Tyler McMahon is the author of the novels How the Mistakes Were Made and Kilometer 99. He studied at the University of Virginia and Boise State University. He teaches writing at Hawaii Pacific University, edits the Hawaii Pacific Review, and organizes the annual Ko`oalu Writers Workshop.

Shawna Yang Ryan is the author of Water Ghosts and Green Island, Penguin Random House International's first #OneWorldOneBook pick. She teaches at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

Dave Housley is the author of the story collections Massive Cleansing Fire; If I Knew the Way, I Would Take You Home; Commercial Fiction; and Ryan Seacrest Is Famous. He is a cofounder of the Conversations and Connections writer's conference, and of Barrelhouse magazine.

Donna Talarico is founder and publisher of Hippocampus magazine and producer of HippoCamp, an annual three-day creative nonfiction event. Talarico is an independent marketing consultant, writer, and speaker. Previously, she was director of communications for a college and had stints in radio and TV.

Mark Brazaitis is the author of seven books, including The Incurables: Stories, winner of the 2012 Richard Sullivan Prize, and The River of Lost Voices: Stories from Guatemala, winner of the 1998 Iowa Short Fiction Award. He is a professor of English at West Virginia University.