June's Biography |
 Meet the Contributors Joan Marie Arbogast is a freelance writer and author who lives in northeastern Ohio with her family. Her poems, short stories, and articles can be found in numerous children's magazines. Her books include The Advent-Christmas Book, The Lent-Easter Book, and Buildings in Disguise. In addition to writing, faith, family, and service bring her joy. Martha K. Baker, a freelance writer in St. Louis, has published in The New York Times, Glamour, and Cat Fancy. She has reviewed films for thirty years, currently for KDHX Radio; she has reviewed books for thirty-five years, currently for Episcopal Life and Pages. Her work has appeared in six of June Cotner’s anthologies, including Baby Blessings, Animal Blessings, and Christmas Blessings. She holds a license to preach in the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Email: baker@gtw.net Judy Barnes, a former elementary school teacher, is now happily retired with her husband in beautiful northern Idaho. A freelance writer, she has published poems and articles in numerous magazines and books, including Family Celebrations, Wedding Blessings, and Mothers and Daughters. In addition to writing, she enjoys meeting with her book group and spending time with her three grandsons. Email: jbarnes@icehouse.net
Ellen Bass’s most recent book of poetry is Mules of Love (BOA Editions, 2002). She was co-editor of the first major anthology of women's poetry, No More Masks! (Doubleday, 1973) and her non-fiction books include Free Your Mind and The Courage to Heal (HarperCollins) which has been translated into twelve languages. She teaches poetry and creative writing in Santa Cruz, CA. Web site: www.ellenbass.com
Colleen Foye Bollen is an award-winning writer and healing arts pracitioner. During her seventeen-year career as a professional freelance writer she has placed articles in numerous publications, including Sunset, The Christian Science Monitor, and Mothering magazine. Her healing practice, Flowing Stillness, draws on her skills as a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, Reiki Master and certified Sound Healer. Web site: www.flowingstillness.com
Ann Reisfeld Boutté is an award-winning writer of poems, essays, and feature stories. She has an MA in Journalism and has been a feature writer for a daily newspaper and a national wire service. Her poems have appeared in June Cotner's Dog Blessings, Forever in Love, Baby Blessings, and Comfort Prayers. Email: AnnRB@sbcglobal.net
Janie Bowman is a writer who lives on an acre of woods in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, a dog and cat, various birds and squirrels, and sometimes other wildlife. She's been writing since she could hold a Number 2 pencil and coedited Think Fast! The ADD Experience, which is permanently archived in the Smithsonian Institute. Poetry is her passion, and she has been published in Bedside Prayers and the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, both edited by June Cotner. Web site: www.brightword.com. Email: janie@brightword.com
Noreen Braman is an award-winning writer and the author of I'm 50 - Now What? She has had stories, poems, articles, and blogs published in numerous sources, including June Cotner's Family Celebrations, Christmas Blessings, and Bless the Day. More information about her work can be found at www.noreensdigitaldreams.com
Julie Broski is a meteorologist, author, educator, and advocate for the rights of children with special needs. Julie's book Being Me (Children's Press, March 2006) is about how a deaf child communicates differently from some children, but like all kids, enjoys watching clouds, painting and "being loved for just being me." For more information you can reach her at JulieBroski@hotmail.com
Leah Browning recently completed her first novel and is in the process of writing two nonfiction children’s books for Capstone Press. Her poetry, fiction, essays, and articles have appeared in a variety of publications including The Saint Ann’s Review, Arable: A Literary Journal, Mothering Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul 2, and Proposing on the Brooklyn Bridge: Poems About Marriage, an anthology edited by Ginny Lowe Connors. Leah is also the editor of the Apple Valley Review, an online literary journal. Web sites: www.leahbrowning.com and www.applevalleyreview.com.
Susanne Wiggins Bunch lives, writes, and worships in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. The wife of Jim, mother of Bryan, teacher, writer and poet, Susanne's writings reflect her Christian faith, love of nature, and devotion to family. She has recently completed two children's books, Blessed as Blessed Can Be, and Finding God. Email: jbunch9@comcast.net.
Joseph Byron divides his time between freelance writing and serving as the Dean of the prestigious Los Angeles Film School. Despite an extensive background in the cinematic arts, he believes that the written word serves its own function working on the mind of the reader and avoids adapting his literary images to film. He insists that his novel-in-progress, Notes on a Blue Door, can never be made into a motion picture. Email: Byronjoe@aol.com.
Rosalie Calabrese lives and works in New York City, where she is a management consultant for the arts. Her poems have appeared in publications ranging from Cosmopolitan to Poetica and Poetry New Zealand, and she has been a featured poet in readings at book stores, colleges, libraries, and other public spaces. In addition to poetry, she writes short stories, books, and lyrics for musicals. Email: rcmgt@yahoo.com
Paulette Callen is the author of Charity and numerous poems and stories that appear in print and webzines. Born and raised in South Dakota, she now lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side with Lily, a rescued, blind Shih Tzu. She can be reached at paulettecallen@earthlink.net.
Janine Canan, psychiatrist and award-winning author, wrote Journeys with Justine, a book of stories; Goddesses, Goddesses, a book of essays; and ten books of poetry, including Changing Woman and In the Palace of Creation: Selected Works 1969–1999. Janine edited Messages from Amma: In the Language of the Heart and She Rises Like the Sun: Invocations of the Goddess by Contemporary American Women Poets and translated Star in My Forehead: Selected Poems by Else Lasker-Schueler. Visit www.JanineCanan.com. Sylvia Wave Carberry teaches creative writing in California. Her work has appeared in many of June Cotner’s anthologies, including Graces, Bedside Prayers, and Mothers and Daughters. Now Sylvia Wave’s first book of poems, Finding God’s Footprints, is available. In the new book she presents everyday situations and characters in such a way that God’s presence shines through. For details on how to order Footprints, write to Sylvia Wave Carberry, 5920 Jordan Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530. Sandy McPherson Carrubba, a Buffalo, NY, poet, writer, and former first-grade teacher has had short stories, essays, and poetry published in literary and mainstream magazines. Moushumi Chakrabarty is a writer, anthologist, and poet based in Ontario, Canada. She is the author of two non-fiction books: Positive Thoughts for Writers and Fighting for Women's Rights: The Extraordinary Adventures of Anna Leonowens. Feel free to visit her home on the web: www.moushumichakrabarty.com. Kelly Cherry is the author of eleven books of poetry, eight of fiction, and four of nonfiction. She has also translated two classical plays. She and her husband live on a small farm in Virginia.
Madonna Dries Christensen, contributor to Mothers and Daughters, is the author of Swinging Sisters (www.iUniverse.com). She's on the editorial board of Doorways, a memoir writing project, and a columnist for Creativity Connection. Web site: www.alongstoryshort.net/MadonnaDriesChristensen.html Don Church is a retired electrical engineer with ten books of poetry published, of which eight were transcribed into Braille. He has published over 1200 poems and written an additional 1500. He has been giving talks on poetry for thirty-six years to all types of groups, from pre-kindergartners to senior citizens. His first book, From a Tree House, was published in 1964, and his tenth, The Holy Bible in Rhymed Verse, was published in 2004. Email: frandonchurch@juno.com Jill Clark is a freelance writer of prose and poetry. Her work has recently appeared in the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, Bless the Day, and the endangered species series Vanishing from Grasslands and Deserts, Vanishing from Forests and Jungles, and Vanishing from Waterways. She is an assistant professor of English at Daytona Beach Community College.
Sally Clark lives in Fredericksburg, Texas with her family. She has published award-winning poetry for adults and children, personal essays, greeting cards, and children’s stories. Her work appears in June Cotner's 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, Pocket Prayers, Miracles of Motherhood and To Have and To Hold. She can be reached at auslande@ktc.com.
Jennifer Lynn Clay, age 16, is a straight-A student who has been published more than thirty times in national and international magazines and in several books including House Blessings, Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul 2, and Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul. A State Finalist for Power of the Pen in 2004, she has appeared on live television and given several radio interviews about her accomplishments as a writer.
Sheryl Stone Clay, a contributor to Teen Sunshine Reflections, is a stay-at-home mom, though she holds Bachelor's Degrees in both Nursing and Psychology. She lives in Ohio with her husband Stan and children David, 18, currently a student at Vanderbilt University, and Jennifer, 16, a well-published poet and writer of Young Adult novels. Her family is the most important thing in her life.
William Cleary is the author of the recent Prayers to an Evolutionary God, How the Wild Things Pray, and some dozen other books of spirituality. His original music—and other writings—are listed at www.clearyworks.com. Email: bcleary412@aol.com.
Elayne Clift is a writer, journalist and adjunct professor affiliated with several New England colleges and universities as well as Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Her latest edited collection is Women, Philanthropy and Social Change: Visions for a Just Society (UPNE/Tufts U. Press, 2005). She is currently completing her first novel, a contemporary, feminist retelling of The Scarlet Letter. SuzAnne C. Cole, retired college English instructor, traveler, mother, grandmother, and award-winning writer, has published more than three hundred poems, essays, short stories, and articles in commercial and literary magazines, anthologies, and newspapers. Her poems can be found in June Cotner's Mothers and Daughters, Family Celebrations, Baby Blessings, Christmas Blessings, Animal Blessings, Bless the Day, Get Well Wishes, 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, House Blessings, Wishing You Well, and Comfort Prayers. Email: SuzAnneCC@aol.com Phyllis K. Collier is the author of two nonfiction books and a book of poetry, Cain's Daughters, which was published in 2005. Three of her prayers appear in June Cotner’s 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar. She can be reached at her website http://www.cainsdaughters.com Kathy Conde is a graduate of the creative-writing program at the University of Montana and is currently working on an MFA degree at Naropa University in Boulder, CO. Her poetry has appeared in Poetry East, Calapooya, Orbis, and other literary journals. She has lived in the Rocky Mountain West, herding cattle and training horses, and in Spain, teaching English as a second language. She has traveled in South America, India, Nepal, Japan, and Europe.
Ginny Lowe Connors is the author of Barbarians in the Kitchen (Antrim House Books, 2005) and editor of three poetry collections. Among her numerous poetry awards is the grand prize in Atlanta Review's International Poetry Competition. A teacher in West Hartford, Connecticut, Connors was named "Poet of the Year" by the New England Association of Teachers of English in 2003. Her poetry appears in many literary magazines and anthologies. More information about Barbarians in the Kitchen can be found at www.antrimhousebooks.com/connors.html . To find out more about Proposing on the Brooklyn Bridge or other collections she's edited, please visit www.graysonbooks.com .
Deborah Gordon Cooper is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Redirection of the Heart and the gods of wild things. Her writing group recently published an anthology, The Moon Rolls Out of Our Mouths, with Calyx Press of Duluth, MN. Deborah and her husband, Joel Cooper, a fine-art screenprinter, frequently exhibit their collaborative images. Web site: www.cooperartpoetry.com.
E. Shan Correa is a former university instructor (English/journalism) and a full-time freelancer who writes for both children and adults. Her award-winning work has been published in regional and national books, magazines, and literary journals. Her most recent sales were fiction to Japanophile, Cricket Magazine and Cicada; poetry to American Poets & Poetry, A Time for Singing, and the Rain Bird; and articles to The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Magazine, and ByLine magazine.
Jim Croegaert is a singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by a number of artists, including Noel Paul Stookey, Steve Bell, and Sandy Patti. He also records his own songs, which are available on his website, www.roughstonesmusic.com. He is also a hospital chaplain in Chicago, a parent of three children and grandparent of three. He resides in Evanston, Illinois with his wife of thirty-seven years, Janalee, and walks the mile-and-a-half to and from Lake Michigan most mornings in whatever weather presents itself that day.
Barbara Crooker's books are Radiance (www.word-press.com/ and Line Dance (www.word-press.com/crooker_linedance.html). She's appeared in sixteen June Cotner anthologies, and lives and writes in rural northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and adult son, who has autism. Web site: www.barbaracrooker.com
Daniel M. Daniels has lived in all the major West Coast cities. He penned his own column for his college newspaper called the Motley Crew, a satirical look at College life in a small town. An accomplished artist, musician and writer, he lives his daily life in the business world and fills his real life with the pursuit of creativity. Email: GlisanStreetArt@cs.com
Mary Maude Daniels, a native Washingtonian now living in Oregon, has been a writer all her life. However, her first submission wasn't until 1998—with a poem written for her Silver Wedding Anniversary. Her philosophy of life is simple: to live it to the fullest with whimsical elegance, heartfelt holidays, joyful expression, and a deep respect filled with gratitude for the diversity of her life, and all the miracles of friend and family who contribute to that. Especially Dan—and June! Email: GlisanStreetArt@cs.com.
Barbara Davis-Pyles, Ph.D., was trained as a clinical psychologist, but left all of that glamour behind to stay home with her children and live happily ever after with her husband. In her spare time she writes poetry and freelances for Pearson Education. Currently, she is also working on her first middle grade novel.
Magie Dominic, a Canadian poet, writer, and artist is the author of The Queen of Peace Room. Web site: http://homepage.newschool.edu/~magie
Lisa Dordal lives in Nashville, TN with her partner, Laurie, and their three dogs. She received her M.Div. from Vanderbilt University Divinity School in 2005, where she was the recipient of the Saint James Academy Award, the William A. Newcomb Prize, and the Luke-Acts Prize. Her writing has appeared in Alive Now, Theology Today (online version), The Vanderbilt Review, Bridges: A Jewish Feminist Journal, Poems & Plays, and CG Magazine. Email: lisa@dordal.org
Fran Dorf's acclaimed, internationally published novels include A Reasonable Madness (1990), Flight (1992), and Saving Elijah (2000), which a starred Publisher's Weekly review called, "a stunning novel that crackles with suspense, dark humor and provocative questions." Fran holds an MA in psychology; writes poetry, essays, and articles; and conducts "write to heal" workshops to help people cope with grief, illness, and loss. Fran is well acquainted with loss; Saving Elijah was inspired by the tragic death of her son, Michael. She blogs at www.frandorf.com (The Bruised Muse), and she's gaga over her Labrador Retriever, Molly! Email: frandorf@aol.com
A former high school teacher, Lonnie Hull DuPont began her work in publishing more than twenty years ago. She held editorial positions at Guidepost Books, Harper San Francisco, and Thomas Nelson, before moving to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group in Michigan, where she is currently Director of Acquisitions.
Kate Dwyer's life, she's happy to admit, has gone to the dogs. When she's not tramping about the Sierra Nevada foothills with them, or writing poems about them, she's busy engraving one of her dazzling, sterling silver jeweled I.D. tags for them. She can be contacted through www.bellatoccatags.com .
Dena Dyer is a wife, mom, writer, and speaker from Texas. She loves to encourage women to find their hope, rest, and joy in Jesus—our only true source of peace in the midst of a chaotic world. Her books include Grace for the Race: Meditations for Busy Moms, The Groovy Chicks' Roadtrip to Peace and The Groovy Chicks' Roadtrip to Love. Web site: www.denadyer.com
Mary Kennedy Eastham’s award-winning poetry and short stories have appeared in over seventy-five books, magazines, small presses, and e-zines in the United States and abroad. Her poetry collection The Shadow of a Dog I Can’t Forget was a poetry winner in the Best Books of 2005 contest sponsored by USA Book News. “Points of Love,” a poem from that collection, was a $5,000 award winner in the 2005 Dorothy Sargent Rosenburg Annual Poetry Competition. Contact her at marylovesdogs@sbcglobal.net.
Julia Taylor Ebel’s writings reflect her love of nature, mountain culture, and family stories. She is the author of a historical picture book, Walking Ribbon, and two biographies: Addie Clawson, Appalachian Mail Carrier and Orville Hicks: Mountain Stories, Mountain Roots. Her poems frequently appear in magazines, including Cricket and Pockets. She lives in Jamestown, North Carolina, but a part of her heart is in the North Carolina mountains, where hikes lead to poems and conversations lead to stories. She is available regionally for school and community programs. Web site: www.juliaebel.com
Gloria Edmonson-Nelson, author and publisher of Glo's Prose Publishers, specializes in nonfictional, how-to, inspirational material, and poetry. She has written several books on abuse and on prayer, and also a screenplay. In 2004, she co-wrote and published her deceased sister's memoirs following her death from sarcoma cancer entitled: "Why Me - Why Not: My Experience with Sarcoma Cancer." Books are available from: Glosprospublishing.com, Amazon.com, and many other sites. For information, please feel free to email GEdmon1800@aol.com or call 800-992-2873
Susan J. Erickson is a poet and collage artist who lives in Bellingham, Washington with her number one fan. She writes to her grandsons each week. Her work also appears in multiple June Cotner volumes, in literary journals, online and in her chapbook The Art of Departure, published by Egress Press.
Joanne Esser lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her two daughters. She writes poetry and creative nonfiction and is working on her first children's book. She has been a teacher of young children and/or a school administrator for over 25 years. Her poetry has been published in White Pelican Review, Main Channel Voices, The Sow's Ear Poetry Review and Water~Stone, among other journals. Email: esserjo_57@msn.com
Janice A. Farringer is a poet and freelance writer living in Chapel Hill, NC. Her book reviews may be read at www.laurahird.com. As a breast cancer survivor she is delighted to have her story included in the anthology, Voices of Breast Cancer: Stories for Courage, Comfort and Strength (LaChance Publishing, 2007). Her day job is in advertising at Ogilvy Durham. Email: jafarringer@gmail.com
Roberta Finkelstein is the minister of South Church (www.southchurch-uu.org), the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Portsmouth, NH. She shares her home with her husband Barry, Pepper their rescue dog, and Bonnie and Clyde, two formerly wild kittens. Rev. Finkelstein can be reached at roberta@southchurch-uu.org
Katherine Fischer is a writer and Clarke College English professor who lives along the shores of the Mississippi River. Her writing appears frequently in newspapers and magazines as well as on National Public Radio. Her book, Dreaming the Mississippi, will appear in bookstores in fall 2006.
Anne Calodich Fone is a wife, mother, former teacher, and current freelance writer who looks at her writing as a ministry of encouragement. Her credits with twenty-three publishers have included House Blessings, Comfort Prayers, Chicken Soup, and two Elf-Help books written for Abbey Press. She can be reached at annemadecw@aol.com.
Charles Ghigna (Father Goose) is a poet, children's author, and nationally syndicated feature writer who helps promote the love of children's literature by speaking at schools, colleges, conferences, and libraries. Charles is the author of more than thirty books of poetry for children and adults from Random House, Disney, Abrams, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and other publishers. His award-winning books have been featured on ABC's "Good Morning America," been selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club, received the Parents' Choice Book Award and the ALA Book Award. His poems for children appear in Cricket, Ladybug, Highlights for Children, Ranger Rick, Children's Digest, Children's Playmate, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Child Life, and his poems for adults have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, McCall's, Writer's Digest, The Saturday Evening Post, Guideposts, and many other magazines, newspapers, literary journals, textbooks, and anthologies including several compiled and edited by June Cotner. For more information, please visit the Father Goose web site at www.FatherGoose.com.
Cleveland W. Gibson is a creative writer published in many genres around the world. Moondust represents his short story collection; Billabongo his fantasy novel. He is happy to have a poem in Dog Blessings. Contact him through http://linktiles.com/?tile=641.
Michael S. Glaser's most recent book is Being a Father. A professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland, he has published over 400 poems in anthologies, journals and magazines. He is currently the poet laureate of Maryland. More information can be found at www.smcm.edu/poet/
Benita Glickman is a mentor and teacher in New York City as well as a consultant to Brown University. She is the winner of the Currycomb English Award and the Alice Hertz Heniger Award for Children's Literature. Her poetry appears in numerous literary publications and in Wedding Blessings, an anthology edited and compiled by June Cotner.
Ingrid Goff-Maidoff is a poet and inspirational writer who lives on Martha's Vineyard with her husband and two daughters. Ingrid has been producing hand-made books and gifts for heart-centered living through Sarah's Circle Publishing for over fifteen years. Her e-newsletter, Portions of Joy, is enjoyed by thousands of subscribers. Web site: www.sarahscircle.com
Marjorie Gray thrives on reading, writing, and being outdoors. She works part-time directing her church neighborhood senior center and enjoys family, especially her husband Jim, four grown children, and grandson Judah. Email: jimmarj@juno.com
Marian Griffey is a counselor, board certified in domestic violence and acute traumatic stress management. Her love of reading and creative writing has proven to be a beneficial tool in both her personal life and career. She lives in Gainesville, Florida with her husband and seven cats.
Rasma Haidri has taught French, English, remedial reading, and creative writing and has worked as Poet-in-the-Schools. Raised in Tennessee, educated in Wisconsin and France, she lived in Hawaii before moving to the Norwegian Arctic seacoast. There she basks in a view of the fjord that her daughter (age five) thought was an oil painting on the wall when they bought the house over the internet, and teaches American and British studies at a post-secondary school. Web site: www.rasmahaidri.com
Maryanne Hannan has published over one-hundred poems and essays. Her work has appeared in America, Carquinez Poetry Review, Earthlight, Eureka Literary Magazine, Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, National Catholic Reporter, Sport Literate, and Xavier Review, as well as several anthologies, including Mothers and Daughters, Baby Blessings, and Comfort Prayers, all edited by June Cotner. She lives in upstate New York and can be reached by email at mahan@nycap.rr.com. Marie Harris is an editor, freelance writer, and poet whose most recent books are Weasel in the Turkey Pen (Hanging Loose Press) and Your Sun, Manny (New Rivers Press). She has also written two books for children in the Sleeping Bear Press state alphabet and number book series. Her New Hampshire titles are G is for Granite and Primary Numbers. She was the NH Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2004. Web site: www.marieharris.com Penny Harter’s most recent books are Along River Road, Buried in the Sky, and Lizard Light: Poems from the Earth. Her literary autobiographical essay appears in Contemporary Authors, and she has won awards from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the Poetry Society of America. She is a teaching artist and visits schools for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. You can learn more about her work at http://penhart.home.att.net. Dr. C. David Hay is a retired dentist residing in scenic Parke County, Indiana with his wife, Joy. His poetry has appeared in thirteen of June Cotner's popular anthologies. He has published four books of illustrated poetry. Dr. Hay has been published internationally and is a nominee for the Pushcart Prize in Poetry and recipient of the Ordo Honoris Award from Kappa Delta Rho in 2001. He can be contacted at houseohay@aol.com.
Barbara Hendryson lives in the San Francisco bay area. Over one-hundred of her poems have been included in literary journals and anthologies. She has won many awards for her poetry. Her recent chapbook, Luminosity, is published by Finishing Line Press.
Rochelle Lynn Holt appeared in June Cotner’s Bless the Day. She invented a new genre called the poemnovel with her recent Bloodli(n)es (Author House, 2005); Valley of the Shadows and Surrender novel duet (iUniverse, 2005); and Mirage (PublishAmerica, 2005). Her web site is www.angelfire.com/blues2/rlynnholt.
Sally Jadlow is a chaplain to corporations and teaches creative writing in the Kansas City area. She writes poetry and inspirational short stories. Her book Sonflower Seeds is available on Amazon.com. Web site: http://hometown.aol.com/sonflowerseeds/myhomepage/business.html Linda Dini Jenkins is the author of Journey of a Returning Christian: Writing into God (1994) and has been published in Vermont Voices, South Florida Poetry Review, Phoebe, Tampa Review, Writer to Writer, Color Wheel/Mink Hills Journal, and Bay Windows. Her poems were also included in Christmas Blessings, edited by June Cotner (Warner Books, 2002). Linda lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband Timothy and Maxine the Wonder Dog. Web site: www.riverwords.com. Janice Jones, a former elementary school teacher, is a published poet, devotional and short story writer. She lives in the foothills of California with her husband, Carl. Email: u2janjon@juno.com
Taylor Joseph lives in Florida with her husband of twenty-five years. They marked their recent anniversary with a ceremonial renewal of their wedding vows. Sharing their story with readers is her way of expressing the gratitude she holds in her heart for the gift of a good man. Email: grandfeather@bellsouth.net.
Jacqueline Jules is the author of six children's books. The most recent is Noah and the Ziz. Her poetry has appeared in over sixty publications including June Cotner's Wedding Blessings. Her web site is www.jacquelinejules.com.
When not writing & hiking or reading & walking (they can be done simultaneously), Trish Kaspar shares literary adventures across a public library desk—and with her grandmuffins. She misses writing for National Kidney Foundation and a kids' newspaper but is always open to new opportunities. She has been published in June Cotner's 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar and various anthologies. Email: trishka1@earthlink.net
Father Paul Keenan, 1946 - 2008, was a priest for 31 years and Director of Radio Ministry for the Archdiocese of New York. He was co-host of "Religion on the Line" on WABC Radio for fourteen years, and then moved on to do his recent show on The Catholic Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. He served as commentator for such national broadcasts as the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (CBS Television); the funeral of Mother Teresa (CBS Radio Network); and the visit of Pope John Paul II to St. Louis (ABC Radio News). His published books include Good News for Bad Days, Stages of the Soul, and Heartstorming. He has two selections in June Cotner's Christmas Blessings. Please visit: www.FatherPaul.com.
Candy Killion is the recipient of the 2005 Chistell Prize for Poetry, and has also recently appeared in Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul: Daily Inspirations and the Our Fathers Who Art in Heaven project. Recently transplanted from the Northeast, she lives with her husband John and shelter mutt Max near Fort Lauderdale, FL and finds writing by lantern light during hurricane season both humbling and fulfilling. Find her at www.candykillion.com.
Paula E. Kirman is a freelance writer, editor, photographer, and website designer. She has an interest in music, faith traditions, and issues of social concern. Paula lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where she rides her bicycle, plays guitar, and frequents numerous cafes and coffee shops. Her website is www.mynameispaula.com.
Judy Klass co-wrote the Showtime cable film In the Time of the Butterflies. A teacher at Nassau Community College, she is the author of three books of poems and many produced plays. Her songs are available at iTunes and her CD, Brooklyn Cowgirl, is available at www.cdbaby.com/judyklass.
Shirley Kobar is a retired registered nurse living in Loveland, Colorado with her husband. She enjoys hiking, photography, and blues. She has been previously published in June Cotner’s Bless the Day and Davis and Schaefer’s Between the Heartbeats and Intensive Care, two nurse anthologies. Email: kobar66@hotmail.com
Susan Koefod holds an M.F.A. in Writing degree from Hamline University in St. Paul. Her poems have been featured in June Cotner's 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, Miracles of Motherhood: Prayers and Poems for a New Mother, and Dog Blessings; and literary journals including The Talking Stick and Minnetonka Review. Other projects include a novel, Lucid, and an anthology celebrating sweet and savory stories about crêpes. Email: skoefod@hotmail.com
Verbal jester, mirthmaker verseman, Stephen Kopel has work in Family Celebrations and Baby Blessings; author of Spritz (2003), collection of eighty-two witty, wordplay pieces. Email: stephenkopel@verizon.net
Susan Landon's poems appear in Comfort Prayers, Mothers and Daughters, Wedding Blessings, Wishing You Well, and the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar. Her work has also been featured in numerous literary magazines, anthologies, and online periodicals. She can be reached at landon_susan@hotmail.com.
Mary Laufer's poems and short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including Proposing on the Brooklyn Bridge, Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul, and HerStory: What I Learned in My Bathtub. As a Navy wife, she moved thirteen times in twenty years, working in schools and libraries along the way. She settled in Forest Grove, Oregon, with her husband and daughter. Email: marylaufer@yahoo.com
Arlene Gay Levine, M.A., a graduate of NYU, is the author of 39 Ways to Open Your Heart: An Illuminated Meditation. Her poetry and prose have found a home in many places such as The New York Times, literary journals, an Off Broadway show, radio, magazines and anthologies including sixteen of June Cotner's books. A retired educator, she lives with her husband in Forest Hills, NY, where she writes, cooks and gardens. Email: arlene.agl@verizon.net Debbie Levy used to practice law and edit newspapers before she started writing, which is a lot more fun on most days. She has published more than fifteen children's nonfiction books on topics ranging from bigotry to the Berlin Wall, as well as poetry, essays, and fiction. Her first novel for young readers will be out in 2007 from Darby Creek Publishing. Debbie lives in Maryland with her husband, two sons, dog, and cat, and would rather paddle a kayak around the Wye River than do pretty much anything else. Jennifer Donice Lewis received a B.A. (cum laude) from Howard University and earned a J.D. from the University of Miami (FL) School of Law. Her fiction has appeared in Austin Layman's Crimestalker Casebook and Coloring Book (anthology, Rattlecat Press). Her poetry has appeared in Poetica, the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, Pacific Review, The Penwood Review, and PopPoets and is forthcoming in Poetry Motel and Feasts of Memory (anthology). She is currently polishing a literary novel as well as a book of poetry while Buddy, a.k.a. "Fluff-a-lo-nious Monk," a Siamese cat guards the diskette. Web sites: www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jendonice/
Judith A. Lindberg is a Port Angeles, WA native and retired elementary school counselor after twenty-seven years in the field of education. She has been published in Bedside Prayers, Family Celebrations, Heal Your Soul, Heal the World, Christmas Blessings, and Comfort Prayers, and five of her poems appear in the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar. She has also published poems in several magazines and other publications and continues to counsel part-time in Port Angeles elementary schools and pursue her interests of writing, reading, and crafts. Email: judi@olypen.com
Nancy Tupper Ling (Walpole, MA) is the 2005 Grand Prize winner for Writer’s Digest’s annual competition. In 2004, her first collection of poems entitled Laughter in My Tent: A Woman’s Search for Family was published (www.finelinepoets.com). Other publication credits include: Literary Mama, Connecticut River Review, Re)verb, Potomac Review, Mid-American Poetry Review, and Flyway.
Carol L. MacKay is a children's writer and poet who lives in Bawlf, Alberta, Canada, with her husband and daughter. Her poetry has appeared extensively in literary and children's magazines across North America, as well as in June Cotner's House Blessings, and on CBC Radio. Web site: www.carolmackay.com
The father of two sons and one beautiful, little girl, Steven Manchester is the published author of The Unexpected Storm: The Gulf War Legacy, Jacob Evans, A Father’s Love, Warp II and At The Stroke of Midnight, as well as several books under the pseudonym Steven Herberts. When not spending time with his children, writing, teaching, or promoting his published books and films, this Massachusetts author speaks publicly to troubled children through the “Straight Ahead” program. See www.StevenManchester.com.
Donna J. Maebori is a physical therapist, yoga teacher and Feldenkrais Practitioner who works primarily with people who have chronic pain or balance and dizziness challenges. She started writing poems as a means of spiritual growth and is published in Bedside Prayers and in Women's Uncommon Prayers. Besides the written word, Donna loves gardening, friendships, and community activism in light of global energy and environmental issues. She can be reached at dmaebori@spiretech.com.
Arlene L. Mandell, a retired English professor from New Jersey, is a former public relations executive and writer/editor for Good Housekeeping magazine. Her poetry, essays and short stories have appeared in more than 300 publications including The New York Times, True Romance, and Women's Voices, and in 12 anthologies, including several edited by June Cotner. She now lives in Santa Rosa, California with husband Larry, Bichon Gabrielle, Golden Retriever Maxwell, and Turkish Angora Gatsby. Maxwell has an unfortunate tendency to chew cell phones and down comforters, but hopes to outgrow the habit by the time he turns two.
Peter Markus is the author of three books of short fiction: The Singing Fish (Calamari Press), The Moon is a Lighthouse (New Michigan Press), and Good, Brother (Calamari Press). His stories and poems have appeared widely in such journals as Black Warrior Review, Massachusetts Review, New Orleans Review, Quarterly West, Northwest Review, 3rd Bed, Another Chicago Magazine, Third Coast, Post Road, Willow Springs, Phoebe, Sleeping Fish, Unsaid, as well as in anthologies published by Bloomsbury (Fiction Gallery), Norton (The New Sudden Fiction), Mammoth Press (Sudden Stories), White Pine Press (Best of the Prose Poem), St. Martin's Press (Fathers), New Rivers Press (The Party Train: North American Prose Poetry), and Starcherone Books (PP/FF: An Anthology). His poems have been published in several of June Cotner’s anthologies, including Bedside Prayers, Get Well Wishes, Baby Blessings, and Amazing Graces. His email is thesingingfish@gmail.com.
Kelly Matthews has the joy of spending her days with children. When she is not teaching, she also does work as a teacher trainer, conference presenter, and mentor. Even then, there is always time for poetry.
Sandra E. McBride is the author of Mist Upon the Pond, a diverse collection of her favorite poems, published in 2005. Her work has appeared in five June Cotner anthologies, including Teen Sunshine Reflections, Bless the Beasts, Baby Blessings, Wedding Blessings, and House Blessings. A self-described history buff who resides in upstate New York, she also writes children’s books and short stories. Her email address is Samsatook@aol.com.
Gary E. McCormick is the author of two books of poetry: One of the Many Roses and Between Seasons. His poetry has appeared in many publications including June Cotner’s Graces and 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar. His book—working title Reading Music and Other Poems—is scheduled for publication in early 2007. He resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Email: (jgmc4240@comcast.net).
Anne McCrady is a writer, editor, storyteller and speaker whose work has appeared in literary journals, international anthologies and inspirational collections. She is author of Along Greathouse Road, Under a Blameless Moon and Kevin and the Seven Prayers. She is also the founder of InSpiritry - Putting Words to Work for the Greater Good and can be contacted at annemccrady@inspiritry.com or through her website, www.InSpiritry.com.
Sandra McGarrity lives and writes in Chesapeake, VA. She is the author of two books, Woody and Caller's Spring, stories in various collections, and magazine articles. Her writing appears in House Blessings. Web site: http://hometown.aol.com/mygr8m8/myhomepage/books.html
Corey Mesler has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. He has two novels available, Talk A Novel in Dialogue (2002) and We Are Billion-Year-Old Carbon (2006), as well as numerous chapbooks. With his wife, he runs Burke’s Book Store in Memphis, one of the country’s oldest (1875) independent bookstores.
Jennifer Anne F. Messing is a Philippine-born author, speaker, and syndicated newspaper columnist who now resides in Oregon with her husband and their three children. She holds a Bachelor of Religious Education degree (B.R.E.) from Covington Theological Seminary in Rossville, Georgia, has a diploma in Freelance Journalism and Short Story Writing, and currently serves as president of the Oregon Christian Writers. Ms. Messing has had over 150 articles and poems published in many print and online magazines and book compilations, including Romancing the Soul, Families Can Bounce Back, Evangel, Live, The Proverbs 31 Woman, Bible Advocate, FellowScript, The Christian Journal, Spirit-Led Writer. com, True Woman O nline, and MochaMemoirs.com. website:
Ann E. Michael
lives in eastern Pennsylvania with her husband, two teenagers, and numerous
pets. Her poetry and essays have appeared nationwide; she's the author of
three poetry chapbooks, most recently The Minor Fauna from Finishing
Line Press. Web site:
www.AnneMichael.com Michelle Close Mills’ work has appeared in many anthologies and poetry collections including Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul: Daily Inspirations, The Rocking Chair Reader, and Pocket Prayers. Michelle makes her home in Seminole, Florida. Her web site can be found at: www.authorsden.com/MichelleCloseMills. Phyllis Ann Min, M.Ed., is a nondenominational wedding minister, animal chaplain/pet minister, and former school teacher who lives in Richmond, Virginia. Phyllis is founder of "paws4celebration," an animal ministry that creates ceremonies to celebrate the life of a pet. She writes inspirational messages for her "A Forever Star" collection which recognizes and honors the human-animal connection. Her collection of spiritual writings features: poem for welcoming a new pet; prayer for multiple pets at home; pet blessings; prayer for healing; and poem for the passing of a pet's life. Her website: www.PhylliswithJoy.com Email: paws4celebration@aol.com Reverend Gloria Moncrief is an ordained Unity minister. She teaches Bible for Oakland City University at the Indiana Women's Prison and works for IndyPendence Job Corps helping young women prepare to leave the program and enter the professional work world. She was also the task for director and contributed several meditations for the 64 Ways, 64 Days: A Season for Non-violence, meditation book. Gloria is passionate about empowering women to make conscious decisions to improve their lives and taking time daily with her beloved dogs. Janell Moon is the author of four volumes of poetry, including The Mouth of Home, published by Arctos Press, and four spiritual nonfiction books, including How to Pray without Being Religious, published by Elements/HarperCollinsUK. She is a hypnotherapist in the San Francisco bay area. Dawn Mueller is in the process of writing her first novel. She has been published in June Cotner’s Family Celebrations and Christmas Blessings. She lives in Chicago with her chocolate lab who could probably write a book of her own if she could just figure out how to stop hitting so many keys at once. Katherine Murphy is a writer, speaker, and author of Awake O Sleeper: How I Rediscovered God Through Breast Cancer. Her essays and poetry have appeared in numerous publications including St. Anthony's Messenger, Word Among Us, Coping Magazine, Kalliope, The Pedestal Magazine, Earth's Daughters, and Colere as well as several anthologies including Wedding Blessings and Miracles of Motherhood, both edited by June Cotner. Her work has been aired over NPR. She currently resides on Lake Champlain in upstate New York and can be reached via krmurphy1@charter.net and www.krmurphy.com Carol Murray lives in Kansas with her husband, Max, two horses, and a feline named Allie-cat. She has taught Speech and English at Hutchinson Community College for over twenty-five years and is currently writing for children full time and doing school visits, book signings, and teacher/writer workshops. She is a published poet and author, with poems in June Cotner’s Bless the Beasts and House Blessings, and three picture books: Jenny's Socks and Hurry Up! for Scholastic and ABC Art Riddles for Peel Productions (see www.abcriddles.com). Her web site is www.carolmurray.net. Email: camurray@ourtownusa.net Sheryl L. Nelms is from Marysville, Kansas. She graduated from South Dakota State University with a B.S. in Family Relations and Child Development. She has published eleven books of poetry and over 4,500 additional stories, articles, and poems. A retired schoolteacher living on the southern Oregon coast, Shirley Nelson has poems in Bless the Beasts and House Blessings. Some of her poems have won prizes and she has self-published a collection, Connections. Her latest book is prose—What Happened Here?—and is based on stories and legends of Coos and Curry Counties in Oregon. Email: mas@webenet.net
Leslie Neilson is an author who specializes in the areas of motivation and inspiration. Her goals are to build bridges of understanding and hope not only within her own culture, but throughout the world. Her works can be found in greeting cards, novels, collections of poetry and even picture books for Korean children. You can visit her site at http://www.illuminatedquill.com.
Eric Nelson has published four poetry collections and his poems have appeared in a wide variety of journals and anthologies. His most recent book, Terrestrials, won the X. J. Kennedy Award in 2004. He teaches creative writing at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, where he lives with his wife, two children, two dogs, and two cats. He can be reached by email at enelson@georgiasouthern.edu.
Joan Noëldechen is a poet, novelist, children's book author, screenwriter, playwright, and a product of what Pat Conroy calls “the New South.” She has been featured in June Cotner's Bedside Prayers, Bless the Day, House Blessings, 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, and the forthcoming Pocket Prayers and Forever in Love. Feel free to contact her at Jnoeldechen@flagler.edu. Web site: http://hometown.aol.com/jnoeldechen/index.html
Susan Norton is very proud to have appeared in ten June Cotner anthologies and now June’s 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar. Susan spends her time writing children’s books, travel articles, greeting cards, and poetry for audio presentation at art exhibits, cruise brochures, journals, newspapers, many other anthologies, and even fortune cookies. Her motto is “Have laptop, will travel.”
Sudie Nostrand is a poet living in New York City who has just published The Paris Poems (March Street Press) and who appears regularly in such magazines as the Green Hills Literary Lantern, the California Quarterly, the North American Review, Mid-American Review, The Greensboro Review, and the Birmingham Poetry Review. Her work is being archived in the Fales Collection at the New York University Library.
Barbara Nuzzo lives in New Jersey with her husband Ray. She is a founding member of Sisters in Crime-Central Jersey and writes mystery and romance fiction, nonfiction stories, and poetry, which have appeared in various anthologies and other venues. Her love of travel sends her to far off places whenever possible and fits perfectly with her job as a travel consultant.
Julia Older’s first book, Appalachian Odyssey, included poems written in a tent on the Appalachian Trail. She has written twenty-five books. Among them are The Island Queen, based on the life of New Hampshire writer Celia Thaxter, and her eighth poetry collection, Rolling the Sun. For more, check www.AppledoreBooks.com and www.Amazon.com.
Karen O'Leary is a wife, mother, nurse, and freelance writer from North Dakota. Writing affords her an outlet for her creativity. Her articles, poetry, and short stories have appeared in June Cotner's 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, Storyteller, Parables, The Journal of Christian Nursing, The Gem, as well as others. She would love to hear from you at gksm@cableone.net.
Jamie Parsley is a poet and an Episcopal priest. He has authored seven books of poems: Paper Doves, Falling and Other Poems (1992), The Loneliness of Blizzards (1995), Cloud: A Poem in 2 Acts (1997), The Wounded Table: Prose Poems (1999), no stars, no moon: new and selected haiku (2004), Ikon (2005), and Just Once (2006). In 2004, he was designated an Associate Poet Laureate of North Dakota. Email: Apium@aol.com
Nita Penfold's poetry has appeared in June Cotner's House Blessings, Family Celebrations, Wedding Blessings, and Mothers and Daughters. You can find out about her available books and chapbooks at www.nitapenfold.com
Andrea Potos is the author of the poetry collection Yaya's Cloth (Iris Press) and the chapbook The Perfect Day (Parallel Press). Her poems appear in many journals and anthologies, including Mothers & Daughters (Random House), Claiming the Spirit Within (Beacon Press), and A Fierce Brightness (Calyx Books). She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Nancy Priff is a freelance writer and editor whose fiction and poetry have appeared in The Dan River Anthology, House Blessings, The Bucks County Writer, and other publications. They also have earned her a Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts as well as awards from The College of New Jersey, Philadelphia Writers’ Conference, and Montgomery County Community College. In addition, she has written and edited more than one-hundred books, videos, and DVDs on medical topics for health care professionals and students. Email: nancy.priff@verizon.net
Mary Lenore Quigley, a wife, mom, grandma, avid genealogist, West Virginia transplant, and writer with a passion for poetry, lives with her hubby, Patrick, in San Marcos, CA. She is the author of three books: Indelible Ink, God Danced and By Fools Like Me; two poetry chapbooks: Going Home and Remnants; and appears in June Cotner’s Teen Sunshine Reflections, Wedding Blessings, House Blessings, Forever in Love, To Have and To Hold, Miracles of Motherhood, and Dog Blessings.. She is a Letters member of The National League of American Pen Women and founder of NCAP, North County Authors and Poets of San Diego, CA. Email: qtwoink@sbcglobal.net or www.Q2Ink.com Millie Ruesch is a published freelance writer in Fresno, California. She gleans inspiration from Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, not far from her home. Retired and loving it, she attends creative writing classes and writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Elisavietta Ritchie's books are Awaiting Permission to Land, The Spirit of the Walrus, In Haste I Write You This Note, Stories Flying Time, The Arc of the Storm, Elegy for the Other Woman, Tightening the Circle over Eel Country, Raking the Snow, and others. She edited The Dolphin's Arc: Poems on Endangered Creatures of the Sea. She teaches creative writing for adults and students and is currently Co-President for Fiction at Washington Writers’ Publishing House. Zoraida Rivera’s poem “The Gift” was published in the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar. Two of her works are under contract to be included in Spanish textbooks by an educational publisher in Puerto Rico, where she lives. She is working on her first novel. Peach Robidoux is a former middle- and high-school teacher who lives in Whately, MA, with her husband and daughter. Her award-winning teaching has been highlighted in an article in the Brattleboro Reformer and in a study of the teaching of critical thinking skills. Peach has written for Parents Magazine and Personal Journaling Magazine and has written two award-winning online essays. Her essay, "When Spirits use Signs," appears in the anthology, Real Stories of Spirit Communication, by Angela Hoy. Linda Goodman Robiner’s chapbook, Reverse Fairy Tale, was published by Pudding House; and hundreds of her poems, short stories, and articles have appeared in numerous publications. She currently edits books and other documents, and teaches poetry, memoir, and fiction writing, and the healing power of writing. Linda has taught at six colleges and universities and produced several educational television series. Kate Robinson is a poet, writer of fiction and creative nonfiction, and author of The National Mall, a middle-grade virtual tour book (Enslow Publishing, Inc., 2005). Her greatest interests are her four children, nature, books, and studying Tibetan Buddhism with the Drikung Kagyu lineage at the Garchen Institute in the high desert grasslands of central Arizona. Email: kater@northlink.com Marjorie Rommel lives in Auburn, Washington. A newspaper reporter and editor for many years, she now works as a freelance writer/editor and media relations consultant, and teaches creative writing at Highline College and Pierce College. She also has taught poetry at Pacific Lutheran University. She was a 2000 Willard R. Espy Literary Foundation resident, received an Adam Family Foundation White Bridge Traveling Fellowship in 2001, and is enrolled in the Rainier Writing Workshop Low Residency Program at Pacific Lutheran University. Her work has appeared in more than one-hundred publications, including June Cotner’s Baby Blessings and House Blessings. Email: mrommel@qwest.net. Pamela Rosales is a wife, mother of two grown sons, and a grandmother who spent over thirty years raising kids, working inside and outside the home, and serving in ministry. In 2003 she joined a critique group, began writing freelance, and started publishing articles, poems, and devotions. Pamela and her husband live in Aloha, Oregon. Email: rose.ink@verizon.net
Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum writes poetry and fiction for children. Her poem “Blessing for a Jewish Home” appears in House Blessings. Her latest picture book, A Grandma Like Yours/ A Grandpa Like Yours was recently published by Kar-Ben Publishing/ Lerner Publishing Group. You can visit her on the web at: www.andriawarmflashrosenbaum.com
A native of Amarillo, Texas, Sara Rosett is a contributor to several anthololgies and author of Moving is Murder, the first in the Mom Zone Mystery series from Kensington Books. Life as a military spouse has taken Sara to six states where she’s worked as a credit processor, a staff reporter for two Air Force base newspapers, and a researcher and writer for a travel company. Please visit her web site at www.SaraRosett.com.
Blanche Rosloff's poetry has appeared in June Cotner's anthologies Heal Your Soul, Heal the World and Looking for God in all the Right Places and will be published in the upcoming Forever in Love. Her work is also online. Email: reublanche@aol.com
In bringing together the two cultures of New Zealand, her birth land, and the United States, her present home, Gwen Tremain Runyard strives to be realistic in her poetry. She has published four books of poetry, as well as a history of her father’s journeys. Her poems have been read in church groups, printed in many bulletins of the National Writers Association, published in local periodicals, and her most requested poem, “Care Giver,” was highlighted on the internet by the Alzheimer’s Association.
Hilda Lachney Sanderson is a Louisiana native, wife, mother, grandmother, retired teacher, and librarian. Her poems, short stories, vignettes, essays, and articles have been published in a wide variety of magazines and journals. She is the author of one science fiction novel for young people, Riddles of Nifiter (Royal Fireworks Press, 1996) and a contributor to June Cotner’s anthologies Bless the Day, Christmas Blessings, Heal Your Soul, Heal the World, Bedside Prayers, Bless the Beasts, Looking for God in All the Right Places, and 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar.
Susan Knieb Schank is a freelance writer who lives in Parkville, Missouri with her fabulous husband, James, and precious daughter, Ivy Rose. She has published many articles, poems, and devotions in books and magazines for children and adults. Susan's two pictures books, Tera's Dawn and Princess Rose and the Garden Gnome will be released soon. Susan is also a Library Media Specialist in the Kansas City, Missouri School District. When not writing, working, or spending time with her family, Susan is a Girl Scout Leader, sings with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus and volunteers for the Lakeside Nature Center. Susan is a member of Harmony Vineyard Church.
Lawrence Schimel (New York, 1971) has published over seventy books in different genres, many of them in collaboration with the Spanish illustrator Sara Rojo Pérez (www.sararojo.com) with whom he creates children's picture books such as La aventura de Cecilia y el dragón, Mi gata Eureka, and No hay nada como el original, which was selected for the White Ravens 2005. His poems have been published in diverse periodicals, such as The Saturday Evening Post, Cricket, The Lyric, and Physics Today, and are included in numerous anthologies, including Chicken Soup for the Horse-Lover’s Soul, Lives: Poems about Famous Americans, The Practice of Peace, and The Random House Treasury of Light Verse. He lives in Madrid, Spain, and can be reached at SchimelL@aol.com.
Barbara Schmitz has two full-length books of poetry. Her latest, How Much Our Dancing Has Improved, won the 2005 Nebraska Center for the Book Award. She has been included in many anthologies, has poems published in over 100 journals including The Prairie Schooner and River Styx as well as two chapbooks. She is looking for a publisher for her recent "spiritual memoir" about travels with her Sufi guide. She and her husband live in Norfolk, Nebraska. Email: bschmitz@cableone.net
Marion Schoeberlein lives in Elmhurst, IL. Her work has been featured in twelve of June Cotner’s anthologies including Wedding Blessings and Pocket Prayers; and many poetry anthologies in England (Forward Press) and in Woman’s World magazine.
Joanna Catherine Scott is the author of three novels (The Lucky Gourd Shop, Charlie and the Children, and Cassandra, Lost), two poetry collections (Breakfast at the Shangri-La and Fainting at the Uffizi) and a collection of oral histories (Indochina’s Refugees). A new novel, The Road from Chapel Hill, about the anti-Confederacy movement in Civil War North Carolina and the love that grows between a runaway slave and the white girl who becomes his owner, will be published by Penguin/Berkley in November 2006.
Mary Kolada Scott, writer and artist, lives in Ventura, California, with her husband, Don. They both work at the Ventura County Star newspaper. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies, including House Blessings. Contact her at mscott52@earthlink.net or visit her web site at http://home.earthlink.net/~mscott52/index.htm
Jacqueline Seewald has taught writing courses including Creative Writing at the high-school, middle-school, and college level (Rutgers University) and also worked as an academic librarian and educational media specialist. Six of her books of fiction have been published and her short stories, poems, essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in numerous publications such as: Bedside Prayers, the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar, The Christian Science Monitor, Pedestal, Surreal, The Dana Literary Society Journal, Palace of Reason, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She has twice been a winner in the Writer’s Digest poetry contest.
Joanne Seltzer is published in House Blessings and the 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar. Her work also appears in When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple and many other anthologies. Born in Detroit, she has lived in upstate New York long enough to call it home. Email: joseltzer@nycap.rr.com
Rabbi Rami Shapiro is an award winning poet and essayist whose liturgical writings are used in prayer services throughout North America. He has written over a dozen works of poetry, liturgy, short stories, and nonfiction, and currently directs the One River Foundation (www.one-river.org). His most recent books are The Divine Feminine and Open Secrets. He can be reached via his web site www.rabbirami.com.
Dr. Bernie Siegel is an animal lover whose home has been a rescue site for creatures of every species. He has been caring for and counseling people with life threatening illnesses for decades. His best known book is Love, Medicine & Miracles. He has two children's books-Smudge Bunny, which helps people see how difficulties can become blessings, and Buddy's Candle, which shows how to survive the loss of a loved one of any species. Dr. Siegel can be contacted via his website: www.BernieSiegelMD.com. Monica E. Smith has been married to her college love, Scott, since 1975 (Kent State); they live in a 100+ year-old farm house on two acres of land in West Liberty, Ohio (with their two dogs), where they raised four children (who now live from Ohio to California!). Monica is a self-taught poet, with publishing credits in many print and online journals in the U.S. and internationally. She feels privileged to have received an endorsement from poet and author Nikki Giovanni for her first collection of poetry, Days of Fine Gray Ash (http://purplequill.com/days.htm). Web site: Monica's Expresso Café, http://purplequill.com. Email: monica@purplequill.com Sandra Soli's poems have appeared widely in The New York Quarterly, Southern Poetry Review, Negative Capability, The Grove Review, Ellipsis, SLAB, The Mainichi Daily News (Japan), CrossTimbers, Oklahoma Today, and elsewhere. A chapbook, Silvering the Flute, was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award and her new book, What Trees Know, is the 2008 OBA recipient of that honor. Her article on prose poems appears in the new edition of Poet's Market (2009). Her work has been featured on National Public Radio and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Columnist and poetry editor for a national print publication for nine years, Sandy holds an honors M.A. in writing, speaks regularly at writing conferences, and mentors poets of all skill levels. Contact her at sandrasoli@sbcglobal.net for more information. Judith Sornberger’s poems appear in June Cotner’s Everyday Blessings. Her poetry collections are Open Heart (Calyx Books), Bones of Light (The Parallel Press), Bifocals Barbie: A Midlife Pantheon (Talent House Press), and Judith Beheading Holofernes (winner of the Talent House Press contest). Sornberger is Director of Women’s Studies and Professor of English at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. Peggy Ward Sprouse has had eight published works focusing on hidden disabilities and God's influences in our lives. She has been a chairperson at the Thomas Jefferson Library Writer's Group 2001-2002 and has taught twenty-five writing students as a volunteer teacher in a four-week class in a local library. “Blessed with Simplicity” has appeared in June Cotner's Bedside Prayers and 2006 Everyday Blessings calendar.
Molly Srode is a former nun, school teacher, and hospital chaplain who is now spending her retirement years writing books and lecturing on spirituality. She has authored Creating a Spiritual Retirement: A Guide to the Unseen Possibilities in Our Lives and coauthored, with her husband Bernie Srode, Keeping Spiritual Balance As We Grow Older. She makes her home in Columbus, Ohio and can be reached at bjsrode@aol.com.
Cassie Premo Steele is an award-winning poet and writer living in Columbia, South Carolina. Her books include Moon Days (Ash Tree Publishing, 1999), We Heal from Memory (Palgrave, 2000), and Ruin (Finishing Line Press, 2004). She has also published hundreds of poems, short stories, and essays on the themes of mothering, spirituality, and healing. Contact her at premosteele@aol.com.
Margaret Stetler has had her poetry published in many small press magazines and has led a creative writing workshop called “Finding Your Own Voice.” She made her living for many years as a freelance advertising copywriter, promoting books and magazines for companies like Book-of-the-Month Club, Hearst Magazines, and Scholastic Inc. She and her husband and five cats, refugees from post-9/11 New York City, now live in old-town Winchester, Virginia, where she substitute teaches, writes a monthly newsletter for the Quaker Meeting she attends, and searches for new ways to be “one of many” in the world. Email: mastetler@aol.com
Lois Greene Stone, writer and poet, has been syndicated worldwide. Poetry and personal essays have been included in hardcover and paperback book anthologies. Collections of her personal items, photos, and memorabilia are in major museums including twelve different divisions of The Smithsonian. After publishing a poem in June Cotner’s Baby Blessings, Norman Styers has gone on to write poetry for a variety of publications. A former journalist and pastor, he has a Ph.D. in religious studies but now works in private industry. He and his wife Karen have a son and twin daughters. Robin Svedi's poetry, short fiction, and essays have been published numerous times in both print and online publications. She is the contributing editor for Fresh Cooking From Your Garden (www.GardenandHearth.com/GardenCooking.htm), a site devoted to the cooking and cultivation of fresh vegetables. Robin is married to her high-school sweetheart and together they've raised two wonderful sons. Email: TVC150@aol.com Christine Swanberg's collections of poetry include Tonight on this Late Road, Invisible String, Slow Miracle, Bread upon the Waters, The Red Lacquer Room, The Tenderness of Memory, and most recently, Who Walks among the Trees with Charity. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. She has won the Blanche Ellis Starr Award for the Arts, the Womanspirit Award, and several poetry awards. She lives with her husband in Rockford, Illinois. Katherine Swarts is a writer from Houston, Texas. Her poems have been published in Sol Magazine, The Art of Music: A Collection of Writings (Volume I), Holidays & Seasonal Celebrations, and Devo’Zine. Also a professional business writer, she maintains a web site at www.spreadthewordcommercialwriting.com.
Patti Tana is Professor of English at Nassau Community College and the author of seven books of poems. She is associate editor of the Long Island Quarterly and editor of Songs of Seasoned Women (Quadrasoul, Inc., 2007), an anthology of poems by sixty-three women. Listen to Patti read "Post Humus" and other poems at www.pattitana.com
bg Thurston is a graduate of Vermont College's MFA in Writing Program and teaches poetry at Lasell College in Newton, MA. Her poetry has appeared in Tar River Poetry, The Comstock Review, The Worcester Review, and The Christian Science Monitor. She lives with her family, including sheep and chickens, on a farm in central Massachusetts.
Lisa Timpf lives rurally near Creemore, Ontario, where she enjoys creative writing, organic gardening, and walking in the woods with her dogs. She has written one nonfiction book, St. George's Lawn Tennis Club: The First Hundred Years, and her poetry and creative nonfiction has appeared in a number of publications, including The Country Connection, Silver Boomers, Aethlon, and Cahoots. A contributor to June Cotner's Dog Blessings, she also writes a monthly column for Creemore Echo. Email: pthouse@sympatico.ca
Paula Timpson, Published Poetess. Paula breathes poetry daily. She has written ever since she could pick up a pen. Paula writes for God to bring Peace and Love to the world. Web sites: http://Paulaspoetryministry.tripod.com http://paulatimpsonpoetry.tripod.com
Yrik Max Valentonis (a.k.a. Max Lizard) is a writer and cartoonist whose work has appeared in many magazines, e-zines, radio broadcasts, art exhibitions, and the anthologies: Animal Blessings and Divided Again. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida (B.A.) and Naropa College (M.F.A.), he lives in Florida with his wife, their son, and a dog that is just too slobbery. He teaches Don Jitsu Ryu martial arts, still has a day job, self-publishes the magazines ASYM for kids and Maximum Lizard for adults through his web site www.valentonis.com. He can be contacted at max_lizard@hotmail.com.
Miss Josepha van Lieshout was born in 1979 in the Netherlands where she resides to this day, and seems to have been writing her entire life. Published works include poetry, essays, columns and reviews in both Dutch and English, which were published in Canada, the USA and the Netherlands. She is currently in the pr |
