Israel Allen did media and constituent relations for the governor of Tennessee before earning an MFA in Creative Writing. He has since taught English and Theatre at colleges and high schools. He is the author of several novels, including the thrillers Ian Baker’s .45 and Bibles and Ball Bats (writing as Chris Allen). His plays Ask Me Anything and Stitches earned awards from the South Carolina Theatre Association. His dinner theatre murder mystery The Emerald Heist has been produced by more than one hundred theatres across thirty-five U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, New Zealand, Australia and Ethiopia.

Ace Boggess is author of six books of poetry, most recently Escape Envy. His writing has appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Notre Dame Review, Harvard Review, Mid-American Review, and other journals. An ex-con, he lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where he writes and tries to stay out of trouble.

W. Roger Carlisle is a 79-year-old, semi-retired physician. He currently volunteers and works in a free medical clinic for patients living in poverty. He grew up in Oklahoma and was a history major in college. He has been writing poetry for 14 years. He is on a journey of returning home to better understand himself through poetry. He hopes he is becoming more humble in the process.

Peter Cashorali is a neurodivergent queer writer.

A.S. Coomer is a writer & musician. Books include Memorabilia, Songs for Leaving, The Fetishists, Birth of a Monster, & several others. He runs Lost, Long Gone, Forgotten Records, a “record label” for poetry.

Daniel Gauss is a working class nerd who attended Wisconsin and Columbia University. He has worked in the field of education for over 20 years and has the hypertension medication to prove it. He has been published on many non-fiction platforms like Good Men Project and E: The Environmental Magazine and has lately had a couple works of fiction in Mobius: The Journal of Social Change and The Hooghly Review.

Alaina Hammond is a poet, playwright, fiction writer, and visual artist. Her poems, plays, short stories, philosophical essays, creative non-fiction, paintings, drawings and photographs have been published both online and in print. “Jillian, Formerly Known as Frog Girl” was originally published by Bottlecap Press. @alainaheidelberger on Instagram.

Roger W. Hecht has published a collection of poetry and two chapbooks. He has also published two edited collections of writings about the Erie Canal and New York’s Anti-Rent War. His poems have recently appeared in Anti-Heroin Chic, A-Minor, Book of Matches, and Gargoyle. He is an Associate Professor of English at SUNY Oneonta.

Susan Kaplan is the creator of the independent comic, Puncentration Camp, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can see more of her work and new work on Instagram @susanbamboozin.

Janis La Couvée (she/her) is a writer and poet with a love of wild green spaces, dedicated to conservation efforts in Campbell River, Canada—home since time immemorial to the Liǧʷiɫdax̌ʷ people. She is an alumna of the inaugural Fahmidan Literary Journal mentorship. Her work has been featured in Splendor of Wings (League of Canadian Poets chapbook), New York Writers Coalition’s Common Unity, and the New Feathers Anthology. Her audio poem “Remember a Cold Season” placed second in the Wordstorm Society of the Arts Synchronous Connections contest. Words in Raven Review, Viridine Literary, Counterflow, Bulb Culture Collective, Book of Matches, Paddler Press, among others. Online at janislacouvee.com; @lacouvee on Mastodon and Bluesky; @janislacouveeonline on Instagram and Facebook.

Levi J. Mericle is a disabled & queer poet/writer/songwriter hailing from Tucumcari, New Mexico, USA. He has been published in dozens of lit magazines and journals, such as Apricity Magazine: University of Texas Austin, Kaleidoscope Magazine, Lunch Ticket, The South Carolina Review, Mystery Tribune and more.

Theo Morris received his MFA in poetry from West Virginia Wesleyan College. His work has appeared in various journals, including ABZ, Cartridge Lit, Home Planet News, JAKE, Jet Fuel Review, Unbroken Journal, and Variety Pack.

Alison Stone has published nine full-length collections and three chapbooks, most recently Informed (NYQ Books, 2024). She was awarded Poetry’s Frederick Bock Prize, New York Quarterly’s Madeline Sadin award, and The Lyric’s Lyric Prize. A licensed psychotherapist, she is also a visual artist and the creator of The Stone Tarot.

Võ Thị Như Mai is a Vietnamese writer, poet, and translator based in Western Australia. She has published four poetry collections in Vietnamese and numerous translated works both in Vietnam and abroad. A senior EALD teacher and cultural advocate, Mai also hosts a literary podcast and contributes essays on multicultural literature. Her long-running website, vietnampoetry.wordpress.com, has showcased Vietnamese poetry and translation for over 15 years.

Mark Williams is an artist from Central New Jersey who creates images that are fun, thought provoking and whimsical. The images start with a simple shape and just keep flowing until a full image appears.