Laura Catherine Brown is a writer and visual artist. She started writing because reading saved her life, providing an escape from chaos and a glimpse into infinite realms. Now, she creates her own imaginary worlds full of characters caught in dilemmas that disrupt their complacency. Her short stories have been published in numerous literary journals. Her first novel Quickening (Random House) was a Barnes & Noble Discover pick and her second novel Made By Mary (C&R Press) received an Independent Publisher Silver Medal award. The gift of residencies at several artists’ colonies enabled her to complete those novels. In 2019, with three other writers, she cofounded Rowland Writers Retreat, a fully funded residency for women writers, to pay the gift forward. She tries to practice gratitude and looks for the funny in any sad situation. The words of Samuel Beckett have become her mantra: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” She’s lucky to have a fantastic husband and family, and many wonderful friends, all of whom make life worth living and failing worth trying.

Po Gasan-Zade is a storyteller, illustrator and full-time cryptid who loves to draw people when they aren’t looking. In 2018 they graduated from SVA with a BFA in cartooning: their curiosity for many things resulted in a fondness for drawing monsters, nature, erotica and mythological concepts. In their stories, Po explores complex topics while balancing seriousness and humor. Po is currently working on a WW2 graphic novel, told from the perspective of a Russian soldier fighting in Belgium who has gone mad from his experiences, and independent projects including character design and storyboarding. In their free time, Po enjoys the comfort of dark forests where they play and write concepts for video games, sculpt, and experiment with food recipes.