John McKernan, who grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, is now a retired comma herder/phonics coach after teaching for 41 years at Marshall University. He lives in Florida. His most recent book is "Resurrection of the Dust." He has published poems in The Atlantic Monthly, The Paris Review, The New Yorker, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Journal, Antioch Review, Guernica, Field and many other magazines.
Margaret Mendel lives and writes in New York City. She is an award-winning author with short stories and articles appearing online and in print publications. She has published novels "Fish Kicker" (2014) and "Pushing Water" (2016) and her short story collection "Patches" (2021). She is a staff writer and photographer with the online magazine Kings River Life. Many of her photos have appeared on websites, online travel journals, and book covers. Several of her photos have been exhibited in Soho Photography Gallery in New York City. See more of Margaret's photographs here and find her writing at Pushingtime.com.