Originally from Flint Michigan, Sharon has been a resident of the Grand Traverse region for over 30 years and a member of Michigan Writers since 2014.  She has spent a lifetime appreciating and practicing various mediums of the creative arts such as writing, music composition, and the construction and illustration of handmade books.  With a keen interest in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed, she has performed original music to aid fundraising for the Boardman River Restoration and Protection Project.

For two years, Sharon has served as the editorial cartoonist for the Leelanau Enterprise and her artwork has appeared in the Northern Express.  Her poetry has been published in the NMC Magazine and her essay “Sorting Out Santa” was published by Oxford University Press as a contribution to “Culture:  A Reader for Writers.”

Currently, Sharon aids in the facilitation of a weekly, community writing workshop held in Downtown Traverse City and is joyfully immersed in the art of printmaking.

Robb grew up along Lake Michigan in the village of Pentwater and now lives in Traverse City, Michigan. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the United Republic of Tanzania. His collection of poetry, Bitter Dagaa, was selected for publication by Michigan Writers Cooperative Press in 2014. A number of his poems have been published in the Dunes Review. Many things inform Robb’s poetry — the natural spaces of Northern Michigan, astronomy, but mostly the daily wonder of encountering beauty in the strangest of things.

Kevin grew up in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. As a young man he embarked on a period of deliberate transience, living in Chicago, Colorado, New Hampshire, the U.P., and Kentucky. In the course of his wanderings, Kevin adopted various passions, including playing guitar, alpine skiing, backpacking, homebrewing, and kayaking–not to mention reading and writing stories and essays. He also managed to secure academic credentials: an A.A., a B.A. in English (Philosophy minor), and a M.A. in English, which he took at Northern Michigan University.

Kevin worked as a staffer for President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, and as an Assistant Professor of English at a community college in Kentucky. In June of 2014, he relocated to Traverse City, MI with his poet wife and their darling daughters. He now teaches writing and literature courses online, referees competitive soccer matches, and monitors the daily adventures of his daughters.

Kevin is the editor of the MW newsletter, and the managing editor for the MW Coop Press. His own creative work has appeared in Centripetal, Waccamaw, Big Muddy, and The MacGuffin.

Pat is a retired philosophy instructor (Oakland University and Wayne State), now living in northern Michigan. Past publications include essays in academic journals, a true-life piece for Woman’s Day Magazine, and a bi-weekly feature column for The Voice (Macomb and St. Clair Counties). Her recent fiction has appeared in Dunes Review and Adelaide Literary Journal. Pat also makes kinetic Nature-mobiles and volunteers as an art and writing mentor for the Benzie County Juvenile Court system.

Susan is a member of the Traverse City Human Rights Commission, and was the recipient of the 2010 Traverse City Human Rights Commission Sara Hardy Humanitarian of the Year Award. Susan is seen as a “community connector” and has been a longtime board member of several organizations, including: Michigan Protection and Advocacy Services, Inc.; Munson Medical Center-Family Advisory Council; Recipient Rights and Cowell Cancer Center; and the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce – Leadership Grand Traverse Fellows Programs.

She has taught psychology at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) for over 25 years and was given the Adjunct Faculty of the Year award in 2000. She has also taught at Grand Valley State University in Traverse City since 2003. She has conducted writing workshops for persons who have experienced homelessness with NMC colleagues, Dr. Melissa Sprenkle and Michael Anderson. All of those workshop participants now have housing and participate at the monthly “Poets Meet Musicians” event at the Acoustic Taproom in Traverse City.

Teresa serves with Jennifer Yeatts as Co-Senior Editor of the Dunes Review. Teresa is a poet, essayist, editor, and educator.

She is the author of a poetry collection: To Embroider the Ground with Prayer, from Wayne State University Press and a chapbook: Friday Nights the Whole Town Goes to the Basketball Game, from Michigan Writers Cooperative Press. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and the Moveen Poetry Prize. She teaches a creative, professional, and journalistic writing program for high school students: the Front Street Writers program at the Traverse Bay Area Career-Tech Center.

Daniel assembled this website from spare parts he found around the house; if you have any problems, let him know. Daniel holds a BA from Hampshire College and a PhD from Temple University.

Liam Strong is a non-binary writer and the former editor-in-chief of NMC Magazine, Northwestern Michigan College’s creative arts magazine. Instead of going to church on Sundays growing up, their father took them to the library. Though they didn’t acknowledge it then, that weekly ritual set them down an uncertain path in college. If music, psychology, or philosophy didn’t make enough sense for a career, then surely, writing would.  

After spending three years working between branches of the Traverse Area District Library, Liam has spent the past few years working as one of the main staff readers at NMC’s Writing and Reading Center, sometimes only to correct students on their semicolon usage. In the past year, they have worked as a teaching assistant in several developmental English courses, and have spoken at various writing center conferences in Michigan. 

Currently, they’re working on their Bachelor’s in English through the University of Wisconsin, as well as a staff writer for White Pine Press and The Promethean, where they write music reviews and the occasional news. You can also find Liam’s work in: Impossible Archetype, Painted Cave, Dunes Review, Monday Night, IDK Magazine, 3288 Review, The Maynard, Peach Mag, Blue River Review, and Panoply. They have recently been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2019. They live in Traverse City, Michigan.

Jennifer serves with Teresa Scollon as Co-Senior Editor of the Dunes Review. Jennifer’s work has previously appeared in a few places here and there, though not so much recently. She received her MFA from the University of Idaho and currently writes from Traverse City, Michigan, where she is director of coffee at Higher Grounds Trading Company.