Month: February 2026

Dustin Morrow bridges the worlds of creative practice and scholarly inquiry as an Emmy-winning filmmaker, bestselling author, film festival programmer, optioned screenwriter, podcaster and educator. He is a tenured Professor in the School of Film at Portland State University.

More here: https://dustinmorrow.com/biography/.

Valerie is a tax, business, and estate planning attorney in Portland, Oregon. Her favorite thing to do is to detangle complex language and solve problems. She has various degrees and accolades, none of which have to do with writing fiction. And yet we march on! It took her 20 years to feel competent at her day job, so she’s expecting a similar runway for her fantasy novel writing. Why novels? She admits that she doesn’t have the discipline or attention span for short stories. Valerie recently acquired a mini-velociraptor who is coming to believe that his name is “why are you chewing that?”

Find out more at www.jomizuno.com.

Suzy Vitello’s award-winning short pieces have appeared in The Rumpus, The Southampton Review, Mississippi Review and other journals. Her next novel, Griftopia, releases May 05, 2026. Her recent release, The Bequest, has been called “a riveting, fast-paced crime caper.” Other novels include Bitterroot, Faultland, The Moment Before, The Empress Chronicles, and The Keepsake. She works as managing editor for Sibylline Press.

Find out more at http://suzyvitello.com.

Sonja Thomas writes stories for kids of all ages. Her debut novel, Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence, is an Oregon Book Award finalist, an Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor recipient, and a Washington State Book Award finalist. She’s also a contributing author for Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic. Her latest middle grade novel Olive Blackwood Takes Action! received “Two thumbs up for this necessary novel about anxiety and self-advocacy” from Kirkus Reviews.

Find out more at https://bysonjathomas.com/.

Rose McAleese (Mac a Lease) was born on Halloween night in Seattle, delivered by a doctor in a giant spider costume—which has pretty much set the tone for the rest of her life.

She studied at the prestigious women’s writing collective Hedgebrook, where she focused on screenwriting, television writing, non-fiction writing, and memoir development with dramatist/screenwriter Winnie Holzman, writer/director/producer Robin Swicord, television writer/producer Felicia D. Henderson, and novelist Hannah Tinti.

After moving to Los Angeles, Rose was awarded a year-long paid fellowship in the Universal Pictures Emerging Writers Fellowship Program (2016–2017). She later completed a residency at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York, and currently works as a writer-producer on the hit STARZ series BMF.

Throughout her career, Rose has worked in a wide range of creative environments—from independent film sets to network television rooms—bringing humor, heart, and humanity to every project. Her comedy writing has been praised for its universal appeal, sharp wit, and emotional depth.

In addition to her work as a professional writer, Rose also teaches and mentors emerging voices. She continues to live full-time in Los Angeles, because she figures what that city really needs is one more writer.

She is currently represented by Artist First Management.

Find out more at rosemcaleese.com.

Randy Henderson is the author of the quirky Finn Fancy contemporary fantasy trilogy from Tor. He’s also a Writers of the Future grand prize winner, Clarion West grad, sometime TTRPG livestreamer, and frequent cat pillow. Socials: @randyauthor.

Find out more at https://www.randy-henderson.com/.