Michael Escoubas began writing poetry for publication in August of 2013, after retiring from a 48-year-career in the printing industry. He writes poetry because, early in life, his mother encouraged him. Michael also writes poetry because he believes poetry brings people together and that poets are menders of broken things. He is the author of six collections; the most recent is Ripples Into the Light, a collection partnered with photographs by Vandana Bajikar and designed to “rest the soul and calm the spirit.” Michael is Senior Editor and Book Reviewer at Quill and Parchment, an online poetry journal. He lives in Illinois.

Karla Linn Merrifield’s poems have appeared in dozens of journals and anthologies and she is the author of 14 books. Karla describes herself as “a poet who likes to go places” and “one who likes to take people places," attributes well-served by her appointment as a National Park Artist-in-Residence. Her latest book is a poetry collection, My Body the Guitar, inspired by famous guitarists and their guitars and nominated for the 2022 National Book Award. Learn more about Karla at https://www.karlalinnmerrifield.org/ and https://karlalinnmerrifeld.wordpress.com/.