Contributors

Jimmy Santiago Baca found poetry in prison, where he taught himself to read by sounding out the words from an anthology of Romantic poets. Now he rises each morning to read and write in his home in New Mexico.

Anders Carlson-Wee lives in Los Angeles and loves rock climbing and dumpster diving. His newest book, Disease of Kings, is a collection of poems about friendship and loneliness.

Daniel Donaghy’s first job was at a beauty-supply factory, bottling hydrogen peroxide and nail-polish remover under the el tracks in Philadelphia. His latest poetry collection is titled Somerset.

Amy Dryansky works as a grant writer for a land-conservation agency and teaches, most recently at Amherst College in Massachusetts. She is often on the other side of where she thought she wanted to be, but she usually likes it anyway.

David Mahaffey, whose father is a volunteer firefighter, wrote a short story in graduate school about their family home burning down. David is an associate editor at The Sun.

Bethany Marcel has lived in a spiritual community in New Mexico; taught English in Tbilisi, Georgia; and almost set a bar on fire in Reykjavík, Iceland. These days she explores the art of the afternoon nap in Portland, Oregon.

Doug Ramspeck lives on a North Carolina mountain where bears climb the oak trees near his deck and watch him walking on his treadmill. He is the author of twelve books and has a collection of short stories forthcoming in 2024.

Gabrielle Behar Trinh lives in California. She is a recipient of fellowships and scholarships from the Periplus Collective and Hedgebrook, and her work has been published in The Audacity and diaCRITICS.

Joe Wilkins is the author of a novel, Fall Back Down When I Die; a memoir, The Mountain and the Fathers; and four collections of poetry, including When We Were Birds and Thieve. He lives in Oregon.

David J. Bookbinder retired from a career in psychotherapy with plans to embark on long-deferred world travel. Instead he published a book of street photography and wrote a novel. He lives in Massachusetts.

James Carroll is in his eighth decade and mostly retired, though he still enjoys making gelatin silver prints and photographing places that interest him, such as Times Square and county fairs.

Eric Davidove lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. When he is not teaching yoga or walking other people’s dogs, he explores the city streets with his camera.

Pete Duval is a photographer and fiction writer whose short-story collections include Rear View and The Deposition. He teaches at West Chester University and lives in New Jersey with his wife and five cats. You can follow him on Instagram: @peteduval10.

Dennis Hearne is a North Beach–based photographer who documents the eclectic personality and architectural heritage of San Francisco.

Matt Kollasch recently moved to Amman, Jordan, where he explores the city in search of subjects to photograph. He keeps in touch with his roots by listening to Americana music and faithfully watching the Minnesota Twins.

Phyllis Meredith often sings and dances in public places. Her family is used to it, but it can surprise new friends. She lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Cole Thompson lives in Colorado. His goal is to create images he loves, and he considers himself lucky if others appreciate them, too.

Lily Vitt is a wildland firefighter on the Craig Interagency Hotshot Crew based out of northwest Colorado. In the offseason she makes her home in Tucson, Arizona, where she enjoys mountain biking, climbing, and spending as much time as possible in the desert.

Jason Innes is a full-time photographer who operates out of a historic theater in Colorado. He took this month’s cover image — of artist, musician, carpenter, and mystic Doug Lipper — while documenting Lipper’s bond with a wild raven.