Chris Highland was a Protestant minister and interfaith chaplain for many years before becoming a humanist celebrant. With a degree in Religion and Philosophy from evangelical Seattle Pacific University and an M.Div. from a diverse consortium of seminaries (Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley), he has been active in “presence ministry” and nonprofit work in a […]
Michael Amos Cody is a professor in the Department of Literature and Language at East Tennessee State University. After working as a songwriter in Nashville, he earned his PhD in English from the University of South Carolina. His short fiction has appeared in The Tampa Review, Yemassee, and other publications, and his albums include Homecoming
Peter Olevnik grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a former manufacturing center at the confluence of three rivers — the Maumee, St. Joseph, and St. Mary’s — in the northeastern corner of the state. A lover of language and art throughout his life, he earned his PhD at the State University of NY at Buffalo,
Born in New York City, where she grew up in an apartment overlooking the storied square of Gramercy Park, Nan Socolow first studied poetry at Connecticut College with William Meredith, later the U.S. Poet Laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. At Princeton University, where she was the first Administrator of Rockefeller College, she studied
Robin Russell Gaiser grew up the daughter of a trained classical musician and teacher, whose approach was literally by the book: study theory, follow the score, play in the key as written, avoid improvisation or experimentation. As a small child with perfect pitch and instant, complete recall, Robin played by ear what she heard in
Barry Burgess grew up on Long Island in a time when the vineyards were still potato farms. He and his brother raised pet crows and were often seen cawing at the sky. After attending Vassar College, where he explored his interests in biology and ballet and made lifelong friends, he enrolled in the Harkness School
Jeff Douglas Messer got his start at a young age, writing the spring play for his fifth-grade class. A decade later his first professional play was produced by Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in his hometown of Waynesville, NC. It was the first approved play about the famed composer Irving Berlin. Many plays followed, as did
More than three decades of work in the field of addiction and recovery have had a significant influence on RF Wilson’s fiction. In addition to his Rick Ryder mysteries he has written nearly two dozen short stories including several published in anthologies of contemporary fiction. An avid hiker, he is also interested in music, movies,
Connecticut native Dave Richards served seven years in the U. S. Army, primarily in military intelligence. While serving in that field, he received more than two years of Russian language instruction and specialized training for an assignment in West Berlin as a transcriber of Soviet military communications. Following his service commitment, he attended George Washington
C. Robert Jones holds degrees from the Universities of South Carolina and Georgia and from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Dijon on a Fulbright grant. He launched his professional career by directing twenty-six shows back to back in four