016 Jason Martin

015 Esther Windt 

Esther Windt is a trans woman writer who’s currently attending Saint Ambrose University for an English Degree (Creative Writing Concentration). She’s been published with the Midwest Writing Center in the Shattered Constraints Anthology and has also been published in the SAU literary magazine Quercus Volume 32 and 33.

014 Garrett Traylor

Garrett Traylor is a proud husband, father, son, brother, dog-dad, and whatever other ways humans are connected by love. He works as an academic librarian in his hometown. He has published works on Scandinavian cinema, adaptation theory, video games, parks and place meaning, and various works of poetry.

013 Emily Tobin

Emily Tobin is a librarian from Michigan who now lives in Illinois. She enjoys making art and experiencing entropy.

012 Kai Newell 

Kai Newell is a queer author and advocate who uses their writing and work to push for equality and inclusion. A Transgender and Gender Expansive Care Coordinator by day, they’re passionate about breaking barriers, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. When they’re not busy fighting for change, you’ll find them hanging out with their kids, jamming to 2000s emo, or getting lost in a great book.

Wendy Jean Saathoff is a QC native, breast cancer survivor and a mother of two. She finds substance through painting, writing poetry, instructing yoga and connecting with youth as a Behavioral Interventionist. She most recently presented an exhibit titled "Just Barely" at DeSoto Studios in Rock Island. 

011 Emily Murphy

Born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, Emily Murphy is a sophomore at St. Ambrose University, recently switching majors from forensic psychology to creative writing in pursuit of her childhood dream of becoming an author.

010 Caitlin Moran

Caitlin Moran is a Masters student in Rhetoric at Iowa State University. They earned their Bachelors of Arts in English from Dominican University. Outside of academia, Caitlin plays hockey, reads, and writes. Their poetry and fiction has been published by Mount Island Literary Magazine and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park.

009 Sam Miller

Sam Miller is a 17-year-old human being surely not a robot. You can usually find them reading or writing accompanied by a caffeinated drink. They strongly believe in the importance of storytelling and the sharing of experiences. 

008 Ava Miller 

Ava Miller has been writing since they could pick up a pencil, and to everyone's chagrin, they show no signs of stopping. They graduated from St. Olaf College in 2023 with degrees in English and Film & Media Studies, and they currently live in Davenport with several weird cats. 

007 June Heller

June Heller lives in Davenport, Iowa, where she and her husband own the local Minor League Baseball team, the Quad Cities River Bandits. June recently took up creative writing while studying at the University of Iowa, where was thrilled to complete her bachelor’s degree before her teenage sons started theirs.