He then moved onto radio, TV, film and published works. He is currently working as a writer-director of short films and lives in Llantwit Major which is the subject of a documentary written and directed by him, currently in post-production.
Follow Jonah on Facebook or visit his website.
Sunil Sharma – Ontario, Canada
Sunil Sharma is Toronto-based senior academic, critic, literary editor and author with 23 published books. He loves to listen to the stars, birds, winds and watch the sky. Tries to understand the eye-language and enthusiasm of the pet dogs—feel the pain and weight of the leash, trapped in a home- cage, bound with the chains, watched by Covid-19.
Sunil has published 23 creative and critical books, joint and solo. He edits the monthly Setu Journal. For other details, please visit his website.
Cameron Morse – Missouri, USA
Cameron Morse is Senior Reviews editor at Harbor Review and the author of eight collections of poetry. His first collection, Fall Risk, won Glass Lyre Press’s 2018 Best Book Award. His latest is The Thing Is (Briar Creek Press, 2021). He holds an MFA from the University of Kansas City-Missouri and lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife Lili and three children. For more information, check out his Facebook page or website.
Follow Cameron on Facebook or visit his website.
Betty Naegele Gundred – California, USA
Betty Naegele Gundred has enjoyed writing since high school when she was editor of her school’s literary magazine, though she taught middle school science for twenty years. Her work has appeared or will soon appear in publications such as Current, The Heron’s Nest, Frogpond, Last Leaves, Months to Years, Orchards Poetry Journal, and Open Door Magazine. Betty lives with her husband in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California and enjoys Zumba, hiking, and photography.
Find Betty on Facebook.
Stacey C. Johnson – California, USA
Stacey C. Johnson writes and teaches in San Diego County. She is a graduate of the MFA program at San Diego State University. Her work appears in Oyster River Pages, Pacific Review, and Fiction International, as well as various other publications.
You can find her at https://staceycjohnson.com and on Twitter.
Sofia Ballesteros – Barcelona, Spain
Sofia Ballesteros (Mexico City, 1979) is the author of the children’s books La Princesa Rana (Textofilia, 2010), and Olga (Libros del Marqués 2021), as well as the short story collections La Sirena voladora y otros relatos (Caligrama, 2015) and Cuentos de Navigay (Libros del Marqués, 2019). She has contributed work to The Same Havoc, a Home Anthology (The Selkie), and SpecBook 2021 (Speculative Books). She was selected to participate in the inaugural Write Toscana retreat with Helen McClory, of whom she translated On The Edges of Vision to Spanish. She lives in Barcelona.
Petrouchka Alexieva – California, USA
Miss Petrouchka Alexieva is well-known as a feminist and a love poet, distinguished scholar and TV persona. She is a Cum Laude graduate at CSULA (2009) and “All American Scholar Award“ recipient (2008). Speaking 8+ languages, her literary and scholarly works, photo-documentaries were highlighted in varieties of venues, on ”Daheli Live!” TV show, opening ceremonies and numerous open mics. For her outstanding life-long achievements, Ms. Alexieva’s name was included two times among the most distinguished Earth’s citizens list of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover (2003) capsule and Science Laboratory Rover (2011) list, for which she has been awarded with honorable certificates.