In addition to her numerous published works in journals and anthologies, Leonora Smith is the author of the recently published poetry collection, Special Relations. She is a former president of the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature and is currently Associate Professor of American Thought and Language at Michigan State University: http://www.msu.edu/~atl/faculty_staff/smith.html

A life long writer and creator of novels, short stories and screenplays, Scott SIgler is author of the novel Earth Core. His stories have also appeared in Flesh and Blood and White Wolf magazines, as well as several anthologies. A graduate of Olivet College, he has worked as a journalist and was a member of the Kappa Sigma Alpha Literary Society. Scott's creativity extends to music as he currently plays bass in the Detroit band StoneMojo. http://www.scottsigler.net

Ruth Behar shares her experiences of crossing cultural borders through her work as a writer, editor, ethnographer, and documentary filmmaker. A recipient of the MacArthur Foundation "genius" award, as well as a John Simon Guggenheim award, her books include Translated Woman: Crossing the Border with Esperanza's Story and The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart. She has also translated the works of Cuban women poets and had a collection of her own poems produced by the Cuban publishing cooperative, Ediciones Vigia. Ruth Behar is a Professor of anthropology at the Universtiy of Michigan: http://www.umich.edu/~rbehar/

Renowned author of Native American Poetry, Diane Glancy has recently published the novel, Designs of the Night Sky. She has received numerous awards and fellowships, and currently teaches Native American literature and creative writing courses at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Diane Glancy appears as a guest reader of the Michigan Writers Series by courtesy of the Red Cedar Review: http://www.msu.edu/~rcreview/

Sandra Seaton collaborated with composer William Bolcom to produce the song cycle for her most recent work, From The Diary of Sally Hemmings. http://www.grad.cmich.edu/seaton/Sandra_Seaton.htm