Issue 2 - SOLD OUT
WINNERS LIST
2016 CONTRIBUTORS. Many of these essays are only a page or two long, so the number of contributors reflects that. To read a sampling of essays from this issue, click on the highlighted author's name. Print edition has been released and can be ordered above, until sold out.
Matthew James Babcock teaches composition, creative writing, and literature at BYU-Idaho. His debut poetry collection, Points of Reference, will be released from Folded Word in 2016. Also appearing in 2016, his debut fiction collection, Future Perfect, from Queen's Ferry Press. He earned his PhD in Literature and Criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and his scholarly work on New England writer Robert Francis can be found in the Journal of Ecocriticism and Private Fire: The Ecopoetry and Prose of Robert Francis. A Q&A with Matt.
Laura Bernstein-Machlay is an instructor of literature and Creative Writing at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI where she also lives. Her poems and creative nonfiction have appeared in numerous journals including The Michigan Quarterly Review, The New Madrid, Concho River Review, Oyez, Redivider, upstreet, etc. She has work forthcoming in The American Scholar, Soundings East, and Moon City Review. Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Finalist
Angela Doll Carlson is a poet, fiction writer, and essayist whose work has appeared most recently in publications both online and offline, such as Burnside Writer's Collective, St. Katherine Review, Rock & Sling, Image Journal's "Good Letters" blog, Ruminate Magazine (online) and Art House America. Her first book, Nearly Orthodox: On Being a Modern Woman in an Ancient Tradition (Ancient Faith Publishers) was released July 2014. Her latest book, Garden in the East: The Spiritual Life of the Body, is due out from Ancient Faith Publishers in 2016. Angela currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, David and her 4 outrageously spirited yet remarkably likable children. Q&A with Angela.
An English teacher who also writes, Ann Cheng graduated from Harvard College in 2012 and taught in Boston for 3 years. She currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio in a house with eight people and a baby. Read Ann's answers to EIR questions here. Pushcart Nomination for "Hills"
Douglas Cole has published four poetry collections: Bali Poems (Turning Point Press), Interstate (Night Ballet Press); Western Dream, (Finishing Line Press), and The Dice Throwers, (Liquid Light Press), as well as a novella, Ghost (Blue Cubicle Press). His work is anthologized in Best New Writing (Hopewell Publications), Bully Anthology (Kentucky Stories Press) and Coming Off The Line (Mainstreet Rag Publishing), and he has work in or forthcoming in journals such as The Chicago Quarterly Review, Iconoclast, Slipstream, and Midwest Quarterly. He received the Leslie Hunt Memorial Prize in Poetry and the Best of Poetry Award from Clapboard House. He is currently on the faculty at Seattle Central College. His website is douglastcole.com, and he has answered a few questions for us here.
Anthony DeGregorio has a master’s degree in Writing from Manhattanville College where he has been teaching a tutorial in expository writing since 1998. He has worked in various capacities for the Department of Social Services for far too many years. His poetry, short fiction, and essays have been published in several dozen journals. Most recently his work has appeared in Allegro Poetry Magazine, Boston Literary Magazine, Chronogram Magazine, and Unbroken. He also has a poem scheduled for publication soon in The Aurorean, and another of his poems was a finalist in the recent Naugatuck River Review’s annual narrative poetry contest, and will appear in that magazine this spring. Interview here.
Debra M. Fox’s poems have been published in haiku journals and anthologies. In addition, some of her short stories and essays have been published in literary magazines. She is a lawyer and the director of an adoption agency, and a member of an amateur dance troupe. She lives on the outskirts of Philadelphia with her husband, younger son who is profoundly disabled, and a companion dog who aspired to be a service dog, but failed. A short Q&A with Debra is here.
In a former life, Glynda Francis was published at Pleiades, Hillock, Midwest Poetry Review, and Tradeswomen, among others. More recently, both her speculative short story collection, Leyfarers and Wayfarers, and her speculative poetry collection, Under Every Moon, were published by Charlie Dawg Press (under G. L. Francis), and Eastern Iowa Review published an essay of hers in their inaugural issue. She works as a veterinary receptionist in the Kansas City area where she lives with her husband of about a zillion years. On occasion, she also commissions artwork, does machining, and resorts to herbal remedies whenever possible. More on Glynda here.
Carole Giangrande was born and raised in the New York City area, and now resides in Toronto, Canada. She is a former broadcast journalist with CBC Radio and the author of eight books, including two novels, a short story collection and three novellas, among them the award-winning A Gardener On The Moon. Her most recent work is the novella Here Comes the Dreamer (2015), and her novel All That is Solid Melts Into Air is due out in 2017. Her poetry has appeared in the journals Queens Quarterly and Grain. Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Winner (tie)
Alisa Golden writes, makes art, and teaches bookmaking and letterpress printing at California College of the Arts in Oakland. She founded and edits Star 82 Review, and her prose and poetry have been published in 100 Word Story, Dead Housekeeping, NANO Fiction, and DIAGRAM, among others. She is the author of Making Handmade Books and lives in Albany, California. www.neverbook.com. Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Honorable Mention
Therése Halscheid’s latest poetry collection, Frozen Latitudes, received the Eric Hoffer Award, Honorable Mention for Poetry. Essays and poems have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Tampa Review, Sou’wester, South Loop among many others. She has been an itinerant writer for more than two decades, living simply on the road as a house-sitter. A nomadic lifestyle has allowed her to connect with the earth and understand more deeply the interconnectedness between nature and human nature. Her photography chronicles her journey, and has appeared in juried shows. She enjoys teaching in varied settings, both in USA and abroad. To learn more, visit: ThereseHalscheid.com. Find an interview w/the author here.
Nancy Haverington is a scholar of American nature writing, a produced playwright, and eco-theologian. A teaching fellow in ethics for seven years at Harvard Divinity School, she is currently writing her doctoral dissertation on the role of grief in Emerson's transcendental thought and is developing her theory of "deep ethics." Nancy won the Harvard Arts Museum award for her play "Michael." As an ordained minister, she was recognized by the United Church of Christ for creating one of the first environmental churches with her founding of the New Eden Collaborative organic community gardens and Our Secret Garden environmental preschool and children's gardens. To learn more about Nancy, visit her website: www.nhaverington.com. Interview here (nature, playwriting, etc.)
Kathleen Hellen's poems are widely published and have appeared or are forthcoming in the Massachusetts Review, The Nation, North American Review, Poetry Northwest, Poetry Daily, the Sewanee Review, Southern Poetry Review, and elsewhere. She has served as senior poetry editor for the Baltimore Review and now sits on the editorial board of Washington Writers’ Publishing House. Her book reviews have been published in several journals, including the Baltimore Review and Oyster Boy Review. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she teaches creative writing in Baltimore. Informative interview here.
Mary Hotlen has written two nonfiction books. Her short fiction has appeared in the Rockford Review, and a poem titled “Year of Psalms” placed in the 2009 Illinois Emerging Writers contest. Her poetry has been accepted by: Red River Review, Literary Mama, The Awakenings Review, Devilfish Review, Pank, Persimmon Tree, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Whirlwind Review, Outrider Press’s 2015 Anthology, and others. She is a certified teacher and licensed counselor. Very short q&a here.
Richie Johnson is wild, brave and free. (That’s what he used to say.) Now: Richie is kind, moving and mostly quiet. After a handful of years, where he was first in school, then out of school, and lastly in school once more, he graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington having taken a bunch of Education and English courses, but never having student teacher taught, and so he’s not really sure what his degree is. After discovering love for his Maine home state, he moves to Vermont (after Christmas). Richie answers a few questions here.
Mark L. Keats was adopted from South Korea at the age of three. He earned his MFA from the University of Maryland, and his work has appeared or is forthcoming in Foundling Review, Clockhouse, Smokelong Quarterly, and many others. Currently, he is a doctoral student in English and Creative Writing at Texas Tech University. You can learn a little bit more about Mark and his essay, "Meditations and Fragments: An Enchiridion for Reflecting on Death," in the Q&A here.
Robert D. Kirvel, a 2016 Pushcart Prize nominee for fiction and a 2015 ArtPrize winner for creative nonfiction, has published stories or essays in the UK, New Zealand, Germany, and a dozen U.S. literary journals such as the Columbia College Literary Review. Interview here. Experimental Essay Award Finalist
J A Knight is a theater actor, director, and emerging writer. Her poems and monologues have been performed at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and at various venues across the country. She is currently working on a collection of illustrated short stories that she hopes will find its way to readers across the world. "Life Code" is her first publication and "she could not be more grateful for the grace and guidance of the Eastern Iowa Review." She is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and lives with her husband and two dogs in Maryland. More on Jennifer's writing life here. Lyric Essay Award Finalist
Raphael Kosek - Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines including Big Muddy, The Chattahoochee Review, Catamaran, Still Point Arts Quarterly, and is forthcoming in Southern Humanities Review and Poetry East. Her 2009 chapbook, Letting Go, was published by Finishing Line Press, and her new chapbook, ROUGH GRACE, won the 2014 Concrete Wolf Chapbook Competition. Raphael teaches American Lit and creative writing at Marist College and Dutchess Community College (New York). Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Winner (tie)
Ashley Kunsa's short fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming from the Los Angeles Review, the Roanoke Review, Hot Metal Bridge, Blue Lyra Review, and elsewhere. She was awarded the Orlando Prize by the AROHO foundation and holds an MFA from Penn State. Currently, Ashley is completing a Ph.D. in English literature at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Website. Interview here. Experimental Essay Award Winner (tie) Pushcart Nomination for "How to Write Your Life in the Second Person"
Myron Michael received a BA from Grand Valley State University and an MFA from California College of the Arts. He has taught poetry workshops throughout Grand Rapids and the San Francisco Bay Area. His practice combines, whole or in part, performance, photography, music, video, and text through means of prose and or poetry. In collaboration with Microclimate Collective, he has exhibited work at Eidolon and Perfect Place/No Place. He co-created “Vertical Horizon” as a participant in Broadside Attractions/Vanquished Terrains, and is a producer at Move or Die, poetry collaborations. His poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net 2015 and the Pushcart Prize 2015 and 2016. Read more at www.myronmichael.com. Interview here. Experimental Essay Award Winner (tie)
Robert Miltner has published Hotel Utopia (prose poetry from New Rivers Press) and And Your Bird Can Sing (short fiction from Bottom Dog Press). His nonfiction has appeared in Great Lakes Review, Diagram, AWP Writer, Buried Letter, KSU Research for Life, Mochila Review, and The Los Angeles Review. Miltner is Professor of English at Kent State University, teaches fiction and poetry in the NEOMFA, and edits The Raymond Carver Review. He is the recipient of an Individual Excellence in Poetry Award from the Ohio Arts Council. Find a rich interview with Robert here.
Amanda Noble has a Ph.D. in sociology and has researched and published numerous academic articles, book chapters and reports. Frustrated by the constraints of scientific writing, she turned her attention to creative non-fiction writing, especially personal essay and memoir. Her work has appeared in Seven Hills Review and Indiana Voices. She lives in Davis, California, with her cat, Lucy. She can be reached at [email protected]. A few answers to questions put to Amanda can be found here.
Sean Prentiss is the author of the memoir, Finding Abbey: a Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave, which won the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for History/Biography. Prentiss is also the co-editor of The Far Edges of the Fourth Genre: Explorations in Creative Nonfiction, a creative nonfiction craft anthology. He lives on a small lake in northern Vermont and serves as an assistant professor at Norwich University. Find more on Sean here.
Jim Ross is managing editor at the Ocala Star-Banner and an adjunct journalism instructor at the University of Florida. His work has been published in Clockhouse Review, the Little Patuxent Review blog, Foliate Oak, Paper Tape, Ray's Road Review and The Morning News. His essay “This is How I Post” and "Slow to Learn" are listed as Notable Essays in The Best American Essays 2015 & 2016. Read all about it! His interview, that is, here.
Bob Schildgen was the managing editor and book review editor of Sierra magazine for many years, and continues to write Sierra’s popular “Hey Mr. Green” environmental advice column. A native of rural Wisconsin, where he grew up on a farm, Schildgen now resides in Berkeley, California, where he indulges his passions for gardening and thrift by growing two dozen types of vegetables in his backyard. More about Bob.
Yvette Schnoeker-Shorb’s work has appeared in Caesura, Twisted Vine Literary Arts Magazine, Blue Lyra Review, Dark Matter: A Journal of Speculative Writing, Kudzu House Quarterly, Flash Fiction Magazine, Terrain.org, Midwest Quarterly, Concho River Review, The Blueline Anthology (Syracuse University Press), Talking Back and Looking Forward: An Educational Revolution in Poetry and Prose (Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group), and others. A past Pushcart Prize nominee (Poydras Review) and a recent Best of the Net nominee (Dirty Chai Magazine), she holds an interdisciplinary MA from Prescott College and is co-founder of Native West Press. You can find an interview here. Lyric Essay Award Honorable Mention
Travis Truax earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2010. His work has appeared in Flyover Country, Marathon Literary Review, Flagler Review, and The Meadow. After college he spent several years working in various national parks in the West. He currently resides in Bozeman, Montana. Read Travis' answers to a few questions here.
Robert D. Vivian is an Assistant Professor of English at Alma College in Michigan, and also teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts low residency MFA program. He is author of The Tall Grass Trilogy, Water And Abandon, and two collections of meditative essays, Cold Snap As Yearning and The Least Cricket Of Evening. He has written more than twenty plays produced off and off-off Broadway, and his work has been published in Alaska Quarterly Review, Creative Nonfiction, Glimmertrain, Georgia Review, and elsewhere. His next book Mystery My Country will be published early spring, 2016. Find his interview here.
Sarah Broussard Weaver lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, four children, three dogs and a hedgehog. She thinks the Internet is actually a great deal better than sliced bread. Find her at sbweaver.com. A Q&A with more about Sarah can be found here. Experimental Essay Award Finalist
2016 CONTRIBUTORS. Many of these essays are only a page or two long, so the number of contributors reflects that. To read a sampling of essays from this issue, click on the highlighted author's name. Print edition has been released and can be ordered above, until sold out.
Matthew James Babcock teaches composition, creative writing, and literature at BYU-Idaho. His debut poetry collection, Points of Reference, will be released from Folded Word in 2016. Also appearing in 2016, his debut fiction collection, Future Perfect, from Queen's Ferry Press. He earned his PhD in Literature and Criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and his scholarly work on New England writer Robert Francis can be found in the Journal of Ecocriticism and Private Fire: The Ecopoetry and Prose of Robert Francis. A Q&A with Matt.
Laura Bernstein-Machlay is an instructor of literature and Creative Writing at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI where she also lives. Her poems and creative nonfiction have appeared in numerous journals including The Michigan Quarterly Review, The New Madrid, Concho River Review, Oyez, Redivider, upstreet, etc. She has work forthcoming in The American Scholar, Soundings East, and Moon City Review. Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Finalist
Angela Doll Carlson is a poet, fiction writer, and essayist whose work has appeared most recently in publications both online and offline, such as Burnside Writer's Collective, St. Katherine Review, Rock & Sling, Image Journal's "Good Letters" blog, Ruminate Magazine (online) and Art House America. Her first book, Nearly Orthodox: On Being a Modern Woman in an Ancient Tradition (Ancient Faith Publishers) was released July 2014. Her latest book, Garden in the East: The Spiritual Life of the Body, is due out from Ancient Faith Publishers in 2016. Angela currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, David and her 4 outrageously spirited yet remarkably likable children. Q&A with Angela.
An English teacher who also writes, Ann Cheng graduated from Harvard College in 2012 and taught in Boston for 3 years. She currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio in a house with eight people and a baby. Read Ann's answers to EIR questions here. Pushcart Nomination for "Hills"
Douglas Cole has published four poetry collections: Bali Poems (Turning Point Press), Interstate (Night Ballet Press); Western Dream, (Finishing Line Press), and The Dice Throwers, (Liquid Light Press), as well as a novella, Ghost (Blue Cubicle Press). His work is anthologized in Best New Writing (Hopewell Publications), Bully Anthology (Kentucky Stories Press) and Coming Off The Line (Mainstreet Rag Publishing), and he has work in or forthcoming in journals such as The Chicago Quarterly Review, Iconoclast, Slipstream, and Midwest Quarterly. He received the Leslie Hunt Memorial Prize in Poetry and the Best of Poetry Award from Clapboard House. He is currently on the faculty at Seattle Central College. His website is douglastcole.com, and he has answered a few questions for us here.
Anthony DeGregorio has a master’s degree in Writing from Manhattanville College where he has been teaching a tutorial in expository writing since 1998. He has worked in various capacities for the Department of Social Services for far too many years. His poetry, short fiction, and essays have been published in several dozen journals. Most recently his work has appeared in Allegro Poetry Magazine, Boston Literary Magazine, Chronogram Magazine, and Unbroken. He also has a poem scheduled for publication soon in The Aurorean, and another of his poems was a finalist in the recent Naugatuck River Review’s annual narrative poetry contest, and will appear in that magazine this spring. Interview here.
Debra M. Fox’s poems have been published in haiku journals and anthologies. In addition, some of her short stories and essays have been published in literary magazines. She is a lawyer and the director of an adoption agency, and a member of an amateur dance troupe. She lives on the outskirts of Philadelphia with her husband, younger son who is profoundly disabled, and a companion dog who aspired to be a service dog, but failed. A short Q&A with Debra is here.
In a former life, Glynda Francis was published at Pleiades, Hillock, Midwest Poetry Review, and Tradeswomen, among others. More recently, both her speculative short story collection, Leyfarers and Wayfarers, and her speculative poetry collection, Under Every Moon, were published by Charlie Dawg Press (under G. L. Francis), and Eastern Iowa Review published an essay of hers in their inaugural issue. She works as a veterinary receptionist in the Kansas City area where she lives with her husband of about a zillion years. On occasion, she also commissions artwork, does machining, and resorts to herbal remedies whenever possible. More on Glynda here.
Carole Giangrande was born and raised in the New York City area, and now resides in Toronto, Canada. She is a former broadcast journalist with CBC Radio and the author of eight books, including two novels, a short story collection and three novellas, among them the award-winning A Gardener On The Moon. Her most recent work is the novella Here Comes the Dreamer (2015), and her novel All That is Solid Melts Into Air is due out in 2017. Her poetry has appeared in the journals Queens Quarterly and Grain. Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Winner (tie)
Alisa Golden writes, makes art, and teaches bookmaking and letterpress printing at California College of the Arts in Oakland. She founded and edits Star 82 Review, and her prose and poetry have been published in 100 Word Story, Dead Housekeeping, NANO Fiction, and DIAGRAM, among others. She is the author of Making Handmade Books and lives in Albany, California. www.neverbook.com. Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Honorable Mention
Therése Halscheid’s latest poetry collection, Frozen Latitudes, received the Eric Hoffer Award, Honorable Mention for Poetry. Essays and poems have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Tampa Review, Sou’wester, South Loop among many others. She has been an itinerant writer for more than two decades, living simply on the road as a house-sitter. A nomadic lifestyle has allowed her to connect with the earth and understand more deeply the interconnectedness between nature and human nature. Her photography chronicles her journey, and has appeared in juried shows. She enjoys teaching in varied settings, both in USA and abroad. To learn more, visit: ThereseHalscheid.com. Find an interview w/the author here.
Nancy Haverington is a scholar of American nature writing, a produced playwright, and eco-theologian. A teaching fellow in ethics for seven years at Harvard Divinity School, she is currently writing her doctoral dissertation on the role of grief in Emerson's transcendental thought and is developing her theory of "deep ethics." Nancy won the Harvard Arts Museum award for her play "Michael." As an ordained minister, she was recognized by the United Church of Christ for creating one of the first environmental churches with her founding of the New Eden Collaborative organic community gardens and Our Secret Garden environmental preschool and children's gardens. To learn more about Nancy, visit her website: www.nhaverington.com. Interview here (nature, playwriting, etc.)
Kathleen Hellen's poems are widely published and have appeared or are forthcoming in the Massachusetts Review, The Nation, North American Review, Poetry Northwest, Poetry Daily, the Sewanee Review, Southern Poetry Review, and elsewhere. She has served as senior poetry editor for the Baltimore Review and now sits on the editorial board of Washington Writers’ Publishing House. Her book reviews have been published in several journals, including the Baltimore Review and Oyster Boy Review. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she teaches creative writing in Baltimore. Informative interview here.
Mary Hotlen has written two nonfiction books. Her short fiction has appeared in the Rockford Review, and a poem titled “Year of Psalms” placed in the 2009 Illinois Emerging Writers contest. Her poetry has been accepted by: Red River Review, Literary Mama, The Awakenings Review, Devilfish Review, Pank, Persimmon Tree, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Whirlwind Review, Outrider Press’s 2015 Anthology, and others. She is a certified teacher and licensed counselor. Very short q&a here.
Richie Johnson is wild, brave and free. (That’s what he used to say.) Now: Richie is kind, moving and mostly quiet. After a handful of years, where he was first in school, then out of school, and lastly in school once more, he graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington having taken a bunch of Education and English courses, but never having student teacher taught, and so he’s not really sure what his degree is. After discovering love for his Maine home state, he moves to Vermont (after Christmas). Richie answers a few questions here.
Mark L. Keats was adopted from South Korea at the age of three. He earned his MFA from the University of Maryland, and his work has appeared or is forthcoming in Foundling Review, Clockhouse, Smokelong Quarterly, and many others. Currently, he is a doctoral student in English and Creative Writing at Texas Tech University. You can learn a little bit more about Mark and his essay, "Meditations and Fragments: An Enchiridion for Reflecting on Death," in the Q&A here.
Robert D. Kirvel, a 2016 Pushcart Prize nominee for fiction and a 2015 ArtPrize winner for creative nonfiction, has published stories or essays in the UK, New Zealand, Germany, and a dozen U.S. literary journals such as the Columbia College Literary Review. Interview here. Experimental Essay Award Finalist
J A Knight is a theater actor, director, and emerging writer. Her poems and monologues have been performed at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and at various venues across the country. She is currently working on a collection of illustrated short stories that she hopes will find its way to readers across the world. "Life Code" is her first publication and "she could not be more grateful for the grace and guidance of the Eastern Iowa Review." She is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and lives with her husband and two dogs in Maryland. More on Jennifer's writing life here. Lyric Essay Award Finalist
Raphael Kosek - Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines including Big Muddy, The Chattahoochee Review, Catamaran, Still Point Arts Quarterly, and is forthcoming in Southern Humanities Review and Poetry East. Her 2009 chapbook, Letting Go, was published by Finishing Line Press, and her new chapbook, ROUGH GRACE, won the 2014 Concrete Wolf Chapbook Competition. Raphael teaches American Lit and creative writing at Marist College and Dutchess Community College (New York). Interview here. Lyric Essay Award Winner (tie)
Ashley Kunsa's short fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming from the Los Angeles Review, the Roanoke Review, Hot Metal Bridge, Blue Lyra Review, and elsewhere. She was awarded the Orlando Prize by the AROHO foundation and holds an MFA from Penn State. Currently, Ashley is completing a Ph.D. in English literature at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Website. Interview here. Experimental Essay Award Winner (tie) Pushcart Nomination for "How to Write Your Life in the Second Person"
Myron Michael received a BA from Grand Valley State University and an MFA from California College of the Arts. He has taught poetry workshops throughout Grand Rapids and the San Francisco Bay Area. His practice combines, whole or in part, performance, photography, music, video, and text through means of prose and or poetry. In collaboration with Microclimate Collective, he has exhibited work at Eidolon and Perfect Place/No Place. He co-created “Vertical Horizon” as a participant in Broadside Attractions/Vanquished Terrains, and is a producer at Move or Die, poetry collaborations. His poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net 2015 and the Pushcart Prize 2015 and 2016. Read more at www.myronmichael.com. Interview here. Experimental Essay Award Winner (tie)
Robert Miltner has published Hotel Utopia (prose poetry from New Rivers Press) and And Your Bird Can Sing (short fiction from Bottom Dog Press). His nonfiction has appeared in Great Lakes Review, Diagram, AWP Writer, Buried Letter, KSU Research for Life, Mochila Review, and The Los Angeles Review. Miltner is Professor of English at Kent State University, teaches fiction and poetry in the NEOMFA, and edits The Raymond Carver Review. He is the recipient of an Individual Excellence in Poetry Award from the Ohio Arts Council. Find a rich interview with Robert here.
Amanda Noble has a Ph.D. in sociology and has researched and published numerous academic articles, book chapters and reports. Frustrated by the constraints of scientific writing, she turned her attention to creative non-fiction writing, especially personal essay and memoir. Her work has appeared in Seven Hills Review and Indiana Voices. She lives in Davis, California, with her cat, Lucy. She can be reached at [email protected]. A few answers to questions put to Amanda can be found here.
Sean Prentiss is the author of the memoir, Finding Abbey: a Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave, which won the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for History/Biography. Prentiss is also the co-editor of The Far Edges of the Fourth Genre: Explorations in Creative Nonfiction, a creative nonfiction craft anthology. He lives on a small lake in northern Vermont and serves as an assistant professor at Norwich University. Find more on Sean here.
Jim Ross is managing editor at the Ocala Star-Banner and an adjunct journalism instructor at the University of Florida. His work has been published in Clockhouse Review, the Little Patuxent Review blog, Foliate Oak, Paper Tape, Ray's Road Review and The Morning News. His essay “This is How I Post” and "Slow to Learn" are listed as Notable Essays in The Best American Essays 2015 & 2016. Read all about it! His interview, that is, here.
Bob Schildgen was the managing editor and book review editor of Sierra magazine for many years, and continues to write Sierra’s popular “Hey Mr. Green” environmental advice column. A native of rural Wisconsin, where he grew up on a farm, Schildgen now resides in Berkeley, California, where he indulges his passions for gardening and thrift by growing two dozen types of vegetables in his backyard. More about Bob.
Yvette Schnoeker-Shorb’s work has appeared in Caesura, Twisted Vine Literary Arts Magazine, Blue Lyra Review, Dark Matter: A Journal of Speculative Writing, Kudzu House Quarterly, Flash Fiction Magazine, Terrain.org, Midwest Quarterly, Concho River Review, The Blueline Anthology (Syracuse University Press), Talking Back and Looking Forward: An Educational Revolution in Poetry and Prose (Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group), and others. A past Pushcart Prize nominee (Poydras Review) and a recent Best of the Net nominee (Dirty Chai Magazine), she holds an interdisciplinary MA from Prescott College and is co-founder of Native West Press. You can find an interview here. Lyric Essay Award Honorable Mention
Travis Truax earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2010. His work has appeared in Flyover Country, Marathon Literary Review, Flagler Review, and The Meadow. After college he spent several years working in various national parks in the West. He currently resides in Bozeman, Montana. Read Travis' answers to a few questions here.
Robert D. Vivian is an Assistant Professor of English at Alma College in Michigan, and also teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts low residency MFA program. He is author of The Tall Grass Trilogy, Water And Abandon, and two collections of meditative essays, Cold Snap As Yearning and The Least Cricket Of Evening. He has written more than twenty plays produced off and off-off Broadway, and his work has been published in Alaska Quarterly Review, Creative Nonfiction, Glimmertrain, Georgia Review, and elsewhere. His next book Mystery My Country will be published early spring, 2016. Find his interview here.
Sarah Broussard Weaver lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, four children, three dogs and a hedgehog. She thinks the Internet is actually a great deal better than sliced bread. Find her at sbweaver.com. A Q&A with more about Sarah can be found here. Experimental Essay Award Finalist