Marianne Murphy Zarzana is an associate professor of English at Southwest Minnesota State University. For the past three years, she has taught a multidisciplinary Contemporary Issues in Society class that she created: Re-imagining disABILITY through Literature, Film & Media.

Christine Stewart-Nuñez wrote Snow, Salt, Honey; Keeping Them Alive; Postcard on Parchment; Unbound & Branded; and The Love of Unreal Things. Her piece “An Archeology of Secrets” was a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2012. She teaches at South Dakota State University.

Dana Yost was an award-winning daily newspaper journalist for twenty-nine years, until a severe increase in mental health problems led him to leave the industry. He is the author of five books. His poems often are about mental illness and mental health care. He is a three-time Pushcart nominee.

Christine Stark is an award-winning writer and visual artist of Anishinaabe/Cherokee ancestry. Her essays, poems, and creative nonfiction have appeared in numerous publications. Her first novel, Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation, was a Lambda Literary Finalist. 

Cassie J. Williams earned a BA in Creative Writing and an MA in Education (English emphasis) from Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, Minnesota. She has presented at schools and events in the Twin Cities and Marshall. She has published her work in a variety of literary journals.