Sand is currently Managing Editor for the Piker Press and has been producing artwork, fiction, nonfiction and novel-length writings for the Press since the very first issue.

Lydia writes poetry, travelogues, essays and the popular vampire fiction series, Dark Whispers and Night Time.

Editor Emeritus Alexandra Queen is the original editor of the Piker Press. She is also a freelance writer/cartoonist with numerous print credits and her own weekly humor column in print. But no novels. Yet. Dammit.

Wendy and Caribou do canine search and rescue in California. Wendy works with a therapeutic horseback riding center for the disabled and is a licensed Physical Therapist. She also writes poignant fiction and compelling nonfiction.

Mel Trent lives and works in North Carolina. Occasionally, she writes something that's not half bad. She has written poetry, fiction and anime reviews for the Press.

At some point in his life, Dan Mulhollen realized that writing was the one thing he did with any degree of perfectionism. An incurable dabbler, Dan's hobbies include songwriting, computer and board gaming, photography, tarot reading, and collections of v

Josh lives in Missouri where he chainsmokes cigarettes, micro-analyzes Joss Whedon, and suffers frequent heartburn. His accomplishments include co-parenting the brainchild known as the Piker Press, participating in NaNoWriMo, and coaching writers.

In addition to reviews, Bernie has written humorous sci-fi shorts about a priest assigned to a backwater planet, and the serialized novel Stained Glass, a sensitive tale of a woman who must reconcile her love for another woman with her faith.

Cheryl is the Assistant Editor in charge of poetry at the Piker Press. She also contributes reviews, humor, poetry, and photography to the Piker Press.

Bruce Memblatt is a native New Yorker and has studied Business Administration at Pace University. In addition to writing he runs a website devoted to theater composer Stephen Sondheim, which he's lovingly maintained since 1996. Bruce writes short stories mainly in the horror genre in a mad search to one day create the definitive short story. He hates clowns and soy milk.

Ndaba Sibanda is a Zimbabwean-born writer. He hails from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city. He is one of the most prolific poets to emerge from that Southern African country.

Katrina Stonoff is a former journalist gone to the dark side to write fiction. A five-time Nanowrimo winner, she is finishing her third novel and outlining a fourth.

Frederick Foote is a retired State of California worker and community college instructor. He lives in Sacramento, California and writes plays and short stories.

I've made my day-job career in computer servicing and technician work, but I still rise early every work day to spend and hour or so at the artboard before getting on the road.

Terry Petersen writes with positive thinking in mind. Her motto: Dive through the muck of real life, but surface with a gem. She can be found at her web page http://terrypetersen.wordpress.com and has had poems published in a local anthology, "For A Better World 2011, 2012, and 2013." She will have a short story published in "Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel," an Appalachian literary anthology, in March of 2014.

Hailing from the Czech Republic, Jerry writes short stories, nonfiction, software, and novels. Not necessarily in that order.

Chalmers "Chas" Wallace lives in the NYC area pretending to be a Product Manager for a small internet startup while spending his free time writing and trying to get published.

Ed is a born storyteller who hails from Texas. NASCAR, motorcycles, and body piercings are some of the more memorable topics of his fiction and non-fiction, but he is also known to discuss fatherhood, romance, and the love of a good dog.

Tedi Trindle has written humor, "Teditorials", investigative reports, and an assortment of other things.

Kellie is a reference librarian and writer. She has published numerous articles in professional journals, a book that has gone into its second printing, and has landed another book deal, on which she is working currently.

Tyler Willson has been a lot of places, and done a lot of things. Raised on a dirt farm in a town called Elmo, Utah (population: 312 - including dogs and cattle...)

Born in a city minutes from the Quebec border, Carrie grew up in the Adirondack mountains just outside the famous Lake Placid, and now lives in eastern North Carolina. She's a mother and a wife who enjoys writing all forms of fiction and nonfiction. She especially enjoys writing stories that has supernatural themes.

Charles Cicirella currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio and does a radio show he posts online called Radio Ether.

JH Mae is a feature journalist and short fiction writer based in rural northern New York.

Cartoonist and columnist, John's work is predominantly political humor of an unabashedly inflammatory nature.

John has written articles on British car maintenance and repair, flight simulator technology, and ham radio operation. For the Piker Press he has written articles on science, fantastic fables, and serialized his 2002 NaNoWriMo novel, "Victory Highway".

Basil D. writes the Meanderings column, a series of essays that are frequently funny and often insightful.

Carl Wade Thompson is a poet, memoirist, and the graduate writing tutor at Texas Wesleyan University.

Robert Earle has published dozens of short stories in literary magazines across the U.S. and Canada, two novels (The Way Home and The Man Clothed in Linen), and two books of nonfiction (Nights in the Pink Motel and Identities in North America.)

KK writes nonsense short stories, and is attempting to find someone foolish enough to publish his serious novel.

Despite loving orchids, dry white wine, and Broadway show tunes, Pete McArdle is married and has three kids in college. When not drilling teeth, he enjoys torturing words, especially adverbs.

Ken Allan Dronsfield is a disabled veteran, prize winning poet and fabulist from New Hampshire, now residing on the plains of Oklahoma. He is widely published in magazines, journals, reviews and anthologies throughout the US and abroad.

Richard Voza has been teaching writing for over 20 years, which is why he hasn't had a novel published. When unemployed a few years ago, he made great progress on his third unpublished novel, "The Curse".

Ryan Quinn Flanagan is a Canadian-born author residing in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada with his wife and many bears that rifle through his garbage.

Michael Price received his BA in Theater from the University of Minnesota in 1980 and has been writing fiction, primarily as a source of self entertainment, ever since. He performed his own one-man one-act play at the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival to considerable critical acclaim, has had a number of his short stories published in 2012, and recently finished his first novel, "Serpentine."

Michael Lee Johnson is a poet and freelance writer from Itasca, Illinois. He is heavy influenced by: Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen, and Allen Ginsberg.

Eric Suhem lives in California and enjoys the qualities of his vegetable juicer. He can be found in the orange hallway. (www.orangehallway.com)

John Grey is an Australian born poet. Recently published in Oyez Review, Rockhurst Review and Spindrift with work upcoming in New Plains Review, Leading Edge and Louisiana Literature.

Jon Renaut, a.k.a. The Tejon, contributes photos and articles to the Press, but his true fame is the instigation of the Urinal Cake Thread, now an annual tradition on the NaNoWriMo boards every November, and here at the Press the rest of the year.

Patrick "Teech" Devine writes poetry laden with sensuality, drama and fantasy.

Scott Thomas Outlar spends the hours flowing and fluxing with the ever changing currents of the Tao River. Basically what that means is living a simple life in the suburbs outside of Atlanta where he passes the days writing, reading, walking, meditating, and generally concerning himself with what the next word on the current page should be.

Dan's hobbies include woodworking and running marathons. At one time, Dan was also a Certified Beer Judge from the American Homebrewers Association. (It's good work if you can find it.)

Pete Armetta is a writer of Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories and Essays. With a style that's been called accessible and broad, unpredictable and matter-of-fact, Pete is a genuine, self-taught outsider. His stories and poetry fend off conventionality and he's never easy to pigeonhole... He doesn't wanna be.

Hailing from the quiet, itchy back woods of Pennsylvania, Paula Patruzzi has this to say about herself:"I've been a paper carrier, punch-press operator, 'sales associate', and pipefitters'/welders' helper. Now I'm a writer, which is a lot more fun than the other ones."

Ralph Bland is a Manager/ Bookkeeper for one of the last remaining small independent grocery stores in Nashville. A graduate of Belmont University, he is married with a daughter and three very spoiled dogs, and on some occasions he likes to disguise himself as a normal person. He is the author of three novels (Once In Love With Amy, Where Or When, Past Perfect), all of the comic Southern Fiction genre.

Christine is a Canadian First Nations journalist and writer who hails from Peguis First Nation, one of Manitoba's largest reserves. "I write about issues that are close to my heart -- issues that will hopefully bring about awareness of what is happening with Canadian First Nations, because knowing your story, your truth and following it is something that can make us all better."

Hongri Yuan, born in China in 1962, is a poet and philosopher interested particularly in creation.

Sci-fi, fantasy and romance fill Missouri-born Anna Parrish's tales.

Sanjeev Sethi is the author of three books of poetry. His most recent collection is "This Summer and That Summer" (Bloomsbury, 2015). He is published in more than 25 countries.

Anna Sykora writes for the joy from Hanover, Germany, where she resides with her patient husband and three enormous Norwegian Forest Cats. Editors seem to prefer her humor, horror and animal tales.

Barbara Rendall is a Canadian writer living in Beijing. She has published short fiction in Redbook and Chatelaine, and her poetry has appeared in various Canadian and U.S. publications.

Beverly Pauley lives in Alderson, West Virginia, with her husband, Curtis, and dacshund, Quentin -- named for Quentin Collins, werewolf in the television show "Dark Shadows." Pauley is a long-time fan of Edgar Allen Poe and all things Gothic.

Jonathan D. Scott is the owner of a small advertising and graphic design firm in the Southeast. Two of his novels are available from amazon and middletonbooks. com. He is married with two daughters and is a very ordinary person, or at least appears so to the casual observer.

Jeffrey Carl Jefferis is a thirty-year-old freedom fighter. He has been pushing the envelope of word power for so long that his fingers are permanently stuck to the sealing glue

Amy Probst hails from Michigan. She's a published newspaper columnist and tech writer, and a talented photographer. For more Amy, go to www.amyprobst.com.

Barry has been a ghostwriter, a speechwriter and a copywriter. His work has appeared in newspapers, trade magazines and on the Internet. He has an excessive reliance on spell check.

Hillary Peak is a recovering idealist. She became a lawyer to change the world and is still somewhat shocked that didn't occur. Now, her goal is to retire from practicing law and write novels that people love. She is currently a practicing attorney in the District of Columbia. She lives with her family in Alexandria, VA.

Jerry Guarino writes short stories and plays. Please visit his website at http://thedevilsorchestra.us

John Patrick Robbins is a barroom poet whose work has appeared in Red Fez, Spill The Words, Horror Sleaze Trash, Inbetween Hangovers, Ramingos Porch,Your One Phone Call, The Outlaw Poetry Network.

Barry Kirwan works in air traffic and nuclear power safety, and found non-fiction a lot easier to get published than fiction, but finally has his science fiction novel (The Eden Paradox) coming out as an ebook in Feb 2011 with publisher Ampichellis. The short story "Writerholics Anonymous" summarises what he wishes he'd known when starting out in fiction...

Ron Singer (b. 1941) lives in New York with his wife, the painter, Elizabeth Yamin, After having taught for 44 years, in 2008 Singer became a full-time writer. He has written librettos for two operas and published three books and numerous poems, stories, and articles about Africa. Recently, he completed three trips to various corners of that continent to interview pro-democracy activists for a forthcoming book, Uhuru Revisited (Africa World Press/Red Sea Press, 2013).

Gypsy writes how-to and nonfiction articles for magazines. Her other projects include travelogue, history pieces, and a stint as a regular columnist for the Press in 2004.

Ahmad Al-Khatat was born in Baghdad. From Iraq, he came to Canada at the age of 10, the same age when he wrote his first poem back in the year 2000. He also has been published in several press publications and anthologies all over the world.

Ann Christine Tabaka lives in Delaware. She is a published poet and artist, and loves gardening and cooking. Chris lives with her husband and two cats.

Fabrice Poussin teaches French and English at a small private Liberal Arts University. Living in Northern Georgia, he often travels to Europe.

Harvey Silverman is a retired physician living in Manchester, NH. He writes primarily for his own enjoyment.

Kevin writes ultra-short science fiction pieces. His style is influenced by his work in television news, where brevity and impact are emphasized.

Mark is the father of twins and a jack-of-all trades, master of some, but has yet to figure out what he has mastered! He lives in SE Michigan and writes whenever he can for whatever he can as often as he can.

Ronald lives in Charleston, South Carolina where he spends his days running, reading, writing, and trying not to get on the nerves of his wife of 39 1/2 years. Gleefully retired from an unremarkable career in financial and social services, Ronald spends his hard won free time writing short stories with a southern theme and setting. His wife, mother, and daughter are his biggest fans because, well, they have to be.

Sailor Jim writes as he has lived: weird, wild, funny, with unexpected twists and not infrequent incidences of explosions and sex.

Dabbling in poetry, fiction and nonfiction, Terri Edwards (Terrifried) holds down a job as an English teacher in Japan, where she has lived since 1988.

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director and worked as an art dealer when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. His chapbook 'Remembrance' was published by Origami Condom Press and 'The Conquest of Somalia' was published by Cervena Barva Press.

I have returned to my homeland of mountains with woods thick as hair and rivers choked pink with spawning salmon. Every waking minute in this fertile land is an inspiration to capture its essence.

John Paulits is a former New York City teacher. You are invited to visit his website www.johnpaulits.com for more information on his twelve children's novels and five adult novels.

Sam Gridley's fiction and satire have appeared in numerous magazines in print and online. His novel "The Big Happiness" is available for download at his website, Gridleyville. A new novel, "The Shame of What We Are," is forthcoming from New Door Books.

Alexis Rhone Fancher is published in Best American Poetry 2016, Rattle, Hobart, and elsewhere. Her photographs are published worldwide. She is poetry editor of Cultural Weekly.

April has been writing for almost five years, getting inspiration from various experiences seen by the eyes of a thinker. The purpose of her creativity is urging people to see beyond the bounds, to be themselves, to speak their minds loud, not to be afraid to differ from the crowd. She creates to destroy. To destroy the naive beliefs. To destroy the stereotypes.

Cody L. Stanford lives in Overland Park, Kansas. He attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City and is fascinated by the arts, history, politics, mythology, and other elements that shape the forces and foibles of human nature. His stories have appeared in "The New Orphic Review", "The Circle", and "Eyes". When not writing, he often spends time working with tigers and other exotic cats at a nearby feline conservation park.

Mitchell Waldman's fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in numerous publications. He is also the author of the novel, A FACE IN THE MOON, was co-editor with Diana May-Waldman of WOUNDS OF WAR: POETS FOR PEACE, and is Fiction Editor for Blue Lake Review.

Van Lee studied history at the University of Southern MS and has spent the last seven years doing independent research on military history. He's currently working on his second book.

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined.

Robin Wyatt Dunn was born in Wyoming in 1979. He is moving to Canada to study at the University of New Brunswick, the oldest public university in North America.

Sunil Sharma is a writer based in Mumbai, India. A college principal, he has published four books of poetry, a book of shorts and a novel in English,apart from co-editing six literary anthologies.

Chris Miller is editor of the Cold Lake Sun, a print newspaper. He has a degree in journalism and writes short fiction for a number of publications.

Phillip Donnelly grew up in Dublin and currently lives in Vietnam. He has also lived in Barcelona, China, Moscow, Bangkok, Paris and elsewhere. He hopes to move to another planet at the earliest opportunity.

Effie Collins is a writer of horror and speculative short fiction and novels.

John Dorroh taught writing based science for several decades. He required his students to use their imagination...a lot. Many of them thanked him later (with beers) for helping them think out of the box.

After spending a serious career in engineering and banking Ken retired early to do some fun stuff: a bit of acting and voiceovers, landscape painting, writing and global volunteering to help kids and the planet.

Born and raised in East Tennessee, I grew up close to nature and related to nearly everyone in the valley...I now try to recapture the flavor of the mountains in everything I write.

A.J. Huffman is a poet and freelance writer in Daytona Beach, Florida. She has previously published her work in literary journals, in the U.K. as well as America.

Award-winning California author and poet, Barbara Link, has had three stories aired on KVPR, a National Public Radio Affiliate. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous literary magazines and small presses.

Carol Anne Byrnes is a community college English instructor who has been writing creatively since about third grade. There seems to be something of a family tradition here -- yes, her grandmother's family really DID come from Blarney.

Michael McLaughlin lives on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico. He has been published in the Ojo Del Lago, The Barfing Frog, The Harrow, and New Graffiti, and currently is with an improvisational comedy troupe called "Spanglish Imposition."

Patti Santucci holds an AA degree and has been published in RePlay Magazine, American River Review and Literally Stories. She recently won first place in Community College Humanities Association (Pacific Northwest Division) for her creative non-fiction work. She lives in California with one cat, one dog and one husband.

Pranab Ghosh is a journalist, poet, author and translator.

Wayne Faust has been a full-time music and comedy performer for over 30 years, performing in 38 states, England, Holland, Scotland, and Mexico. ( www.waynefaust.com). He wrote a full-length non-fiction book about the entertainment business called "Thirty Years Without A Real Job." (Picklehead Music Press - www.picklehead.com).

Allison Grayhurst is a member of the League of Canadian Poets. She has over 600 poems published in more than 300 international journals.

Daniel Ajayi is a Lagos born poet who writes anything not everything from the reading of nature. He enjoys researching, and has been learning about what makes life better.

Joe Baldwin is a History graduate who writes fiction, poetry and essays on a wide variety of topics. He lives in Southampton in the United Kingdom. He has been published in a number of journals and is currently writing a novel and a poetry collection.

Joseph McKinley is an English teacher in southern China, where he has lived for the past three years.

I have loved writing and reading ever since I was a child. Aside from 'Paradoxica,' I am the author of the recently released novel, Climbing Through Windows. When I'm not writing, I can be found at work or spending time with my friends and family

Mikel K is a poet and memoirist living in Mableton, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, with his photographer-artist partner Just Joan, and their three dogs, two cats, two turtles, and bird.

Phillip Larrea is the author of We the People (Cold River Press) and Our Patch (Writing Knights Press). Since 2012, his poems have appeared in over 60 journals, anthologies and magazines in the U.S., Ireland, Canada and Asia. He is the winner of the 2013 New Frontier Prize for poetry, and has been nominated twice for the 2014 Pushcart Prize.

Two-time NaNo winner Schizophrenic Chick writes short stories and poems for the Press.

Wanda Morrow Clevenger has been writing and publishing since 2007. She graduated from Long Ridge Writers Group in 2009 with 6 months of nonfiction and 3 months of flash fiction instruction. Mid-way through 2011, the year her debut book published, she ventured into poetry and tossed the rearview mirror out the window.

A fictional,wandering shaman who writes a fantasy advice column for the Press.

Beate Sigriddaughter lives and writes in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, USA. Her work has received four Pushcart Prize nominations and won four poetry awards.

Bekah Steimel is a poet aspiring to be a better poet. She lives in St. Louis and can be found online at bekahsteimel.com and followed on Twitter and Instagram @BekahSteimel.

Daniel Naman is a writer living in New York City. His work appears in and is forthcoming from Eunoia Review and The Piker Press. You can see what he's up to via Instagram @danbo88

David H. Donaghe lives and works in the high desert of southern California. He has three passions in life: reading, writing, and riding his motorcycle. When not delving into a good book or putting his face in the wind on his motorcycle, David writes short stories and novels. In 1995, David took the First Place prize in the California Writer's Club short story contest with his Western short story, "Blind Justice."

Fred Skolnik is the author of 4 novels: The Other Shore (Aqueous Books, 2011) and Death (Spuyten Duyvil, 2015) under his own name and Rafi's World and The Links in the Chain (both in 2014) under his Fred Russell pen name.

Irish D. Torres is a 23-year old licensed educator, an internationally-published author, and a Christian hedonist. She is currently working as a content editor at a US-affiliate company in the Philippines.

Mark Lyons has published stories in several literary magazines, including Whetstone (JP McGrath Memorial Award), Bucks County Writer, Sensations, and the Schuylkill Valley Journal of the Arts.

Peter is currently working towards an MFA in Creative Writing, having journeyed across the country to do so. He has work forthcoming in Writers' Bloc.

It wasn't until 2003 that Sandra Widner Burch picked up a pen to write poetry. For her, writing poetry was a means to release a whirlwind of emotions, immeasurable heartache, and to shed light on the often misunderstood Battered Spouse Syndrome.

Sheikha A. is from Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. Her poems have appeared in over 80 literary venues so far, both print and online including several anthologies by various presses.

Steve Hood is an attorney and political activist. His work won an award from the Pacific Northwest Writers' Association and has been published in many places including Crack the Spine, Maudlin House, and the anthology Noisy Water. His chapbook From Here To Astronomy was published by Pudding House.

Terence Kuch is a consultant, avid hiker, and world traveler. His publications and acceptances include Ante Review, Clockwise Cat, Colored Chalk, Foliate Oak, Foundling Review, Marginalia, North American Review, and many others. He has studied at the Writers Center, Bethesda, Maryland, and the Mid-American Review Summer Fiction Workshop.

Christopher Allen, a native Tennessean, lives in Germany and writes creative non-fiction, humor and Southern literature. His work has appeared in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times, Tough People" and "Gathering: Writers of Williamson County," as well as in the ezines "Metazen," "Ruthless Peoples Magazine" and "The Short Humour Site."

Daginne Aignend likes hard rock music and fantasy books. She is a vegetarian and spends a lot of time with her animals.

Dave Lignell lives in Lawrence, Kansas. He enjoys writing flash fiction as a way to escape the stress of day-to-day obligations.

Fred Russell is the pen name of an American-born writer living in Israel. His novels "Rafi's World" and "The Links in the Chain" both appeared in 2014.

Gail Taylor is a new Canadian writer who earned the Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto in 2009 with Honors and completed the writers' program at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Her fiction was a winner in the Random House Canada student contest in 2007, short listed for the Random House prize in 2008, and short listed for the Marina Nemat award in 2009.

Jocelyn Mosman was a member of the first ever Northampton Poetry Slam Team and is the recipient of the Gertrude Claytor Award from the Academy of American Poets.

Jon currently resides in Philadelphia where he works as a copy editor in the pharmaceutical industry. He spends his days squinting at drug labels, while searching for a missing period or hyphen, and drinking as much free office coffee as he can.

Kathryn Long is an author of mystery and suspense novels and short stories.

Marshall J. Pierce is an author, producer and songwriter living in San Francisco. His writing has appeared in newspapers, online magazines, literary mags, tv commercials, corporate videos, LitQuake, box packaging, his Mom's Facebook page, radio theatre and countless emails.

Matthew Borczon is a poet and Navy sailor from Erie, Pa his latest book "Ghost Highway Blues" just came out through Alien Buddha Press. He publishes extensively in the small press.

Micki makes friends wherever she goes; she loves to talk. She writes so she can share her personal experiences through fiction, non-fiction and essays with unsuspecting victims.

Peter is a speculative fiction writer, most notably the author of the award winning supernatural thriller, "The Grandmaster." He is also the Founder and Managing Editor of Ex Machina Press, a publishing company based in Los Angeles, which was named 2007 PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR by the DIY Book Festival in Los Angeles.

Peter lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he's worked in the magical realms of libraries, human resources, and word processing departments.

"As a teenager in the 80's, I listened to a lot of rock music and was inspired to write song lyrics in case I was ever invited to join a band; I wasn't, but that didn't stop me from continuing to write."

SAHELI MITRA is a journalist, author and poet based in India. Her debut romantic novel Lost Words was internationally launched by Penguin Partridge USA.

Sonnet Mondal is the founder of The Enchanting Verses Literary Review. He has authored eight books of poetry.

Steve Klepetar's work has received several nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. His latest collection is My Son Writes a Report on the Warsaw Ghetto (Flutter Press).

Tom Hamilton's work has appeared in over seventy publications including 'Bathtub Gin' 'The Rockford Review' and the 'Old Crow Review' among many others.

A. Frank Bower took early retirement from mental health work in 2006 to write, study writing and spend time with his wife Carol. He workshopped with Dan Pope and Sari Rosenblatt at CT Wesleyan, but credits his local writers group Poplar Writers -- Geof Fowler, Carol Parker and Lynn Wilcox -- with helping him most. He has published 16 short stories, 4 memoirs and 4 poems to date.

Alberto Quero, poet and narrator, holds a BA in Literature and Linguistics, a Masters in Venezuelan literature and a Doctorate in Humanities by the University of Zulia, Venezuela.

Twenty three year old English writer currently studying film in Cornwall, the South of England. Mainly interested in short stories and poetry. Influences (lots of Americans) : Charles Bukowski, Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Raymond Carver, Jack Kerouac

Amanda is a married mother of three girls and resides near Charleston, WV. She enjoys writing horror, thriller and satire and loves all work by Daphne du Maurier.

Ben wrote his first poems in Texas where he grew up. He then moved to Berkeley, Boston, Philadelphia and finally Northeast Ohio.

Caitlin Sinead Jennings has a master's degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and tweets about writing, reading, and whatnot at @CaitlinSineadJ.

I grew up in central Iowa, where the writing bug infested my impressionable brain in my teens. Insecure Pisces that I am, many of my stories and characters remained imprisoned in a shoe box until I moved to Mississippi in 2001...

Christine Seery works as a caregiver to the elderly and collects masquerade ball masks. Her poetry has been published in Down in the Dirt magazine, Wolff Poetry Literary Journal, and Piker Press. She lives in Ohio with her husband, young daughter, and dog.

Cynthia Sharp is the author of "How to Write Poetry," an ebook for community and classroom workshops.

Daniel Davis was born and raised in Central Illinois. His work has appeared in various online and print journals. You can find him at Dumpster Chicken Music.

I have been writing for several years now. My grown up job is being a funeral director in Ventura County, CA. I have also written an unpublished novel, "Funeral On The Beach" and am currently working on another novel as well as another short story. Funeral directing is a third career; I had toiled in Television Animation for 16 years, working for studios such as Disney, Warner Brothers, Sony and Knowledge Adventure.

Dianne Post is an attorney who worked for twenty years representing battered women and children in family courts. Since 1998 she has been doing international human rights work focused primarily on gender-based violence. Her writings include articles, columns, law review articles, and short stories for which she has won several prizes.

Elaine grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she developed a love for reading and writing in elementary school. At age eighteen she met Allen Ginsberg at a party. He read several of her poems then told her she had a talent for writing, but was rather immature in her views. She has since matured -- to a degree.

Geosi Gyasi is a librarian, book blogger, reader, writer, and interviewer.

J.J. Green is a British freelance science writer currently living in Taipei, Taiwan, where she writes on the natural environment and imaginary worlds.

Jay Sizemore has found a day job to be the enemy of imagination, but poverty is the cruelest of muses. He writes poems and stories while his wife sleeps and the cats try to figure out how to open doors.

Linda Lerner's latest poetry collection, "A Dance Around the Cauldron" is a prose work consisting of nine characters during the Salem witch trials brought into our own times.

Lori A Minor is a feminist existentialist who dabbles in visual and literary arts.

Niles Reddick's novel "Lead Me Home" was a national finalist for a ForeWord Award, a finalist in the Georgia Author of the Year award in the fiction category, and a nominee for an IPPY award. He works for the University of Memphis at Lambuth in Jackson, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife Michelle, two children, Audrey and Nicholas.

Robert A. Vella is a former computer programmer/analyst who is now pursuing his lifelong passion for writing and storytelling. Science fiction is his primary focus, but he also writes non-fiction essays on political, cultural, historical, and environmental issues. As a product of the idealistic and tumultuous Sixties, his work generally expresses themes of progressivism and secular morality.

Steven is based out of the Ozarks and has a BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Missouri State University. His fiction can be found in Bewildering Stories , Midwest Literary Magazine, Aurora Wolf, Yellow Mamma and is available for purchase in Winter Canons and A href="http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Rising-Literary-Journal-Science/dp/1456479083">Aurora Rising.

Sudeep Adhikari, from Kathmandu, Nepal, is professionally a PhD in Structural-Engineering. His poetry has found place in many online/print literary journals/magazines.

Tim Henderson is a freelance writer who currently resides in Asheville, NC. He holds an M.A. in Communication Studies, spent several years teaching English in Japan and traveling around Asia, and is finishing up a collection of short stories based on his adventures in the Far East.

Tom Larsen lives in Lambertville, New Jersey with Andree and her pets. His work has appeared in Newsday, New Millennium Writings, Antietam Review and Puerto del Sol.

Bill Schwarz is a writer, designer, and engineer from Austin, Texas.

Alexei Russell is an emerging writer living in Winnipeg, Canada. He had a great many jobs before realizing his University English teacher may have had something, when she suggested he'd be happiest as a writer. A believer in the maxim that a writer should try his hand at all genres, he has conquered all themes and genres, apart from Westerns--which he will get around to eventually.

Amit Chakraborty is an author from India whose daytime job is in IT. He writes humorous short stories which show the human side of the problems faced by people.

Anna Murray is a nationally recognized technology consultant, speaker and blogger. One of an extraordinarily rare species -- a woman who owns a successful software-development company -- she loves to combine her two passions, technology and writing.

Antonio Hopson has published short stories in The Harrow Magazine, The Subterranean Quarterly, Poor Mojo's Almanac and also NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu's Exquisite Corpse Magazine.

C.J. Arellano is a writer and filmmaker. During the day, he works as a video editor at the Second City comedy theatre in Chicago. Sift through his video and writing stuff at CJArellano.com.

Caroline Taylor writes short stories, novels, and nonfiction. She's clueless about the purpose of social media, but she can imagine where it might be heading.

Cathy Adams' first novel, "This Is What It Smells Like," was published by New Libri Press, Washington.

Chuck Weikert is a retired park ranger who spent most of his career at Virgin Islands National Park. Seduced by coral reef ecosystems, he continues to visit and write about fishy friends in far flung destinations around the world.

Colin James and his wife, Jane currently reside in Western Massachusetts. He is a great admirer of the Scottish landscape painter, John Mackenzie.

Darren Sapp is a U.S. Navy veteran, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, and holds a Masters of History from Southwestern A/G University. He writes thriller/action fiction and engages various aspects of history for non-fiction.

Dominy Clements studied composition and flute at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1983 to 1987. After graduating he came to The Netherlands in 1987 to study composition with Louis Andriessen at the Royal Conservatoire, also studying with Gilius van Bergeijk and Frederic Rzewski.

Returning to writing after having spent most of a lifetime doing other things. Original wife, two children, five grandchildren. Have matriculated through almost all of my earlier vices and sins (if it's other than hard drugs, I've probably attempted it). A pleasantly haphazard life.

Evan Guilford-Blake's prose and poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals, as well as in several anthologies, winning 19 awards. His plays have been produced internationally and won 42 competitions. Thirty are published. He and his wife (and inspiration) Roxanna, a healthcare writer and jewelry designer, live in the southeastern US.

FRED HILARY, a writer of mythic fiction and fairy tale, lives in Greece. His website can be found at Fred Hilary's Fiction Pages.

Gary Durbin is a retired serial entrepreneur having founded four software companies. He now writes, hikes, and advises startup companies.

Jacob Greb is a pragmatic introvert, living a quiet life with his wife and a twelve-year-old feline named Pretzel. He writes mostly to amuse himself.

James Noguera has published short stories and poems online, such as in The WiFiles, The World of Myth, and The Piker Press. He has an MFA from City College of New York. He lives in the Bronx and isn't scared.

Jim Wisneski is an author and poet living in the Lehigh Valley, PA with his wife, his almost one year old son, two cats, a fish, and a hermit crab.

When Jonas Knutsson left junior high in 8th grade to pursue a career as a gentleman of leisure, said institution made a note of a great general improvement in morale and academic performance and has yet to request his return.

Karla Lammers works as a corporate lawyer and has written several academic articles. Since turning her pen toward literary fiction, some of her short stories have appeared in online publications.

Kate Alexander-Kirk drinks copious amounts of tea as she dreams up weird and wonderful stories that she one day hopes to realize. And she does it all donning her Top-Hat at a jaunty angle. Most recently her work has appeared in Spry Literary Journal, Visceral Uterus and Boy Slut.

Ken Goldman, former Philadelphia teacher of English and Film Studies, is an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association. His stories have appeared in over 700 independent press publications in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia with over thirty due for publication in 2014.

Kera Morris is a freelance journalist who writes regularly for Westword. She's the editor-in-chief for the Arapahoe Pinnacle and is edging into storytelling.

Kerry D. Stewart has been traveling around the United States for fifty years, and believes that every encounter with another human being is a brush with a potential story. "Writing is as much a way of life as any other deep profession. It just wears out more laptops than most."

Kevin Keating currently teaches English at Baldwin-Wallace College near Cleveland, Ohio. His novel, "The Natural Order of Things," is scheduled for publication in November 2012 by Aqueous Books.

Kimberly Lee happily left the practice of law some years ago to focus on motherhood, community work, and creative pursuits. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children, and is currently at work on her first novel.

Kristan Ginther is a professional copywriter and published nonfiction author. Her recent short fiction work has appeared in apt Literary Journal, M Review, and Planet Magazine. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Dan, two cats, and Boxer dog. She h

Laureen Vonnegut is an American writer living between Romania and Mexico. Her novel, "OASIS", was launched in New York by literary press Counterpoint/Perseus Books. Last year her newest novel, "TWIN LIES," was published by Skorpion Press and is read in book clubs from Alaska to Romania.

Lily Murphy is a freelance writer from Cork city, Ireland. Some may describe her as a drinker with a writing problem!

For the first 29 years of my life, I grew up with the smells of Eucalyptus trees, and the old Mission churches with their euphoric music.

Matthew Dexter is an American freelance writer living in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Matthew Chabin is an emerging writer from Portland Oregon. He now lives in Nagano Prefecture of Japan, and is the author of a memoir, 'Equaling Heaven.'

Maui Holcomb grew up in the Northwest and currently lives and writes in Burbank, California, toiling in the lower echelons of the film industry attempting to make movies sound good. Previously published in a variety of magazines and journals, he spends his free time cleaning up after his wife and two daughters.

Michael Fiorito is currently a contributing short story editor for Mad Swirl magazine. In 2018, his short story collection "Freud’s Haberdashery Habits & Other Stories" was published by Alien Buddha Press.

An ex-pat by happenstance, Michael has spent most of the last three years in and around Germany. Some of his non-fiction has also been featured in "mental_floss" and "Americas." On the web: www.michael-ward.com

Michele Host is a lawyer and writer living in New York.

Mika Nadolsky resides with his wife in Dallas, Texas by way of Denver Colorado.

Sun Valley is the record holding largest trailer park in the world. We've got a meth problem, too. Jealous?

Nils Wolfcale earned a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio State University and an Associates Degree from Hocking Technological College in Nelsonville, Ohio. His short story, "Summer Music" was recently accepted by the Roanoke Review. He lives on a small farm in Northern Michigan.

Olga is a freelance writer and journalist. Her articles and book reviews appear regularly in local newspapers. She also writes short stories in the fantasy genre and is working on a novel.

"Despite spending 9 years in institutes of higher education, Phil only ended up taking two classes in English. (We think it shows.")

Writer who lives in NYC.

Rebecca Morean is a mother of four, raises a small heard of goats and makes cheese, teaches writing and composition at Sinclair Community College, and wants to right wrongs by writing about wrongs. She has published over two dozen short stories, and her articles and fiction have appeared in Salon, Crone, Kalliope, and Mississippi Mud among others. Her novel, In the Dead of Winter (St. Martin's Press) was picked up as a series by Breese Books in England and is about the daughter of Sherlock Holmes. She is currently the president of the Antioch Writers' Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Ricardo Visinho is a writer and the author of The Star of the Revolution, his debut short story which was inspired by the Syrian Civil War and its impact on the children of Aleppo. He has recently completed a short story writing course at City, University of London.

A life-long rock-climber and mountaineer, Robert Walton has made numerous ascents in the Sierra Nevada and in Yosemite. Much of his writing reflects his time in the mountains. His novel "Dawn Drums" was published in April 2013 by Moonlight Mesa Associates.

Samantha Terrell is a published poet who lives near Springfield, Missouri with her husband and two sons. She has been honored to find homes for her work in such reputable publications as: Dissident Voice, Knot Magazine, LaBloga Floricanto, DoveTales by Writing for Peace, the Ebola chapbook by West Chester University, and others.

Scott Archer Jones is currently living and working on novels in northern New Mexico, after stints in the Netherlands, Scotland and Norway plus less exotic locations. He's worked for a power company, grocers, a lumberyard, an energy company (for a very long time), and a winery. He is the Treasurer of Shuter Library of Angel Fire, a private 501.C3, and desperately needs your money to keep the doors open.

Over a dozen magazines have published Stanley's short stories and he is a member of the Riverside Writers, the Virginia Writers' Club, and the North Carolina Writers' Network that have been great sources of information and support.

Steve Carr lives in Richmond, Va., and began his writing career as a military journalist. He has had over 220 short stories published internationally in print and online magazines, literary journals and anthologies since June, 2016. His website is https://www.stevecarr960.com/. He is on Twitter @carrsteven960.

I am an elementary school teacher living in Connecticut who wants to get published and who wants recognition as a skilled writer of thought-provoking stories.

Susan Okaty lives in Virginia Beach and is a member of Hampton Roads Writers (hamptonroadswriters.org). Her work has appeared in Highlights for Children and Vox Poetica.

Thomas Elson lives in Northern California. He writes of lives that fall with neither safe person nor safe net to catch them.

Time Barrow is a writer, educator, poet, humorist, doctor, and dreamer living in Bellevue, WA and working as a UX writer for an Internet juggernaut. You can follow his publication progress and prowess at timewrites.com.

Todd Wells lives in Chicago. He has three children and one wife. He dabbles in time-travel, in that he plays bass in a 1980s cover band.

Tyler Garant is from Philadelphia, with plans to leave ASAP.

Virginia Bond was born in Oregon and received a Masters in Ministry in 2001. She is the author of The Reign, an adult historical fiction novel, and Specter in the Woods, a juvenile mystery which should be out within the next few months.

Ward Webb is the author of numerous short stories and novellas. Originally from NC, he currently lives in NYC. When he is not reading, he is writing -- and when he is not writing, he will most likely be dead. Please do not send flowers.

Yasmin Hemmat is an English literature student and part-time teacher with a passion for reading poetry. She has been published in Literary Hatchet Journal.