Angelia Ross began journaling, writing science fiction and fantasy stories in her early teens. But after graduating high school, she also began writing poetry, which has been featured in many different publications. However, the poems she is most proud of are featured in the 2023 Appalachian anthology Hometown Poems, poems for which she won Poet of the Year. Angelia lives in Oneida, TN where she gets her inspiration from nearly everything, including her menagerie of pets.

Frances Denise is a poet, permaculturist, unschooling mom, story-gatherer and podcaster (The Harmony of Stories). Her writing expresses her reflections and explorations on peace, freedom, healing, connection and unconditional love within and beyond the human experience. She dreams of one day stewarding land and enjoying a quietly wild life with the people she loves the most. To keep up with her most recent writings, follow Frances on Instagram @francesdenisepoetry.

Dane Osborne is a writer and poet from eastern Kentucky. Aside from poetry, he is currently writing a novel and also writes short fiction. Dane lives on a blue-colored spherical-shaped rock which rotates around a yellow Star in outer space. Despite being stuck on this spherical-shaped rock, he has the ability to travel into alternate dimensions inside his mind at any given time. Other interests include playing chess, drawing, the history of ancient Greek/Roman warfare, and dissecting the nature of reality to mixed results.

Mellisa Pascale is from southeastern Pennsylvania. Her essays and poetry have also appeared in Humans and Nature Press Digital, The Common Online, Hometown Poems, and other publications. She loves writing about natural landscapes, animals (especially groundhogs!), and travel. Find more of her work at her website: mellisapascale.com.

Chris Boyatt's love of poetry began in high school, but she never dreamed of writing poetry herself until her poet friends Cheyanne Leonardo and Angelia Ross began encouraging her to write. Her very first poems can be found in our community anthology of Appalachian writers from the Big South Fork area, Hometown Poems. In June 2023, Chris received the Historian Award for her meticulous documentation of the Little Town Poets Society. She is the co-creator of the Color Me Creative program in partnership with the Appalachian Society of the Arts, reintroducing adults to the world of coloring, art, crafts, and fun.

Stephani Duff resides in Dayton, Ohio and writes full-time for an orphan care ministry. When she isn’t sharing stories on behalf of vulnerable populations, she is pilfering for the magic of everyday, reading, baking, being with her people, and keeping an ongoing list of writing ideas on her person. She believes in tiny joys, never says no to a fountain Coke, and genuinely thinks kindness can change the world. She’s most often inspired by nature, random conversations with her best friend, and a desire to evoke emotion in others. Follow Steph on Instagram @_stephduff.

Laura A. Clift is a writer, artist, and traveler based in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. Her life revolves around story– whether in writing books, painting scenes, working in the theatre, or venturing out to explore. After all, what could be more human than having a dream, creating a memory, and sharing a story? Her first book of short stories, Written for a Friend, was just published on September 18! To keep up with Laura's most recent work, follow her on Instagram @l.a.clift.

Brandon Thorpe was born and currently lives in southeastern Kentucky. He became interested in art at an early age, but was unable to read well in school where he was diagnosed with Dyslexia. The initial difficulty with reading gave him a deep fascination with the written word when it finally started making sense, an obsession that has persisted to this day: “My mom would trick me, tell me that a book was too violent or raunchy for a child, but that she’d begrudgingly let me read it if I could, and I fell for it every time.” Brandon is the founding member of the Appalachian Artist League and serves as one of the acting event organizers.

Olivia Gilreath is a 15-year-old writer from Pine Knot, KY. She lives a very social life with her mom, stepdad, and brother. She also has 3 fur babies with her boyfriend, 2 dogs and 1 cat. As you read Olivia’s creative verses about different topics, you will imagine the scenes and scenarios as you read. A master of rhyme & rhythm, she fell in love with writing at the tip of a hat after writing her first scenario in 6th grade and has non-stop written about many different topics ever since. To learn more about Olivia's life & writing, follow her on Instagram @your_bsflivvv.

Kait Quinn (she/her) was born with salt in her wounds. She flushes the sting of living by writing poetry. She is the author of five poetry collections, and her work appears in Anti-Heroin Chic, Dandelion Scribes, Exposition Review, Reed Magazine, Watershed Review, and elsewhere. She received first place in the 2022 John Calvin Rezmerski Memorial Grand Prize. Kait is an Editorial Associate at Yellow Arrow Publishing and a poetry reader for Black Fox Literary Magazine. She enjoys cats, repetition, coffee shops, tattoos, and vegan breakfast. Kait lives in Minneapolis with her partner and their very polite Aussie mix. Find her at kaitquinn.com.