David James Poissant is the author of The Heaven of Animals, winner of the GLCA New Writers Award, and a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize and the PEN/Bingham Prize. His work has appeared in The Atlantic and The New York Times. He teaches in the MFA program at the University of Central Florida.

Terry Ann Thaxton has published three books of poetry: Getaway Girl, The Terrible Wife, and Mud Song, as well as Creative Writing in the Community: A Guide. She is professor of English at the University of Central Florida where she directs the MFA program.

Diana Abu-Jaber is the author of two memoirs: Life Without a Recipe and The Language of Baklava, as well as four novels, Birds of Paradise, Origin, Crescent, and Arabian Jazz. Her YA fantasy novel SilverWorld is forthcoming next year. Diana teaches at Portland State University.

Jonathan Fink is professor and director of creative writing at University of West Florida. He is the author of two poetry collections from Dzanc Books, and his poems have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Poetry, Slate, New England Review, and Virginia Quarterly Review, among other journals.

Tana Jean Welch is the author of the poetry collection Latest Volcano. Her poetry has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Colorado Review, The Southern Review, and other national journals. She is assistant professor of medical humanities at the Florida State University College of Medicine.