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About Our Contributors

When not writing, Judson Blake tutors math and sketches people in cafés.

June Blumenson curates a poetry reading series and facilitates poetry writing workshops in Min­neapolis. Her work appears in dozens of literary journals. Her debut poetry collection A Scythe of Moon will be published early 2020 by Kelsay Books.

Z.Z. Boone’s fiction has appeared in New Ohio Review, Berkeley Fiction Review, Smokelong Quarterly, PANK, 2 Bridges Review, and other terrific places. He is the author of Off Somewhere, a 2015 Indie Award nominee for Best Short Story Collection.

Jo-Anne Cappeluti has poems that recently appeared in Lindonwood Review, Spiritus, and Blue Unicorn. Her short story, "My Father Asleep," in Fictive Dream (10 August 2018) was nominated for inclusion in Best Small Fictions, 2019.

Sharon Chmielarz’s latest books are The Widow’s House and The J Horoscope (Brighthorse Books). You can hear her read on www.sharonchmielarz.com. She’s the happy recipient of the 2012 Jane Kenyon Prize.

Glenn Freeman has published two collections of poems, Keeping the Tigers Behind Us and Trav­eling LIght. His poetry has been published in journals such as Poetry, The Cimarron Review, The Florida Review, and Zone 3. He lives with his wife and two cats in small-town Iowa where he teaches writing and American literature and watches the tomatoes grow.

Josh Gidding is the author of Failure: An Autobiography (Cyan Books, 2007). He has previously published three essays in AGNI: "On Not Being Proust: A Study in Literary Failure" (Spring 2008), which was listed as a "Notable Essay" in Best American Essays 2009, "On the Desire for Future Biographers" (AGNI Blog, April 10, 2017), and "The Light of Homer" (AGNI Blog, Oct. 29, 2018). He lives in Seattle, and teaches writing at Highline College.

Benjamin Klas lives in Saint Paul with his partner and their son. His works have appeared in sev­eral literary magazines and a collection by queer authors.

Ted Mc Carthy is a poet and translator living in Clones, Ireland. His work has appeared in maga­zines in Ireland, the UK, Germany, the USA, Canada and Australia. He has had two collections published, November Wedding and Beverly Downs. His work can be found on www.tedmccarthys­poetry.weebly.com.

Anthony J. Mohr's work has appeared in, among other places, DIAGRAM, Hippocampus Maga­zine, North Dakota Quarterly, Superstition Review, War, Literature, and the Arts, ZYZZYVA, and several anthologies. A five time Pushcart Prize nominee, he received honorable mention from Sequestrum's 2016 Editor's Reprint Award.

Melanie Richards has had poetry and prose published in The Harvard Review, Minnesota Monthly, Shenandoah and elsewhere. She won Kalliope's Sue Saniel Elkind Poetry Prize judged by Joy Harjo.

Carol Rucks is the author of Evidence of Rain. (Nodin Press). Her poems have appeared in West Branch, Abraxas, Poetry Quarterly and elsewhere. She lives in Minneapolis.

Kelly R. Samuels is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee. She is the author of the chap­books Words Some of Us Rarely Use (Unsolicited Press, 2019) and Zeena / Zenobia Speaks (Fin­ishing Line Press, 2019). Her poems have appeared in Salt Hill, The Carolina Quarterly, Sweet Tree Review, RHINO, and Cold Mountain Review.

Portland Oregon native Robin Schauffler is a writer and life-long teacher with a varied resume: She has taught 4-year-olds to tie their shoes, 80-year-olds to shoulder a backpack, and 17-year-olds to provide supporting details. Her fiction tends to be steeped in those real-life experiences. Although previous attempts to quit the teaching habit have been unsuccessful, she has recently retired. She has also recently finished a collection of essays about three years and her husband lived and worked in Mexico, and several chapters have been published.

Barry Wade Simms loves the mountains of East Tennessee and being outdoors. He also loves dogs (he has two of them--Harvey and Betsy). His short stories have appeared in Bat City Review, Monday Night, Maisonneuve, and Whistling Shade (spring 2002).

Stephanie Smith is a poet and writer from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Her work has appeared in such publications as Pif Magazine, Strong Verse, Poetry Quarterly, Foliate Oak, and Liquid Imagi­nation.

Justin Teerlinck is an occupational therapist in the Tacoma, Washington area, where he is learn­ing how to place his writing skills and sense of the absurd in service to people with disabilities. His response to most standardized test questions is, “Meow don't know this theoretical construct. Meow try again please?”

Joel Van Valin is the publisher of Whistling Shade. His first poetry chapbook, The White Forest, was published last year by Prolific Press. He lives with his wife, twin sons, and Naughty Cat in St. Paul.

Charles Weld’s most recent chapbook of poems is Who Cooks For You, published by Kattywom­pus Press. He is a mental health counselor from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.

Christopher Wiles is an aspiring poet. His work has appeared in the summer 2017 issue of The Lyric. He lives in Williamsville, IL with his wife and small children.