Writing is all about creating, communicating, and sharing. As a paid EPIC member, we invite you to share your website and writing credits with the writing community.
EPIC members below have given permission to be listed, along with some of their credits. We will be updating frequently. If you are an EPIC member and would like your name, website, and writing credits added to this list, please contact us.
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. 2021-2022 EPIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(Members are listed below the Board of Directors, in alphabetical order)
Laura Moe, Board President
Biography: Author, radio host, and writing teacher Laura Moe spent most of her working life as a librarian and English teacher in central and Southeastern Ohio, but moved to Seattle where she writes full-time and is an active member of SCBWI.
Published work: Parallel Lines (Fat Cats, 2015); Breakfast with Neruda (Simon & Schuster/Merit Press, 2016) - named by the New York Public Library as one of the Best Books for Teens in 2016. She is owned by a spoiled white cat and is working on a sequel to Breakfast With Neruda.
Social Media: https://bookclubbabble.com/interviews/interview-with-ya-author-laura-moe-on-breakfast-with-neruda/;
http://laura-moe.blogspot.com/; http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair/2016/08/03/jacquelyn-mitchards-summer-scribes-presents-author-laura-moe
Alison (Ali) Eden Ersfeld, Youth Program Coordinator
Biography: Ali is a poet, a teacher, and a tree-hugger. She teaches at Meadowdale High School where she works collaboratively with students to create and publish the school’s annual art and literary magazine. She is currently the VP of Development for EPIC Group Writers and continues to work with EPIC Youth Writers.
Published work: Unmasked Magazine, The Boot, EPIC Group Writers 2018 Contest winner (second place-poetry), My Edmonds News – Poet’s Corner, Edmonds Patch.
Susan Frederick, VP Membership
Biography: Susan Frederick is an award winning writer who has published poems, short stories and essays, and is currently working on a memoir about the Vietnam war. She is a native of Washington state and grew up in small logging towns in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. She lives in Kirkland, Washington and is on the Board of EPIC Group Writers. She is currently at work on a memoir.
Published work: Rise & Shine, (publisher: Gather Here, an imprint of Homeostasis Press); Timber Town (publisher: Gather Here); Ghosted, published in Northwest Prime Time magazine. Several of Susan's poems have appeared in My Edmonds News.
Website: susanfrederickwriter.com
Diane Naab, EPIC Board Secretary & The Write Time writing group leader
Diane Naab is an artist, writer, world traveler, and published author. Her poetry and short stories were published in four consecutive issues of the annual literary review, Inside Passages, in southeast Alaska; Poetry Corners published by the Arts & Humanities Bainbridge; poetry and art for Ars Poetica at BARN on Bainbridge; and several submissions to The Poetry Corner for My Edmonds News. Diane serves as secretary on the EPIC Board of Directors and hosts the weekly writing group “The Write Time.”
Published Work: The Paris Affair
Elizabeth Peck, EPIC Board Treasurer
Biography: Although Elizabeth Peck is an avid reader and supports writing, she is not a writer. However she is office manager and assistant to the president at Henry H. Ketcham Lumber in Seattle, Washington. Her skill set includes QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Suite, and digital data management. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Western Washington University and a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching Elementary Education from Western Governors University.
Gerald Bigelow, EPIC Board Member at Large & Poetry Group leader
Published work: Poetry, poems published in Arizona 100 Years, Between the Lines, Memories Looking Through a Screen Door, Soundings from the Salish Sea: A Pacific Northwest Poetry Anthology.
Laura Kemp, EPIC Newsletter Editor
Biography: EPIC board member at large Laura Kemp was a professional firefighter for almost twenty-two years, and at one point got her writing fix crafting fire department training manuals—not exactly a springboard for producing page-turners. Eventually, the terrors and triumphs of the job inspired her to attempt something that makes running into burning buildings look easy – creating decent fiction. Laura’s first screenplay, “Burn Pattern,” has placed in national competitions, including a Top 100 placing in the 2021 Austin Film Festival Table Read My Screenplay Genre Competition and winning Best Script at the Depth of Field International Film festival.
Social media: https://www.nwsg.org/membership/compendium-members-projects-credits/. https://www.facebook.com/LauraMKempWriter https://gamblecreekstudio.com.
Joe Rice, EPIC Board Member at Large and Tuesday Evening Writing Group leader
Biography: I am a retired educator now working to complete a memoir and another nonfiction book on Multiage Education. I also write poetry, short stories and educational articles. I'm also an avid of many genre and love to participate in writing groups. Never too old to learn.
Published work: Nongraded Multiage Education - A Resource Book, Edmonds School District Press 1990, 1992; Short stories published in others' collections:- Joseph Rice: Generations, edited by Darryl Teruya 2003; "One Way Out," The Greater Good,: Life Lessons from Hawai'i's Leaders, by Evan and Kari Leong 2008; "Untitled," Do It Anyway by Kent M. Keith 2003; "A survey and Analysis of Oral Reading Miscues Made By Mexican and Mexican American Migrants 1979; "Kupu Hou: To Sprout and Grow Anew," A white paper on the future of education presented to the Directors of Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii 2012.
Judith Works, EPIC Board Member at Large
Biography: Judith, a founding member of EPIC Group Writers, is the author of a memoir about living in Rome and working for the United Nations titled Coins in the Fountain. She enjoys writing travel stories, and is working on a novel set in Rome and Vashon Island, and another set in the Cascade Mountain foothills.
Published work: Coins in the Fountain as well as articles in My Edmonds News, Wanted in Rome, Alaska Airlines inflight magazine and several pieces of flash fiction in literary journals.
Social Media: FB Author's page: judithworks author; Instagram: worksjudith; website: judithworks.net.
# # #
2022-23 EPIC MEMBERS (in alphabetical order)
(EPIC Membership Year is September 1 through August 31)
Catherine Abegg
Pen name: Ciele Andoy
Biography: Lifelong PNW WOC, new to Edmonds and newly exploring writing with more depth and desire… happy to be here!
Jan Alkire
Biography: I am a writer, a speaker, and the author of many articles and five non-fiction books that focus on spirituality and healing. I've enthusiastically lived in Seattle ever since graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in physical therapy.
Published Work: Books: "Seeking Christ Through Friendship"; "Healing: Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love"; "Quests: Travel Stories of Seeking and Finding" (a memoir about my life-changing adventures in Europe during my 20s); "Healing as a Parish Ministry: Mending Body, Mind and Spirit" (co-authored with Father Leo Thomas, OP); "Healing Ministry: A Practical Guide" (co-authored with Father Leo Thomas, OP)
Articles: Two examples: "Christmas Letters: A Custom We Love to Hate"; "The Power of Art in the Home."
Website: www.JanAlkire.com
Roma Anjoy
[awaiting biography)
Roxana Arama
Biography: Roxana Arama is a Romanian American author with a master of fine arts in creative writing from Goddard College. She studied computer science in Bucharest, Romania and moved to the United States to work in software development. Her short stories and essays have been published in many literary magazines. Extreme Vetting is her first novel. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her family. More at https://roxanaarama.com/
Published work: Extreme Vetting: A Thriller - February 2023, Ooligan Press (Portland State University)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roxanaarama.author
Vanessa Arpin
Biography: Vanessa Arpin has won several awards for her writing. In 2017, she won a scholarship to the Mendocino Writer’s Conference for her Young Adult submission, and her book was a top finalist in the Young Adult genre. In 2014, she was recognized by the Seattle Public Library for her poetry.
Social Media: Vanessaarpin.com
Nancy Bennett
[awaiting bio]
Petra Bosse
[awaiting biography]
Diane Buckshnis
Biography: Diane has been a technical writer all her life with audit or regulatory and manuals being her specialties. She even helped write regulatory reports in Lithuanian and lived there after the breakup of the Soviet Union. She assisted in creating their regulatory and inspecting management infrastructure. She wrote weekly life story letters of her adventures without speaking the language and having millennials helping her as translators and language teacher. Those letters are ready to become a funny biographical book and Diane will need help from Epic Writer to organize and edit and illustrator to interweave the copy graphically.
Published work: “The 21st Century’s Airport Weather Reporting System” by Patrick L Kelly, Gary L Stringer, Eric Tseo, DeLyle M. Ellefson, Michael Lyndon and Diane Buckshnis
Website: www.dianebuckshnis.com
Susan Burgess
[awaiting biography]
Harriet Cannon
Biography: Harriet Cannon is a writer whose first career was as a psychotherapist with a multicultural speciality. Her debut novel, Exiled South, an international story of family secrets and reconciliation. Her non fiction book is Mixed Blessings: A Guide to Multicultural and Multiethnic Relationships. A second novel is in the works.
Published work: Exiled South; Mixed Blessings: A Guide to Multicultural and Multiethnic Relationships.
Social Media: https://www.harrietcannon.com and https://www.facebook.com/H.R.Cannon
Ed Cornachio
[awaiting biography]
Margo Dills
Biography: Margo Jodyne Dills is an active member of Hugo House and Epic Write in Seattle. Her friends call her Jodi. She lives in Shoreline, Washington with her chihuahua rescue, Penny Lane, and manages an 80-unit apartment building in her spare time. She writes, like many, because she must, learning so much about so many things in the process. She has worked as an editor, journalist, and is currently trying to wring out a novel. Her work can be found in Tiferet Journal, Alternative Milk, Scarlett Leaf Review, Silver Birth Press, Sixfold, Worldly Winds, Poets’ Choice.
She has recently published a collection of poems, The Nail Set, about a chapter in her life when rooms were bigger, life was longer, before connections were broken, patched up, glued together. She is always hanging on for the next astounding moment.
Published work: The Nail Set available from Bottlecap Press
Jane Dossick
Biography: Originally a resident of New York, and now happily residing in Edmonds. Spent 32 years working for the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation (Dept. of psychiatry and mental health). Have been a writing all my life and enjoy the company and stimulation of fellow writers and other artists.
Published work: The Violinist's Daughter (published 2022); Creative Therapy Volumes I-IV, Inheritance (short story collection); In Memory of Lizzie Breed; Izzy and Osgood; and the plays Gemma, and Bleecker St. Blues.
Christine Dubois
Biography: Christine Dubois is a widely published writer and editor who has successfully tackled articles, newsletters, resumes, advertising copy, book editing, and more for a variety of grateful clients. She teaches writing workshops at North Seattle College, as well as for local businesses and writer's conferences. Her warmth, knowledge, and enthusiasm make her a popular instructor.
Published work: "Waiting In Hope: Meditations for Expectant Parents" with my husband Steven E. Bourne; More than 500 articles in 45 publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul, Birdwatching, Byline, Mothering, The Seattle Times, and more.
Website: www.christinedubois.com.
Roxanne Dunn
Biography: The author of Murder Unrehearsed and Murder Undetected, Roxanne Dunn has studied writing in Paris and Seattle and writes the galley column for Pacific Yachting magazine. She lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest where she volunteers as a writer for Wild Orca, an organization committed to saving the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, and leads weekly beach cleanups. Roxanne is a retired physical therapist, a foodie, a fanatic about good chocolate, and a private pilot. She lived aboard an old wood motor yacht for seventeen years, and in her dreams, is a pianist of renown, an acceptable water color artist, and a globe-trotting yogini.
Published work: Murder Unrehearsed, Murder Undetected, Galley column in Pacific Yachting Magazine.
Paddy Eger
Biography: Paddy is the published author of both non fiction and fiction books and materials, a presenter, a speaker, a blogger and a traveler. Currently her interests include writing YA, early chapter books and memoir.
Published work: Award-winning books including a YA trilogy: 84 Ribbons, When the Music Stops-Dance On, Letters to Follow-A Dancer's Adventure; and Tasman-An Innocent Convict's Struggle for Freedom
Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paddyegerfictionauthor; Twitter: @paddyegerwriter; Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/paddyeger; Website: www.paddyeger.com; Blogs: www.paddyeger.com/blog/author
Tom Fortin
[awaiting biography]
Tom Frank
[awaiting biography]
Keith Fryer
[awaiting biography]
Dan Gilchrist
Biography: Professionally, I am primarily a graphic designer, trained and licensed as a landscape architect. My day job (retail nursery) also entails copywriting and answering/advising gardening customers online. Intermittent blogger, working toward my first book (a tree pruning how-to). My poem, “Erosion,” won 2nd place at Epic’s 2022 Writing Contest, Adult Poetry division.
Published work: Rhythm & Space (my blog)… “Here’s to Smallness”; “The Dance of Rhythm & Space”; “The Wabi-sabi Garden.”
Website: https://rhythmandspace.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @dangseawa
Kathleen Glassburn
Biography: Kathleen is a fiction writer. Where Do Stories Come From? is her short story collection. Making It Work is her first novel. She is managing editor of The Writer’s Workshop Review.
Published work: Novel - Making It Work; Short Story Collection - Where Do Stories Come From?
Website: http://www.kathleenglassburn.com/
Lilach Grimminger
Biography: Lilac Grimminger is a writer, editor, and professional translator. Originally from Israel, she studied English Literature and Education before moving to the USA, where she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. She's currently working on her first short-stories and essays book.
Mindy Halleck
Pen name: Mindy Meyers
Biography: Mindy Meyers-Halleck is an award-winning author and writing instructor. She is a frequent guest lecturer in UW fiction writing classes and a past board member for EPIC Group Writers. As a multiple times cancer survivor, she credits part of her healing journey(s) to the art of writing.
Published work: Halleck’s debut novel, Return to Sender, was one of Kirkus Review’s Top Twenty Indie Novels, and her short stories have won writing contests. Over 900 of her articles, advice columns, and essays have been published, including feature articles in New York Woman and Seattle Woman magazines.
Website: www.MindyHalleck.com
Kent Hargrave
[awaiting biography]
Elena Hartwell (Taylor)
Biography: Elena Hartwell writes the Wait, Wait Don't Query (Yet!) writing guidebooks and the Eddie Shoes mystery series. She also write under Elena Taylor, including All We Buried. She is also Senior Developmental Editor and Director of Programming for Allegory Editing, a boutique editing company serving both traditionally and self-published writers.
Published work: One Dead, Two to Go; Two Heads are Deader than One; Three Strikes, You're Dead; The Foundation of Plot; The Construction of Character. Under Elena Taylor: All We Buried
Website: http://www.elenahartwell.com
Linda Hebert, EPIC Newsletter Editor
Pen name: Linda Summersea
Biography: I’ve always loved wild places. I attribute this to growing up feral on our three-generation family farm in Massachusetts, yet little did I know that it would lead to a lifetime of following my desire to see what’s over the hill. THE GIRL WITH THE BLACK AND BLUE DOLL is my 96,000-word coming-of-age memoir. Its opening scene reveals three-year-old me as I’m fleeing my mother’s wrath and her swinging army belt. The rest is the story of my survival to become a thriving adult.
Published work: The Girl With the Black and Blue Doll, The Manifest-Station, The Colombian; also, quite a few travel articles in magazines back in the day.
Tara James
[awaiting biography]
Falaah Jones
[awaiting biography]
Kizzie Jones
Biography: Kizzie Jones found an outlet for whimsy and make-believe, creating stories that model and honor kindness, compassion, collaboration, and diversity through the Tall Tales dachshund book series. "I hope each time the books are read, seeds are planted to further the cause for a gentleness of spirit for all humanity and nature," said Kizzie, who lives on Puget Sound. "Picture it: a world of friends delighting in the whimsy of life, bringing out the best in one another. I can think of no greater legacy."
Published work: "How Dachshunds Came to Be"; "A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican"; "A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes"; "Writing In Place: Prose & Poetry from the Pacific Northwest; "Historias de Los Cabos" (Stories of Los Cabos), (two essays included); compiled and edited by Keith Ross (Barco Varado Ediciones, 2022): “Dos turistas en Los Cabos, dos lugareños y la gatita de peluche de Karolina”; (Two Cabo Tourists, Two Locals, & Karolina’s Toy Cat), p. 123; “A la caza de los salchichas”; (Chasing Three Dachshunds and Catching New Friends), p. 139
Elizabeth Keating
[awaiting biography]
Wendy Kendall
Biography: Wendy enjoys investigating the Pacific Northwest life, and she leaves a trail of her own clues as a blogger, speaker, syndicated columnist, and YouTube podcaster. Catch her current YouTube podcast channel – Wendy Kendall in Purse-Suit of Fashion and Fiction.
Published work: Kat Out of the Bag; Purse-Stachio Makes A Splash; Snow Kiss Cookies To Die For; Cherry Shakes in the Park; Heart of Christmas Cookies and Dreams.
Mike Konopinski
Biography: My wife and I are authors of two children's books so far and the proud owners of Rainy Day Publishing. We are Shoreline residents and after the birth of our children we became big fans of children's literature.
Published work: Animal Potluck -- Children's board book with a delightful theme that centers on rhymes and sharing with friends. Available on our website, the Edmonds Bookshop, and Amazon. Best Soccer Player In The Galaxy -- A fun rhyming story filled with beautiful illustrations. Our book takes your young reader on a journey with our hero who chases her out of this world dream. This is an inspiring and empowering story that follows a female character who loves soccer and has a galactic size dream.
Henry Landau
Biography: Hank and his family have lived in Woodway, WA since 1973. He is the founder of Landau Associates, a regional engineering firm. Since his retirement he has been active in human rights, environmental organizations and bicycling and kayaking adventures.
Published work: The Misadventures of a Cross-Country Kayaker, a true story describing the authors Quixotic voyage from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.
Ahna Machan
Website: www.audaciouschanges.com
Hiroko Malatesta
Biography: About to complete the first volume of historical espionage fiction set in post-war Japan.
Published work: " A Floral Pageant," translation of Kanoko Okamoto's novella, "Hana wa tsuyoshi," in To Live And To Write: Selections By Japanese Women Writers 1913-1938
Bill Mayer
Pen Name: RW Mayer
[waiting biography]
Marcia McLaughlin
Biography: I am a retired spiritual director who enjoys photography and writing poetry – and seeing where the combination takes me. I am particularly interested in the natural world, how we interact with it, and the messages it has for us. I’m panentheistic; I find God or Spirit in everything. Justice is an important part of my life and my writing. My love of poetry developed from a life-long love of choral music. I was a longtime resident of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park. I am now living in Lacey in a vibrant retirement community. The pandemic has given me much more time for writing!
Published Work: Nature's Messages. A self-published book of poetry, 2022. I've also been published in the Edmonds News, and in The Voice (a literary publication of Panorama).
Rebecca Meredith
Biography: I’m a retired psychotherapist and author, with publications in fiction and poetry. My first novel, The Last of the Pascagoula, received a Kirkus Star. In 2011 I was chosen to be the first Poet Laureate of Redmond, WA. In 2022 I received my MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College.
Published work: The Last of the Pascagoula; Look Up From the Water; Intergenerational Delta Blues; Various anthologies and literary magazines
Michael Miller
Biography: Michael lives in Edmonds, WA, on the Puget Sound with his wife and their two cats. In 2022, Michael received an honorable mention in the Yeats Society of New York’s Poetry Prize. His poems have appeared in the New Guard Review, Lyric Magazine, The Society of Classical Poets and others. He received his Master's in English from San Francisco State University from the Creative Writing Department.
Published work: life's promise 2019, vol XIII New Guard Review; sunset Journal 10 The Society of Classical Poets; fragile Spring 2021, vol 101 The Lyric
chill wind Winter 2021 Oberon Poetry Magazine; image, become, launch, marriage, bond, and grace 2022 Whatcom County Anthology--Interconnectedness; prayer, lanscape, presence Winter 2021 New Guard Review; heat lightning and the blues 2022 Yeats Society Poetry Prize Honorable Mention; words, a sonnet over dinner, stray 2023 Everything Intensely, San Francisco Writers Conference 2022 Writing Contest Anthology
together 2023 Write on the Sound
Erica Miner
Biography: Former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner is an award-wining author, screenwriter, arts journalist, and lecturer. Erica continues to balance her reviews and interviews of real-world musical artists with her fanciful plot fabrications that reveal the dark side of the fascinating world of opera in her Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series.
Published work: ARIA FOR MURDER; PRELUDE TO MURDER; MURDER IN THE PIT; DEATH BY OPERA; STAGED FOR MURDER
Magazines and online articles: USBACHTRACK.COM; BROADWAYWORLD.COM; LAOPUS.COM
Website: https://www.ericaminer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erica.miner1
X/Twitter: @EmwrtrErica
Liz Morris
Website: https://lizmorris.pressfolios.com/
Vivian Murray
[awaiting biography]
Victoria (Tori) Peters
[awaiting biography]
Ryan Petty
Biography: Former editor and publisher of Cold Mountain Press; Retired economic developer; Primary writing interests: novels in verse, historical fiction, the art of the memoir, writers as a community.
Published work: Kodiak & The Un-Hunted Place (A Novel in Verse)
Joan Piper
Published work: Author of "Ghosts of the South End" in Stories of Bainbridge Island
Susan Pittman
[awaiting biography]
Website: susanpittmanwriter.com
Valerie Ramer
Biography: Valerie Ramer is the author of Alastair McAllister Goes to School, a children's book purrfect for ages 3-8. Valerie has raised 2 amazing children and lots of kittens. She has a background in theater. She has written and directed children's theater and did ghostwriting for numerous TV and film screenplays.
Published work: Alastair McAllister Goes to School, a children's book for ages 3-8.
Website: www.Redwritingbooks.com
Lucas Rate
[awaiting biography]
Brenda Reiss
Biography: Call me a slow starter. I was here on the planet before anyone had even heard of the Beatles... but the possibility of writing never occurred to me until almost too late. Now, (thank you lockdown) I'm deep into a memoir. It's my maiden voyage in the thrashing seas of not-quite-literary reminiscence... salted with a generous dollop of bull. Expat memoirs of colonized countries are a whole genre and since I grew up as an American in South Africa, that's what mine is about. More or less.
Donna Rudiger
Biography: Donna began writing poetry and prose during her adolescent years growing up southeastern Pennsylvania. An active participant of several writing groups in the Puget Sound area, she’s an award-winning EPIC poet, a member of the Academy of American Poets and teaches poetry workshops. Her work has been published in Soundings from the Salish Sea in 2018, the Skagit River Anthology in 2021 and 2022, and previous issues of the Edmonds News Poetry Corner. She was a contributing poet for the 2022 Day of Remembrance for Japanese Americans held at Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds. She’s a retired technical writer and enjoys writing poetry and filming the wildlife near her home in the Cascade foothills of Arlington.
Carol Sanford
Published work: Three award-winning non-fiction: The Responsible Business, The Responsible Entrepreneur with Wiley; The Regenerative Business, with Nicholas Brealey and soon to be released No More Feedback self-published.; No More Gold Stars. 3 Podcasts and Blogs. The Regenerative Business, The Responsible Capitalist, Business Second Opinion. Producer The Regenerative Summit. Faculty @ Universities in Europe and UW. Senior Fellow of Social Innovation at Babson College.
Social Media: Website: www.carolsanford.com; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolsanford2; Twitter: carolsanford
Mary Ann Schradi
Biography: Mary Ann Schradi, AKA, Mimzi Schradi, has published three books in the Angeliba Seraphina Series: PsyChic in Seattle, Frantic in Fiji…and other ports of call, and Poisoned in Paris. She also has poetry and memoirs published in anthologies. She enjoys singing in multiple musical groups and beach walking with family and friends. A newer love is traveling with friends and family. An older love is hanging out with her Cairn Terriers.
Published work: PsyChic in n Seattle; Frantic in Fiji…and other ports of call; Poisoned in Paris; Anthologies: Skagit Valley Anthology; Tales for a Lazy Afternoon.
Kristina Stapleton
[awaiting biography]
Elizabeth Stewart
Biography: grew up in the Adirondacks in Upstate New York, and made my way to Washington State via Northern California. I am a genetics/genomics scientist by training and have written numerous publications and grants in the field. However, I wanted to also try something different and so I am now working on writing fiction which is quite a stretch from writing scientific papers but I am having a lot of fun with it. I love to read sci-fi and fantasy.
Inez Taylor
Biography: poet, technical writer, newsletters, and public speaker
Published work: Chapbooks, newsletters, anthologies, art
Carol Tiebout
Published work: Calyx Journal of Art and Literature, My Edmonds News, Poet's Corner, American Jewish Historical Society webite.
Diane Tinsley
Biography: Diane Tinsley is a busy Scandinavian American with wide interests in family activities, community service, gardening, photography and international travel. Although working full-time as an educator and researcher while raising her family, she has also written for self-enlightenment since a young child growing up in northern Minnesota. Her quirky, experimental style sometimes thunders into angst, ascends to joy, and can achieve a graceful peacefulness. Diane believes that writing for personal growth and communicating with younger generations are essential components of aging well.
Published work: Diane’s poetry will appear in It’s all in the Telling: Poetry and Prose by Pacific Northwest Writers in 2024, an anthology edited by Joe Rice and Falaah Jones. Her earlier work focuses on aging across the life span, as illustrated in Facilitating Transitions in Retirement which appeared in Counseling Across the Lifespan (Sage Publications) edited by Cincy Juntunen and Donald Atkinson.
Howard Tinsley
Biography: I am a retired university professor with extensive experience editing and publishing in psychological journals and books. I began to study creative writing in the early 1990 but until now have written only for personal pleasure. I am currently working on two fiction novels I hope to publish when completed.
Published work: Tinsley, H. E. A., Lease, S. H., & Wiersma, N. S. G. (Eds.). (2016). Contemporary theory and practice in counseling and psychotherapy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; Tinsley, H. E. A., & Lease, S. H. (Eds.). (2008). Encyclopedia of counseling, Volume 2: Personal counseling and mental health problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; Tinsley, H. E. A., & Brown, S.D. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of applied multivariate statistics and mathematical modeling. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Naomi Wark
Biography: Besides being an active member with EPIC Group Writers, Naomi Wark is on the board of Skagit Valley Writers’ League, and a member of Pacific Northwest Writers. She holds a Certificate in Commercial Fiction from the University of Washington. When she is not writing, Naomi enjoys gardening and swimming. She is a volunteer and on the Board of Stanwood Camano Food Bank.
Published Work: Naomi’s debut novel, Wildflowers in Winter is recognized by AlzAuthors for its accurate portrayal of a woman dealing with dementia. Both Wildflowers in Winter, and the prequel novel, Songs of Spring, draw inspiration from diaries left behind by a grandmother and discovered upon her death. An excerpt from Songs of Spring is included in Skagit River Anthology.
Awards: An excerpt from Songs of Spring won 2nd place in adult prose in the EPIC writer’s contest in 2020, and a short story, The Hunt, won 2nd placed in prose in 2021. A separate excerpt from Songs of Spring won 3rd place in a contest sponsored by Skagit Valley Writer’s League.
Rebecca Wolfe
[awaiting biography]
Martha Young-Scholten
Biography: I've just returned to Edmonds after 34 years away as an academic in Germany and the UK. In my retirement, I'm working with a creative writer back in the UK to produce very short fiction books for adults with weak reading skills, including those learning to read for the first time in their lives, usually immigrants. The narratives are written by creative writers and images provided by artists. They are translated into various languages, from Arabic to Turkish. We're always looking for new writers and artists.
Website: www.simplystories.org
(Members are listed below the Board of Directors, in alphabetical order)
Laura Moe, Board President
Biography: Author, radio host, and writing teacher Laura Moe spent most of her working life as a librarian and English teacher in central and Southeastern Ohio, but moved to Seattle where she writes full-time and is an active member of SCBWI.
Published work: Parallel Lines (Fat Cats, 2015); Breakfast with Neruda (Simon & Schuster/Merit Press, 2016) - named by the New York Public Library as one of the Best Books for Teens in 2016. She is owned by a spoiled white cat and is working on a sequel to Breakfast With Neruda.
Social Media: https://bookclubbabble.com/interviews/interview-with-ya-author-laura-moe-on-breakfast-with-neruda/;
http://laura-moe.blogspot.com/; http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair/2016/08/03/jacquelyn-mitchards-summer-scribes-presents-author-laura-moe
Alison (Ali) Eden Ersfeld, Youth Program Coordinator
Biography: Ali is a poet, a teacher, and a tree-hugger. She teaches at Meadowdale High School where she works collaboratively with students to create and publish the school’s annual art and literary magazine. She is currently the VP of Development for EPIC Group Writers and continues to work with EPIC Youth Writers.
Published work: Unmasked Magazine, The Boot, EPIC Group Writers 2018 Contest winner (second place-poetry), My Edmonds News – Poet’s Corner, Edmonds Patch.
Susan Frederick, VP Membership
Biography: Susan Frederick is an award winning writer who has published poems, short stories and essays, and is currently working on a memoir about the Vietnam war. She is a native of Washington state and grew up in small logging towns in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. She lives in Kirkland, Washington and is on the Board of EPIC Group Writers. She is currently at work on a memoir.
Published work: Rise & Shine, (publisher: Gather Here, an imprint of Homeostasis Press); Timber Town (publisher: Gather Here); Ghosted, published in Northwest Prime Time magazine. Several of Susan's poems have appeared in My Edmonds News.
Website: susanfrederickwriter.com
Diane Naab, EPIC Board Secretary & The Write Time writing group leader
Diane Naab is an artist, writer, world traveler, and published author. Her poetry and short stories were published in four consecutive issues of the annual literary review, Inside Passages, in southeast Alaska; Poetry Corners published by the Arts & Humanities Bainbridge; poetry and art for Ars Poetica at BARN on Bainbridge; and several submissions to The Poetry Corner for My Edmonds News. Diane serves as secretary on the EPIC Board of Directors and hosts the weekly writing group “The Write Time.”
Published Work: The Paris Affair
Elizabeth Peck, EPIC Board Treasurer
Biography: Although Elizabeth Peck is an avid reader and supports writing, she is not a writer. However she is office manager and assistant to the president at Henry H. Ketcham Lumber in Seattle, Washington. Her skill set includes QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Suite, and digital data management. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Western Washington University and a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching Elementary Education from Western Governors University.
Gerald Bigelow, EPIC Board Member at Large & Poetry Group leader
Published work: Poetry, poems published in Arizona 100 Years, Between the Lines, Memories Looking Through a Screen Door, Soundings from the Salish Sea: A Pacific Northwest Poetry Anthology.
Laura Kemp, EPIC Newsletter Editor
Biography: EPIC board member at large Laura Kemp was a professional firefighter for almost twenty-two years, and at one point got her writing fix crafting fire department training manuals—not exactly a springboard for producing page-turners. Eventually, the terrors and triumphs of the job inspired her to attempt something that makes running into burning buildings look easy – creating decent fiction. Laura’s first screenplay, “Burn Pattern,” has placed in national competitions, including a Top 100 placing in the 2021 Austin Film Festival Table Read My Screenplay Genre Competition and winning Best Script at the Depth of Field International Film festival.
Social media: https://www.nwsg.org/membership/compendium-members-projects-credits/. https://www.facebook.com/LauraMKempWriter https://gamblecreekstudio.com.
Joe Rice, EPIC Board Member at Large and Tuesday Evening Writing Group leader
Biography: I am a retired educator now working to complete a memoir and another nonfiction book on Multiage Education. I also write poetry, short stories and educational articles. I'm also an avid of many genre and love to participate in writing groups. Never too old to learn.
Published work: Nongraded Multiage Education - A Resource Book, Edmonds School District Press 1990, 1992; Short stories published in others' collections:- Joseph Rice: Generations, edited by Darryl Teruya 2003; "One Way Out," The Greater Good,: Life Lessons from Hawai'i's Leaders, by Evan and Kari Leong 2008; "Untitled," Do It Anyway by Kent M. Keith 2003; "A survey and Analysis of Oral Reading Miscues Made By Mexican and Mexican American Migrants 1979; "Kupu Hou: To Sprout and Grow Anew," A white paper on the future of education presented to the Directors of Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii 2012.
Judith Works, EPIC Board Member at Large
Biography: Judith, a founding member of EPIC Group Writers, is the author of a memoir about living in Rome and working for the United Nations titled Coins in the Fountain. She enjoys writing travel stories, and is working on a novel set in Rome and Vashon Island, and another set in the Cascade Mountain foothills.
Published work: Coins in the Fountain as well as articles in My Edmonds News, Wanted in Rome, Alaska Airlines inflight magazine and several pieces of flash fiction in literary journals.
Social Media: FB Author's page: judithworks author; Instagram: worksjudith; website: judithworks.net.
# # #
2022-23 EPIC MEMBERS (in alphabetical order)
(EPIC Membership Year is September 1 through August 31)
Catherine Abegg
Pen name: Ciele Andoy
Biography: Lifelong PNW WOC, new to Edmonds and newly exploring writing with more depth and desire… happy to be here!
Jan Alkire
Biography: I am a writer, a speaker, and the author of many articles and five non-fiction books that focus on spirituality and healing. I've enthusiastically lived in Seattle ever since graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in physical therapy.
Published Work: Books: "Seeking Christ Through Friendship"; "Healing: Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love"; "Quests: Travel Stories of Seeking and Finding" (a memoir about my life-changing adventures in Europe during my 20s); "Healing as a Parish Ministry: Mending Body, Mind and Spirit" (co-authored with Father Leo Thomas, OP); "Healing Ministry: A Practical Guide" (co-authored with Father Leo Thomas, OP)
Articles: Two examples: "Christmas Letters: A Custom We Love to Hate"; "The Power of Art in the Home."
Website: www.JanAlkire.com
Roma Anjoy
[awaiting biography)
Roxana Arama
Biography: Roxana Arama is a Romanian American author with a master of fine arts in creative writing from Goddard College. She studied computer science in Bucharest, Romania and moved to the United States to work in software development. Her short stories and essays have been published in many literary magazines. Extreme Vetting is her first novel. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her family. More at https://roxanaarama.com/
Published work: Extreme Vetting: A Thriller - February 2023, Ooligan Press (Portland State University)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roxanaarama.author
Vanessa Arpin
Biography: Vanessa Arpin has won several awards for her writing. In 2017, she won a scholarship to the Mendocino Writer’s Conference for her Young Adult submission, and her book was a top finalist in the Young Adult genre. In 2014, she was recognized by the Seattle Public Library for her poetry.
Social Media: Vanessaarpin.com
Nancy Bennett
[awaiting bio]
Petra Bosse
[awaiting biography]
Diane Buckshnis
Biography: Diane has been a technical writer all her life with audit or regulatory and manuals being her specialties. She even helped write regulatory reports in Lithuanian and lived there after the breakup of the Soviet Union. She assisted in creating their regulatory and inspecting management infrastructure. She wrote weekly life story letters of her adventures without speaking the language and having millennials helping her as translators and language teacher. Those letters are ready to become a funny biographical book and Diane will need help from Epic Writer to organize and edit and illustrator to interweave the copy graphically.
Published work: “The 21st Century’s Airport Weather Reporting System” by Patrick L Kelly, Gary L Stringer, Eric Tseo, DeLyle M. Ellefson, Michael Lyndon and Diane Buckshnis
Website: www.dianebuckshnis.com
Susan Burgess
[awaiting biography]
Harriet Cannon
Biography: Harriet Cannon is a writer whose first career was as a psychotherapist with a multicultural speciality. Her debut novel, Exiled South, an international story of family secrets and reconciliation. Her non fiction book is Mixed Blessings: A Guide to Multicultural and Multiethnic Relationships. A second novel is in the works.
Published work: Exiled South; Mixed Blessings: A Guide to Multicultural and Multiethnic Relationships.
Social Media: https://www.harrietcannon.com and https://www.facebook.com/H.R.Cannon
Ed Cornachio
[awaiting biography]
Margo Dills
Biography: Margo Jodyne Dills is an active member of Hugo House and Epic Write in Seattle. Her friends call her Jodi. She lives in Shoreline, Washington with her chihuahua rescue, Penny Lane, and manages an 80-unit apartment building in her spare time. She writes, like many, because she must, learning so much about so many things in the process. She has worked as an editor, journalist, and is currently trying to wring out a novel. Her work can be found in Tiferet Journal, Alternative Milk, Scarlett Leaf Review, Silver Birth Press, Sixfold, Worldly Winds, Poets’ Choice.
She has recently published a collection of poems, The Nail Set, about a chapter in her life when rooms were bigger, life was longer, before connections were broken, patched up, glued together. She is always hanging on for the next astounding moment.
Published work: The Nail Set available from Bottlecap Press
Jane Dossick
Biography: Originally a resident of New York, and now happily residing in Edmonds. Spent 32 years working for the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation (Dept. of psychiatry and mental health). Have been a writing all my life and enjoy the company and stimulation of fellow writers and other artists.
Published work: The Violinist's Daughter (published 2022); Creative Therapy Volumes I-IV, Inheritance (short story collection); In Memory of Lizzie Breed; Izzy and Osgood; and the plays Gemma, and Bleecker St. Blues.
Christine Dubois
Biography: Christine Dubois is a widely published writer and editor who has successfully tackled articles, newsletters, resumes, advertising copy, book editing, and more for a variety of grateful clients. She teaches writing workshops at North Seattle College, as well as for local businesses and writer's conferences. Her warmth, knowledge, and enthusiasm make her a popular instructor.
Published work: "Waiting In Hope: Meditations for Expectant Parents" with my husband Steven E. Bourne; More than 500 articles in 45 publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul, Birdwatching, Byline, Mothering, The Seattle Times, and more.
Website: www.christinedubois.com.
Roxanne Dunn
Biography: The author of Murder Unrehearsed and Murder Undetected, Roxanne Dunn has studied writing in Paris and Seattle and writes the galley column for Pacific Yachting magazine. She lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest where she volunteers as a writer for Wild Orca, an organization committed to saving the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, and leads weekly beach cleanups. Roxanne is a retired physical therapist, a foodie, a fanatic about good chocolate, and a private pilot. She lived aboard an old wood motor yacht for seventeen years, and in her dreams, is a pianist of renown, an acceptable water color artist, and a globe-trotting yogini.
Published work: Murder Unrehearsed, Murder Undetected, Galley column in Pacific Yachting Magazine.
Paddy Eger
Biography: Paddy is the published author of both non fiction and fiction books and materials, a presenter, a speaker, a blogger and a traveler. Currently her interests include writing YA, early chapter books and memoir.
Published work: Award-winning books including a YA trilogy: 84 Ribbons, When the Music Stops-Dance On, Letters to Follow-A Dancer's Adventure; and Tasman-An Innocent Convict's Struggle for Freedom
Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paddyegerfictionauthor; Twitter: @paddyegerwriter; Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/paddyeger; Website: www.paddyeger.com; Blogs: www.paddyeger.com/blog/author
Tom Fortin
[awaiting biography]
Tom Frank
[awaiting biography]
Keith Fryer
[awaiting biography]
Dan Gilchrist
Biography: Professionally, I am primarily a graphic designer, trained and licensed as a landscape architect. My day job (retail nursery) also entails copywriting and answering/advising gardening customers online. Intermittent blogger, working toward my first book (a tree pruning how-to). My poem, “Erosion,” won 2nd place at Epic’s 2022 Writing Contest, Adult Poetry division.
Published work: Rhythm & Space (my blog)… “Here’s to Smallness”; “The Dance of Rhythm & Space”; “The Wabi-sabi Garden.”
Website: https://rhythmandspace.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @dangseawa
Kathleen Glassburn
Biography: Kathleen is a fiction writer. Where Do Stories Come From? is her short story collection. Making It Work is her first novel. She is managing editor of The Writer’s Workshop Review.
Published work: Novel - Making It Work; Short Story Collection - Where Do Stories Come From?
Website: http://www.kathleenglassburn.com/
Lilach Grimminger
Biography: Lilac Grimminger is a writer, editor, and professional translator. Originally from Israel, she studied English Literature and Education before moving to the USA, where she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. She's currently working on her first short-stories and essays book.
Mindy Halleck
Pen name: Mindy Meyers
Biography: Mindy Meyers-Halleck is an award-winning author and writing instructor. She is a frequent guest lecturer in UW fiction writing classes and a past board member for EPIC Group Writers. As a multiple times cancer survivor, she credits part of her healing journey(s) to the art of writing.
Published work: Halleck’s debut novel, Return to Sender, was one of Kirkus Review’s Top Twenty Indie Novels, and her short stories have won writing contests. Over 900 of her articles, advice columns, and essays have been published, including feature articles in New York Woman and Seattle Woman magazines.
Website: www.MindyHalleck.com
Kent Hargrave
[awaiting biography]
Elena Hartwell (Taylor)
Biography: Elena Hartwell writes the Wait, Wait Don't Query (Yet!) writing guidebooks and the Eddie Shoes mystery series. She also write under Elena Taylor, including All We Buried. She is also Senior Developmental Editor and Director of Programming for Allegory Editing, a boutique editing company serving both traditionally and self-published writers.
Published work: One Dead, Two to Go; Two Heads are Deader than One; Three Strikes, You're Dead; The Foundation of Plot; The Construction of Character. Under Elena Taylor: All We Buried
Website: http://www.elenahartwell.com
Linda Hebert, EPIC Newsletter Editor
Pen name: Linda Summersea
Biography: I’ve always loved wild places. I attribute this to growing up feral on our three-generation family farm in Massachusetts, yet little did I know that it would lead to a lifetime of following my desire to see what’s over the hill. THE GIRL WITH THE BLACK AND BLUE DOLL is my 96,000-word coming-of-age memoir. Its opening scene reveals three-year-old me as I’m fleeing my mother’s wrath and her swinging army belt. The rest is the story of my survival to become a thriving adult.
Published work: The Girl With the Black and Blue Doll, The Manifest-Station, The Colombian; also, quite a few travel articles in magazines back in the day.
Tara James
[awaiting biography]
Falaah Jones
[awaiting biography]
Kizzie Jones
Biography: Kizzie Jones found an outlet for whimsy and make-believe, creating stories that model and honor kindness, compassion, collaboration, and diversity through the Tall Tales dachshund book series. "I hope each time the books are read, seeds are planted to further the cause for a gentleness of spirit for all humanity and nature," said Kizzie, who lives on Puget Sound. "Picture it: a world of friends delighting in the whimsy of life, bringing out the best in one another. I can think of no greater legacy."
Published work: "How Dachshunds Came to Be"; "A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican"; "A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes"; "Writing In Place: Prose & Poetry from the Pacific Northwest; "Historias de Los Cabos" (Stories of Los Cabos), (two essays included); compiled and edited by Keith Ross (Barco Varado Ediciones, 2022): “Dos turistas en Los Cabos, dos lugareños y la gatita de peluche de Karolina”; (Two Cabo Tourists, Two Locals, & Karolina’s Toy Cat), p. 123; “A la caza de los salchichas”; (Chasing Three Dachshunds and Catching New Friends), p. 139
Elizabeth Keating
[awaiting biography]
Wendy Kendall
Biography: Wendy enjoys investigating the Pacific Northwest life, and she leaves a trail of her own clues as a blogger, speaker, syndicated columnist, and YouTube podcaster. Catch her current YouTube podcast channel – Wendy Kendall in Purse-Suit of Fashion and Fiction.
Published work: Kat Out of the Bag; Purse-Stachio Makes A Splash; Snow Kiss Cookies To Die For; Cherry Shakes in the Park; Heart of Christmas Cookies and Dreams.
Mike Konopinski
Biography: My wife and I are authors of two children's books so far and the proud owners of Rainy Day Publishing. We are Shoreline residents and after the birth of our children we became big fans of children's literature.
Published work: Animal Potluck -- Children's board book with a delightful theme that centers on rhymes and sharing with friends. Available on our website, the Edmonds Bookshop, and Amazon. Best Soccer Player In The Galaxy -- A fun rhyming story filled with beautiful illustrations. Our book takes your young reader on a journey with our hero who chases her out of this world dream. This is an inspiring and empowering story that follows a female character who loves soccer and has a galactic size dream.
Henry Landau
Biography: Hank and his family have lived in Woodway, WA since 1973. He is the founder of Landau Associates, a regional engineering firm. Since his retirement he has been active in human rights, environmental organizations and bicycling and kayaking adventures.
Published work: The Misadventures of a Cross-Country Kayaker, a true story describing the authors Quixotic voyage from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.
Ahna Machan
Website: www.audaciouschanges.com
Hiroko Malatesta
Biography: About to complete the first volume of historical espionage fiction set in post-war Japan.
Published work: " A Floral Pageant," translation of Kanoko Okamoto's novella, "Hana wa tsuyoshi," in To Live And To Write: Selections By Japanese Women Writers 1913-1938
Bill Mayer
Pen Name: RW Mayer
[waiting biography]
Marcia McLaughlin
Biography: I am a retired spiritual director who enjoys photography and writing poetry – and seeing where the combination takes me. I am particularly interested in the natural world, how we interact with it, and the messages it has for us. I’m panentheistic; I find God or Spirit in everything. Justice is an important part of my life and my writing. My love of poetry developed from a life-long love of choral music. I was a longtime resident of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park. I am now living in Lacey in a vibrant retirement community. The pandemic has given me much more time for writing!
Published Work: Nature's Messages. A self-published book of poetry, 2022. I've also been published in the Edmonds News, and in The Voice (a literary publication of Panorama).
Rebecca Meredith
Biography: I’m a retired psychotherapist and author, with publications in fiction and poetry. My first novel, The Last of the Pascagoula, received a Kirkus Star. In 2011 I was chosen to be the first Poet Laureate of Redmond, WA. In 2022 I received my MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College.
Published work: The Last of the Pascagoula; Look Up From the Water; Intergenerational Delta Blues; Various anthologies and literary magazines
Michael Miller
Biography: Michael lives in Edmonds, WA, on the Puget Sound with his wife and their two cats. In 2022, Michael received an honorable mention in the Yeats Society of New York’s Poetry Prize. His poems have appeared in the New Guard Review, Lyric Magazine, The Society of Classical Poets and others. He received his Master's in English from San Francisco State University from the Creative Writing Department.
Published work: life's promise 2019, vol XIII New Guard Review; sunset Journal 10 The Society of Classical Poets; fragile Spring 2021, vol 101 The Lyric
chill wind Winter 2021 Oberon Poetry Magazine; image, become, launch, marriage, bond, and grace 2022 Whatcom County Anthology--Interconnectedness; prayer, lanscape, presence Winter 2021 New Guard Review; heat lightning and the blues 2022 Yeats Society Poetry Prize Honorable Mention; words, a sonnet over dinner, stray 2023 Everything Intensely, San Francisco Writers Conference 2022 Writing Contest Anthology
together 2023 Write on the Sound
Erica Miner
Biography: Former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner is an award-wining author, screenwriter, arts journalist, and lecturer. Erica continues to balance her reviews and interviews of real-world musical artists with her fanciful plot fabrications that reveal the dark side of the fascinating world of opera in her Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series.
Published work: ARIA FOR MURDER; PRELUDE TO MURDER; MURDER IN THE PIT; DEATH BY OPERA; STAGED FOR MURDER
Magazines and online articles: USBACHTRACK.COM; BROADWAYWORLD.COM; LAOPUS.COM
Website: https://www.ericaminer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erica.miner1
X/Twitter: @EmwrtrErica
Liz Morris
Website: https://lizmorris.pressfolios.com/
Vivian Murray
[awaiting biography]
Victoria (Tori) Peters
[awaiting biography]
Ryan Petty
Biography: Former editor and publisher of Cold Mountain Press; Retired economic developer; Primary writing interests: novels in verse, historical fiction, the art of the memoir, writers as a community.
Published work: Kodiak & The Un-Hunted Place (A Novel in Verse)
Joan Piper
Published work: Author of "Ghosts of the South End" in Stories of Bainbridge Island
Susan Pittman
[awaiting biography]
Website: susanpittmanwriter.com
Valerie Ramer
Biography: Valerie Ramer is the author of Alastair McAllister Goes to School, a children's book purrfect for ages 3-8. Valerie has raised 2 amazing children and lots of kittens. She has a background in theater. She has written and directed children's theater and did ghostwriting for numerous TV and film screenplays.
Published work: Alastair McAllister Goes to School, a children's book for ages 3-8.
Website: www.Redwritingbooks.com
Lucas Rate
[awaiting biography]
Brenda Reiss
Biography: Call me a slow starter. I was here on the planet before anyone had even heard of the Beatles... but the possibility of writing never occurred to me until almost too late. Now, (thank you lockdown) I'm deep into a memoir. It's my maiden voyage in the thrashing seas of not-quite-literary reminiscence... salted with a generous dollop of bull. Expat memoirs of colonized countries are a whole genre and since I grew up as an American in South Africa, that's what mine is about. More or less.
Donna Rudiger
Biography: Donna began writing poetry and prose during her adolescent years growing up southeastern Pennsylvania. An active participant of several writing groups in the Puget Sound area, she’s an award-winning EPIC poet, a member of the Academy of American Poets and teaches poetry workshops. Her work has been published in Soundings from the Salish Sea in 2018, the Skagit River Anthology in 2021 and 2022, and previous issues of the Edmonds News Poetry Corner. She was a contributing poet for the 2022 Day of Remembrance for Japanese Americans held at Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds. She’s a retired technical writer and enjoys writing poetry and filming the wildlife near her home in the Cascade foothills of Arlington.
Carol Sanford
Published work: Three award-winning non-fiction: The Responsible Business, The Responsible Entrepreneur with Wiley; The Regenerative Business, with Nicholas Brealey and soon to be released No More Feedback self-published.; No More Gold Stars. 3 Podcasts and Blogs. The Regenerative Business, The Responsible Capitalist, Business Second Opinion. Producer The Regenerative Summit. Faculty @ Universities in Europe and UW. Senior Fellow of Social Innovation at Babson College.
Social Media: Website: www.carolsanford.com; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolsanford2; Twitter: carolsanford
Mary Ann Schradi
Biography: Mary Ann Schradi, AKA, Mimzi Schradi, has published three books in the Angeliba Seraphina Series: PsyChic in Seattle, Frantic in Fiji…and other ports of call, and Poisoned in Paris. She also has poetry and memoirs published in anthologies. She enjoys singing in multiple musical groups and beach walking with family and friends. A newer love is traveling with friends and family. An older love is hanging out with her Cairn Terriers.
Published work: PsyChic in n Seattle; Frantic in Fiji…and other ports of call; Poisoned in Paris; Anthologies: Skagit Valley Anthology; Tales for a Lazy Afternoon.
Kristina Stapleton
[awaiting biography]
Elizabeth Stewart
Biography: grew up in the Adirondacks in Upstate New York, and made my way to Washington State via Northern California. I am a genetics/genomics scientist by training and have written numerous publications and grants in the field. However, I wanted to also try something different and so I am now working on writing fiction which is quite a stretch from writing scientific papers but I am having a lot of fun with it. I love to read sci-fi and fantasy.
Inez Taylor
Biography: poet, technical writer, newsletters, and public speaker
Published work: Chapbooks, newsletters, anthologies, art
Carol Tiebout
Published work: Calyx Journal of Art and Literature, My Edmonds News, Poet's Corner, American Jewish Historical Society webite.
Diane Tinsley
Biography: Diane Tinsley is a busy Scandinavian American with wide interests in family activities, community service, gardening, photography and international travel. Although working full-time as an educator and researcher while raising her family, she has also written for self-enlightenment since a young child growing up in northern Minnesota. Her quirky, experimental style sometimes thunders into angst, ascends to joy, and can achieve a graceful peacefulness. Diane believes that writing for personal growth and communicating with younger generations are essential components of aging well.
Published work: Diane’s poetry will appear in It’s all in the Telling: Poetry and Prose by Pacific Northwest Writers in 2024, an anthology edited by Joe Rice and Falaah Jones. Her earlier work focuses on aging across the life span, as illustrated in Facilitating Transitions in Retirement which appeared in Counseling Across the Lifespan (Sage Publications) edited by Cincy Juntunen and Donald Atkinson.
Howard Tinsley
Biography: I am a retired university professor with extensive experience editing and publishing in psychological journals and books. I began to study creative writing in the early 1990 but until now have written only for personal pleasure. I am currently working on two fiction novels I hope to publish when completed.
Published work: Tinsley, H. E. A., Lease, S. H., & Wiersma, N. S. G. (Eds.). (2016). Contemporary theory and practice in counseling and psychotherapy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; Tinsley, H. E. A., & Lease, S. H. (Eds.). (2008). Encyclopedia of counseling, Volume 2: Personal counseling and mental health problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; Tinsley, H. E. A., & Brown, S.D. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of applied multivariate statistics and mathematical modeling. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Naomi Wark
Biography: Besides being an active member with EPIC Group Writers, Naomi Wark is on the board of Skagit Valley Writers’ League, and a member of Pacific Northwest Writers. She holds a Certificate in Commercial Fiction from the University of Washington. When she is not writing, Naomi enjoys gardening and swimming. She is a volunteer and on the Board of Stanwood Camano Food Bank.
Published Work: Naomi’s debut novel, Wildflowers in Winter is recognized by AlzAuthors for its accurate portrayal of a woman dealing with dementia. Both Wildflowers in Winter, and the prequel novel, Songs of Spring, draw inspiration from diaries left behind by a grandmother and discovered upon her death. An excerpt from Songs of Spring is included in Skagit River Anthology.
Awards: An excerpt from Songs of Spring won 2nd place in adult prose in the EPIC writer’s contest in 2020, and a short story, The Hunt, won 2nd placed in prose in 2021. A separate excerpt from Songs of Spring won 3rd place in a contest sponsored by Skagit Valley Writer’s League.
Rebecca Wolfe
[awaiting biography]
Martha Young-Scholten
Biography: I've just returned to Edmonds after 34 years away as an academic in Germany and the UK. In my retirement, I'm working with a creative writer back in the UK to produce very short fiction books for adults with weak reading skills, including those learning to read for the first time in their lives, usually immigrants. The narratives are written by creative writers and images provided by artists. They are translated into various languages, from Arabic to Turkish. We're always looking for new writers and artists.
Website: www.simplystories.org