David Carlson has a BA in political science from Wheaton College (Illinois), an M.A. from the American Baptist Seminary of the West (Biblical Theology) and a doctorate from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland (New Testament Studies). Franklin College, a traditional liberal arts college in central Indiana, has been his home for the past thirty-eight years.

Donald Vincent received his BA in Writing and Public Relations at Loyola University Maryland and MFA in Poetry from Emerson College. He teaches English Composition at UCLA and Visual & Media Arts at Emerson College Los Angeles. Originally from the Southeast sector of Washington, DC, he currently lives in LA.

In Call Me American, Abdi recounts his harrowing, extraordinary, and uplifting story. His love of western culture and music earned him the name “Abdi American.” This became a liability when Islamic extremism took hold of Somalia. Evading conscription by al-Shabaab while secretly filing stories for NPR under penalty of death, he stayed in Somalia until he had no choice but to flee to Kenyan. And then, a stroke of incredible luck: he won the Diversity Visa Lottery.

Kirsten Imani Kasai is the author of The House of Erzulie (Shade Mountain Press, 2018), Ice Song (2009), and Tattoo (Random House, 2011). According to Foreword Reviews, “Kirsten makes the macabre beautiful.” She teaches creative writing and literature at San Diego State University and Southern New Hampshire University.

Aimee Liu is the author of the new novel Glorious Boy. Her other books include the novels Flash House, Cloud Mountain, and Face and the memoirs Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders and Solitaire. She holds an MFA from Bennington College and teaches in Goddard College’s MFA in Creative Writing Program at Port Townsend, WA.

Yi Shun Lai is the author of Not a Self-Help Book: The Misadventures of Marty Wu (2016) and Pin Ups (2020). Adjunct faculty at Bay Path University and Southern New Hampshire University's MFA programs. Columnist, The Writer magazine.

Amy Shearn is the author of the novels How Far Is the Ocean from Here, The Mermaid of Brooklyn, and Unseen City. She works as an editor, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, and elsewhere. Amy lives in New York City with her two children.

Ellen Meeropol is the author of the novels Her Sister’s Tattoo, Kinship Of Clover, On Hurricane Island, and House Arrest. Recent short fiction and essays are in Solstice Magazine, Lit Hub, Ms Magazine, and Lilith. She grew up in the D.C. area and lives in Western Massachusetts.

Lara Ehrlich is the author of the short story collection Animal Wife (Red Hen Press, Sept 2020), which won Red Hen’s Fiction Award, judged by Ann Hood. Lara lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughter.

Donna Hemans is the author of two novels: River Woman and Tea by the Sea. Her work has appeared in Electric Literature, Ms. Magazine, Crab Orchard Review, among others. She lives in Maryland and owns the DC Writers Room, a co-working studio for writers.