Laurie Lindeen is the author of the memoir Petal Pusher. Her work has appeared in anthologies, academic publications, and the Huffington Post.  She teaches writing at the Loft Literary Center and at St. Thomas University

Leigh Stein is the author of the novel The Fallback Plan, a full-length poetry collection, Dispatch from the Future, and a forthcoming memoir called Land of Enchantment. She also codirects the nonprofit literary organization Out of the Binders.

Eileen Cronin’s memoir, Mermaid, is on Oprah’s Best Memoirs of 2014 list and is translated into three foreign languages. She won the Washington Writing Prize, performed with The Moth, practiced psychology, and taught writing.

Cheryl Strayed is the bestselling author of the memoir Wild, the novel Torch, and the nonfiction collections Tiny Beautiful Things and Brave Enough. Her essays have appeared in The Best American Essays, the New York Times, Vogue, the Sun, Tin House, the Missouri Review, and elsewhere.