Jack McBride is associate director for Writers in the Schools in Houston. He designs creative writing school programs, collaborations with community organizations, and teaching opportunities for creative writers. Jack earned a masters of nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Nicky Beer is the author of two books of poems, The Octopus Game and The Diminishing House, both winners of the Colorado Book Award for Poetry. Her awards include an NEA grant and a Ruth Lilly Fellowship. She is an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver.

Karyna McGlynn is the author of I Have to Go Back to 1994 and Kill a Girl and Hothouse. She holds an MFA from the University of Michigan and a PhD from the University of Houston. She is currently a visiting assistant professor of creative writing and translation at Oberlin College.

Ramon Isao is the recipient of the Tim McGinnis Award for Fiction, as well as fellowships from Artist Trust and Jack Straw Cultural Center. His writing appears in The Iowa Review, Ninth Letter, CityArts magazine, Hobart, and elsewhere. He teaches creative writing at Hugo House in Seattle.

Niki Herd