KRISTEN HOLT BROWNING-Poetry

Kristen Holt-Browning is author of multiple works of poetry and fiction. Her poetry chapbook, The Only Animal Awake in the House was a runner-up in Moonstone Press’ Annual Chapbook Contest and a finalist in the Kelsay Books 2022 Women’s Poetry Contest. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in several literary magazines, including Hayden’s Ferry Review, Hunger Mountain, and Necessary Fiction. Her first novel, Ordinary Devotion has been published by Monkfish Book Publishing Company to critical acclaim.

ANDREW HARRIS SALOMON- Journalism/Essay

Andrew Salomon worked for two decades as a daily journalist: as an assistant sports editor at The Washington Post, assistant arts and entertainment editor at Newsday, and as national news editor at Backstage magazine. He has reported extensively on labor strife in Hollywood and on Broadway as well as on the intersection of technology and the Arts. His current research involves the sportswriter Wendell Smith and the career of Jackie Robinson. He has worked as a journalist for over 20 years at The Washington Post, Newsday, and Backstage Magazine and is an Associate Professor of Journalism at SUNY-Purchase.

STEPHEN CLAIR-Story Songs

Stephen Clair is a writer and musician best known for his wry humor and guitar stylings.  Clair has been a fixture on the Americana, alt-country, and dorky independent rock scene since his 1997 debut, Altoona Hotel, named for the town his grandfather called home. He has produced 8 albums since then. He first came to prominence when the late Rita Houston of WFUV added  "Jen in Her Underwear," to a regular rotation on WFUV, putting Clair on the map and the road. His next effort was Under the Bed, followed by What Luck (2007.) In 2019, Clair teamed up with celebrated producer Malcolm Burn (U2 and Emmylou Harris), the result, an epic garage album, Strange Perfume, a Paste Magazine notable. He is the Founder and Owner of Beacon Music Factory, a place where learning music is fun.

JOSH BOARDMAN-Memoir/Autofiction

Josh Boardman is the author of the chapbook Plantain and conducted the Latin translation project We, Romans . His work was selected as a finalist in the 2024 Fugue Prose Prize and was shortlisted in the 2025 Leopold Bloom Prize for Innovative Narration. His stories have appeared in journals such as New York Tyrant, Catapult, and Dandruff Magazine. He lives in Beacon, New York, where he is working on his second novel and a collection of stories about his hometown. He is the founder, owner, and operator of HEWES HOUSE, an organization with the aim of elevating aspiring writers of all ages.

PETER ULLIAN-Fiction

Peter Ullian is author of the novels The Last Electric House and Nixon’s Planet and the Golem of Mars and numerous short pieces including “The Vietnamization of Centauri V,” published in the DAW Books anthology Star Colonies; “The Sun Sets on the Hall of Justice,” published in the anthology Crimeucopia -- Say What Now? from the UK publisher Murderous Ink Press; “Ribbons and Tin” and “Owen’s Blood,” both published in Cemetery Dance Magazine; and “The Ballad of Beeve Wellington,” “Apprehending Mr. Howard,” and “Dreaming of Pesach with the Last Bandito,” all published in Frontier Tales Magazine. “Sergeant Slaughter’s Lonely Spaceborne Band,” an excerpt from his novel is published in an anthology from Stanza Books. Peter also served as the 2019-2020 Poet Laureate of Beacon, New York. His poetry has been published in multiple anthologies and periodicals and his work nominated for the Rhysling Award and the Pushcart Prize. His award-winning theatrical work, produced Off-Broadway, nationally, and internationally, includes Flight of the Lawnchair Man, Eliot Ness in Cleveland, Hester Street Hideaway – a Lower East Side Love Story, and Signs of Life.