Author Interviews

Kay “Kro” Kroger is an on-demand typewriter poet. They teach creative (type)writing classes and are poet-in-residence at the WNDR Museum. They have a linguistics MA (2016) and are an MFA student (2025). They are the DePaul Publishing Institute’s Editorial Assistant. Their interactive poetry/essay/activity collection, Prayer Wheel, was self-published in 2022 with grant support from the Illinois Arts Council. Their work has appeared in Outpatient Press, The Prairie Light Review, and QWERTY Quarterly, among others.

Thomas Kneeland is the author of We Be Walkin’ Blackly in the Deep (Marian University Department of Media, Communication, and Design) and a 2022 Frontier Poetry Global Poetry Prize finalist for the continent of Africa. He is a 2024 Speculative Play & Just Futurities Scholar-in-Residence, which is funded by Indiana University, the Mellon Foundation, IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute, IUPUI Center for Africana Studies & Culture, and the Ray Bradbury Center.

I'm shallow. Things roll off my back easily and I try not to take things too seriously. Laughing is more fun than crying and worrying. I'm old-ish so I've got lots of experiences to choose from. I've got kids, grandkids and great grandkids and if they don't slow down I'll have great great grandkids soon. They have no interest in anything I write so I can be as smutty as I choose. I love to make my lady friends gasp when they read my stories but I don't cross the line.

AJ Marshall is the Typesmith Fantasy award-winning author of Fate of the Scaled: The Receding Wings, a book that took ten years to craft. Although the work is fictional, certain situations were drawn from AJ's real-life experiences to give a more personal touch to the story.

Paula Banks, a natural storyteller, discovered her talent for crafting compelling narratives during her high school years. Today, she juggles her roles as a writer and Implementation Specialist with ease, effortlessly balancing her professional and creative pursuits. Alongside her literary endeavors, Paula takes pride in raising two successful sons and supporting her spouse. Drawing inspiration from her life experiences, Paula continuously hones her storytelling skills.

Kara is a writer who lives with her family in the Midwest. With degrees in History and Interior Design, she brings a wealth of knowledge to every project she tackles. Kara also serves on the city council in her hometown and proudly serves on the local library board.

Deborah Camp is a freelance artist, writer, and art educator. She specializes in a medley of visual and written mediums from short stories and poetry to graphic design illustrations and hand painting murals for a variety of clients. Her passion for visual art derives from her great-grandfather. He loved to paint the landscapes of his motherland and horses. Her passion for writing stems from her mother’s childhood story writing musings.

Tiffany Washington is a high school English teacher, mother of four, lesbian, poet, and writer. Her works have appeared in a number of print and on-line publications including Rumble fish Quarterly, Thimble Magazine, Sheila-Na-Gig and most recently CT Literary Anthology.

Sara Frances self-identifies as a photojournalist-poet with a personal storytelling mission. She is uniquely prepared and equipped to judge poetry books from both content and design aspects. Based in part on her comparative experiences judging art and photographic contests and book contests, she has formulated a new way to evaluate and award the many, diverse sub-sets of the poetry genre.

Jen Soriano (she/they) is a Filipinx writer and movement builder who has long worked at the intersection of grassroots organizing, narrative strategy, and art-driven social change. Jen is the author of Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing, which was recognized by TIME, GLAMOUR, The Atlantic, Poets&Writers, and other outlets as a notable book of 2023.

Tanicia Pratt is an interdisciplinary poet, writer, and artist from the Bahamas. She began her career in Nassau's underground poetry scene, dedicating years to spoken word performance before moving to London to study experimental poetics. Tanicia defines her practice as a spiritual act, creating space for divine connection, introspection, transformation, and ancestral reverence. She is currently interested in writing through the body within the Caribbean landscape and an afro-feminist lens.

Diane Frank is author of eight books of poems, two novels, and a photo memoir of her 400-mile trek in the Nepal Himalayas. She is also Chief Editor of Blue Light Press. While Listening to the Enigma Variations: New and Selected Poems won the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Poetry. Diane plays cello in the Golden Gate Symphony and collaborated with Matt Arnerich to create an orchestral suite based on her poem, "Tree of Life."