J.S. Kierland is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, and did postgrad at Hunter College where he won the New York City playwright's award and was admitted into Sigma Tau Delta. He was given a full scholarship to the Yale Drama School and after receiving his MFA became playwright-in-residence at Lincoln Center, Brandeis University, and the Lab Theatre. In Hollywood, he wrote two films, was resident playwright at the LAAT, where he founded the successful LA Playwright's Group, and went on to join Camelot Artists. He has published a novella, edited two books of one-act plays, written four films, and has over eighty publications of short stories in literary collections, reviews and magazines around the U.S., including, Playboy, Fiction International, Colere, Trajectory, International Short Story, Bryant Review, Emry's, Front Range, Muse & Stone, Fiction Attic Press, Mount Hope, and many others. A book titled, 15 of the BEST SHORT STORIES by J.S. Kierland was published in 2014 by Underground Voices, and an e-book was released in 2015 titled, HARD TO LEARN by the same publisher.
Diana Y. Paul, born in Akron, Ohio, is a graduate of Northwestern University, with a degree in both psychology and philosophy, and of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a PhD in Buddhist Studies. Her debut novel, "Things Unsaid " (She Writes Press, 2015 ), has been ranked #2 in the "Top 14 Books about Families Crazier Than Yours," was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and is the winner of the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Award for New Adult Fiction.
A former Stanford University professor, she is also the author of three books on Buddhism, one of which has been translated into Japanese and German "Women in Buddhism" (University of California Press). Her short stories have appeared in a number of literary journals and she is currently working on a second novel, "A Perfect Match." She lives in Carmel, CA with her husband, Doug, and their white-and-grey calico, Mao. Diana and Doug enjoy visiting their two adult children, Maya Miller (San Francisco) and Keith Paul (Los Angeles). In her spare time, Diana is a mixed media artist and has exhibited in California, Hawaii, and Japan.
To learn more about her and her work, visit her author website at www.dianaypaul.com and her blog on movies, art, and food at www.unhealedwound.com or follow her on Twitter: @DianaPaul10.