Scott Cairns directs the Seattle Pacific University low-res MFA—an ecumenical, affirming program despite what you've heard about SPU. He has received the Denise Levertov Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His books include Slow Pilgrim, followed by Anaphora. His spiritual memoir is Short Trip to the Edge.

Joyelle McSweeney is the author of ten books, including the critical book, The Necropastoral: Poetry, Media, Occults, and the poetry volume, Toxicon and Arachne, winner of the Shelley Memorial Prize from the Poetry Society of America. She edits Action Books and teaches at Notre Dame.

Sarah Stone is the author or coauthor of three books, including Hungry Ghost Theater: A Novel, a finalist for the 38th Annual Northern California Book Awards, and Deepening Fiction (with Ron Nyren). She teaches online for Stanford Continuing Studies and was a 2020 LABA East Bay Fellow.

Fady Joudah's fifth collection of poetry, Tethered to Stars, is from Milkweed Editions. He is a the recipient of the Griffin International Poetry prize and the Yale Series for Younger Poets award, among other. He is a practicing physician in Houston, Texas.

Shane McCrae’s most recent book is Sometimes I Never Suffered, shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. He has received a Lannan Literary Award, a Whiting Writer’s Award, an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Guggenheim fellowship, an NEA fellowship, and an NYFA fellowship. He teaches at Columbia University.