CONTRIBUTOR NOTES - ISSUE #32

Jeff Baker is originally from a place in Tennessee called Smokey Branch—near the birthplace of the Cherokee genius Sequoyah— and has earned degrees from Tennessee Tech and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. During school, he worked in all the following sorts of factories: windshield, airplane seat, boat seat, refrigeration compressor, airbag, steering column, meat processing, mushroom, chocolate, and toothbrush. Some of his recent poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Blackbird, The Cream City Review, Copper Nickel, Washington Square and The Southern Poetry Anthology, Volume VI: Tennessee. His work has been a finalist for a number of book prizes, including the Bakeless Prize and the National Poetry Series. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
        Recommended poet: Julianne Buchsbaum

David Campos' poems have appeared in the following magazines: The American Poetry Review, The Packinghouse Review, Connotation Press, Verdad, In The Grove, and The San Joaquin Review. In 2012 his manuscript The Center of a Perfect Mango was named a finalist for the Andres Montoya First Book Prize. He co-hosted the literary radio show Pakatelas on KFCF 88.1 FM Fresno from 2009-2011.
        Recommended poet: Aracelis Girmay

J.L. Conrad is the author of one full-length collection, A Cartography of Birds (Louisiana State University Press, 2002), and a chapbook, Species of Light (bellywater press, 2004). Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in H_NGM_N, Pleiades, Columbia, Third Coast, Jellyfish, Beloit Poetry Journal, Mid-American Review, The Laurel Review and Forklift, Ohio, among others. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where she is working toward her PhD in literary studies.
        Recommended poets: Matthea Harvey, Sarah Manguso.

Nick Courtright is the author of Punchline (Gold Wake Press), a National Poetry Award finalist called "nothing short of a knockout" by Boston Review editor Timothy Donnelly. His writing has appeared in The Southern Review, Kenyon Review Online, and The Iowa Review, among many others, and he is also the author of a chapbook, Elegy for the Builder's Wife. In Austin, he teaches English, Humanities, and Philosophy, and is Interviews Editor of the Austinist. Find him on the internet at nickcourtright.com.
        Recommended poet:

Heather Cox edits Ghost Ocean Magazine and the chapbook press Tree Light Books. Heather's work has appeared or is forthcoming in PANK, Mid-American Review (Editors' Choice, 2012 Fineline Competition), Used Furniture Review, Columbia Poetry Review, Toad Suck Review, DIALOGIST, and elsewhere. Heather's poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and her chapbook Dream Seller was a 2012 Strange Machine Books finalist. Heather lives in Chicago with her partner (who is perfect) and their two dogs (who are bonkers). She blogs at www.looklookhere.tumblr.com (heather.cox.903@gmail.com) (areyououtsidethelines.wordpress.com)
        Recommended poet: Gabrielle Calvocoressi

Sarah Crossland likes to write poems about dead people, holiness, roller coasters, and love. The recipient of the 2012 Boston Review Poetry Prize, she was invited to read at the Library of Congress in the spring of 2011, and her manuscript God Factory was a finalist in the 2012 Milkweed Editions Lindquist and Vennum Prize. In her spare time, she plays the harp and teaches at Oakhill Correctional Institute. Someday she hopes to keep bees. Visit her online at www.sarahcrossland.com (gatsbygurl@gmail.com)
        Recommended poet: John Casteen

Jay Deshpande's poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in Washington Square, La Petite Zine, Narrative, Handsome, Shampoo, Spork, and elsewhere. He is the former poetry editor of AGNI and he curates the Metro Rhythm Reading Series in Brooklyn. (j.a.deshpande@gmail.com)
        Recommended poet: Ben Purkert

Nicole Terez Dutton work has appeared in Callaloo, Ploughshares, 32 Poems, Indiana Review, and Salt Hill Journal. Nicole earned an MFA from Brown University and has received fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Cave Canem and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is the winner of the 2011 Cave Canem Poetry Prize for If One Of Us Should Fall. (www.nicoletdutton.com)
        Recommended poet:

John D. Fry is the author of the chapbook silt will swirl (NewBorder Publishing). His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in The Offending Adam, alice blue review, Bellingham Review, Free Verse, Pebble Lake Review, and Konundrum Engine Literary Review, among others. A graduate of the MFA program at Texas State University-San Marcos, he edits poetry for Newfound and lives in the Texas Hill Country. More information can be found at www.washboardprayers.blogspot.com (johninthewonderthicket@gmail.com)-->
        Recommended poet: Mary Szybist

Melody S. Gee is the author of Each Crumbing House (2010), winner of the Perugia Press Book Prize. Her essays and poetry recently appear in Connotation Press, Fox Chase Review, failbetter.com, and Copper Nickel. She was a 2008 Kundiman Asian American Poetry Retreat fellow, and currently teaches writing at St. Louis Community College. (www.melodygee.com)
        Recommended poet: Tina Chang

Nicholas Geisler is a junior at Hamilton College studying Creative Writing and French. Currently, he resides in Dakar, Senegal under the name Ousmane Diallo, where he he studying poetry and spoken word in multi-lingual societies. He is a native of Statesboro, Georgia and lives in Ithaca, New York when not attending classes. This is is first publication, though hopefully not his last.
        Recommended poet:

Mia Ayumi Malhotra is the associate editor of Lantern Review. Her poems are featured and forthcoming in Cutbank, Best New Poets 2012, The Collagist, DIAGRAM, Asian American Literary Review, and others. She currently lives and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area.
        Recommended poet: M. NourbeSe Philip

Alexis Pope is the author of Girl Erases Girl (Dancing Girl Press, 2013). Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Columbia Poetry Review, iO: A Journal of New American Poetry, Sixth Finch, and Phantom Limb, among others. She lives in Ohio where she co-curates The Big Big Mess Reading Series and is Contributing Editor for Whiskey Island Magazine. Sometimes she posts things here: www.alexispopeisagirl.tumblr.com
        Recommended poets: Matthew Zapruder, Rachel Zucker

Daniel Story holds an MFA in poetry from Penn State, and now lives in Chicago. His work has appeared in DIAGRAM, Mid-American Review, and Rain Taxi, and is forthcoming in Ninth Letter. He was once, for poetic reasons, granted temporary military clearance.
        Recommended poet: K.A. Hays

David Winter's writing has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Boxcar Poetry Review, It's Animal But Merciful, For Some Time Now: Performance Poets of New York City, Magma, and The SHOp. His chapbook Safe House will be published by Thrush Press in Fall 2012. He is currently an MFA student in poetry and an English teacher at The Ohio State University. Previously, he taught creative writing to incarcerated youth, public school students, LGBT older adults, and others. (www.dvdwntr.blogspot.com).
        Recommended poet:

Kobina Wright is a second generation Southern California native with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications (Journalism concentration) from California State University, Fullerton. She has written for publications such as, CYH Magazine and LACMA Magazine. The author of several books which include, Growth Spurt; 50; Raise the Red Teddy: A Single Mother's Guide to Dating;and A Crime And A Simplification Of Something Sublime, she is also an active artist. In 2004 she attempted her most ambitious and evolving work by creating the Hodaoa-Anibo language and wrote the first Hodaoa-Anibo dictionary. Her art series include: "Fractured," "Cali Free," "Eleven Twenty-Three Girl" and most recently, "Kobiphysics." On April 27th 2012 she hosted an art show titled, Kobiphysics: An Art Show, where all the work from the show was inspired by physics formulas developed by ancient and modern physicists. For more of her art and writing, visit her blog: "The Wrighter" (www.TheWrighterOnline.com).
        Recommended poet:

Joshua Young is the author of When the Wolves Quit: A Play-in-Verse (Gold Wake Press), To the Chapel of Light (Mud Luscious Press), and the forthcoming collaboration with Chas Hoppe (Gold Wake Press 2013). He teaches writing at Columbia College Chicago where he also studies poetry in the MFA Program. He lives in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago with his wife, their son, and their dog. For information about his writing, films, and other projects visit www.thestorythief.tumblr.com
        Recommended poet: