Chris Collins, a U.S. Army captain currently deployed on his third tour in the Middle East, contributed the poems “War” and “Child of Chicken Street” to the anthology Against Agamemnon: War Poetry, released Summer 2009 by WaterWood Press. His recent poem "Deployment: A Series of Haikus" appeared in the English Journal.

Chris Cutler is the creator and author of the web site Nashville Word Adventures, a resource for all things reading and writing in and around Nashville. She highlights bookstores new and used, posts literary events, and reviews books by lesser known writers. And her "Write Now" page includes weekly exercises for oiling those writing chops.

Jacque E. Day is the co-author of Images of America: Rogers Park and the follow-up title Images of America: West Ridge. She wrote book books, chronicle-style histories of Chicago's northernmost neighborhoods, with Jamie Santoro. Jacque also contributed to the books Armchair Reader: Book of Incredible Information (2008), Science Fiction America (2006), and Journeys of Friendship (2005). She presently serves as the graduate assistant for Murray State's MFA program, and works as a reporter for WKMS-FM, Western Kentucky's NPR affiliate. She's also an avid photographer, having contributed images to numerous regional and national publications, most recently the August 2009 Kentucky Monthly article "Old Man River," penned by MFA candidate Chris Hildebrand. ("Old Man River" clip courtesy of Kentucky Monthly magazine).

Winner of the following 2008 Kentucky Associated Press Awards for journalism:

Second Place, Best Light News Feature for "The 101st Airborne at Little Rock."

Second Place, Best Special Series for "Fueling the Purchase." (WKMS News Staff)

Honorable Mention, Best Enterprise for "Creationist Astronomer."

Honorable Mention, Best Hard News Feature for "The Execution of Marco Allen Chapman."

James B. Goode is a retired Professor of English from the University of Kentucky Community College System and is currently professor of English on the faculty at the Bluegrass Community & Technical College. He recently served as visiting professor of English at Changsha University in Hunan Province, China. His major published works include Appalachian Mountain Mother (1969), The Whistle and the Wind (1971), Poets of Darkness (1981), Up From The Mines (1993), Ancient Sunshine: The Story of Coal (1997), and The Cutting Edge: Mining in the 21st Century (2002). His stories have been anthologized in Appalachian Christmas Stories (1997) and Appalachian Love Stories (2001), and his poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous national and international magazines including The South Carolina Review, Ball State University Forum, Huron Review, Voices International, International Poetry Review, Appalachian Journal, Wind, Appalachian Heritage, Kentucky Monthly, Journal of Kentucky Studies, Kentucky Humanities, Pegasus, Register of The Kentucky Historical Society, Cape Rock Journal, Infinity Review, Talisman, Fiction Magazine, Acquire’s Coal Today, Author/Poet, The Writer’s Post Journal, and Woodheat Quarterly. His poems have also been published by Scott Foresman in their textbook How To Think and Write. He was spotlighted in David C. Duke’s 2002 book Writers and Miners: Activism and Imagery in America. Recently he received special recognition by being named “Featured Contemporary Author” in the Spring 2003 issue of Appalachian Heritage. He received a 2005 Plattner award from Appalachian Heritage magazine for his poem “The Small End of Nothing Sharpened.” His most current publications include three poems in the The Journal of Kentucky Studies (2009).

Summer 2009 has been a busy time for Chris Hildebrand. He penned the article "Old Man River" for Kentucky Monthly magazine's August issue, collaborating with MFA candidate Jacque Day, who contributed the photos. His poem "What They Want to Tell Us, But Can’t, Because They’re Zombies" appeared in the anthology Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes, August 2009. And "Glove Pattern No: 1-04633698" was published in From East to West: Bicoastal Verse, Summer 2009. Chris is an adjunct faculty member at Murray State University.

("Old Man River" clip courtesy of Kentucky Monthly magazine).

Rachel Johnson's nonfiction pieces, "These Winter Nights" and "Mending Fences" appeared recently in Big Pulp. Her narrative, "Land of Immigrants" and accompanying photography appears in Present Magazine under the name Rachel Rinehart.

Matt "McG" Markgraf

By day, Matt works diligently as the web designer for WKMS-FM, western Kentucky’s NPR affiliate. By night, he's a prolific producer of commentaries and host of the WKMS show Weekend Energy, which airs Saturday nights.

Awards:

Kentucky Associated Press: Second Place, Best Website/Web Designer 2008

Kentucky Associated Press: Second Place, Best Website/Web Designer 2007

Tony Powell was featured in the special literary edition of Kentucky Monthly, highlighted as part of "10 of Kentucky’s next generation of writers."

Richard Thomas

Most recently, Richard won first place in the Enter the World of Filaria Contest for his short story "Maker of Flight." The prize comes with publication and $250. In 2008, he won second place in the Nefarious Muse short fiction competition with his story titled "Freedom."

Richard's stories "A Bird in the Hand" and "Three Mistakes" are available online. He also contributes to Dogmatika, Opium magazine, Colored Chalk, Cause & Effect, Gold Dust, New Voices in Horror, and Vain Magazine. By day, he works as a freelance art director in the Chicago advertising world. For a glimpse into Richard's mind, check out a January 26, 2009 interview with him here.

Stephen M. Vest

Before founding Kentucky Monthly magazine, Steve was an award-winning newspaper columnist and sportswriter. Kentucky Monthly has also garnered its share of awards and in 2005 was feted with the Governors Award in the Arts. His book Briar Bits spent an impressive week on the Lexington Herald-Leader bestseller list. His newest book, out just in 2008, is titled THAT Kind of Journalist. When not writing, Vest walks the streets of Frankfort, Kentucky looking for change and inspiration.

Chetley Weise's short fiction piece "Star Dust" appeared in Pine Magazine (March 2008).

Leigh Landini Wright worked for The Paducah Sun for nearly a decade and a half. Most of those years she served as features editor, supervising the writing, editing and content development for five weekly sections and a monthly healthcare magazine, as well as overseeing a section aimed at young people. She still contributes a weekly food column to the paper. Her feature stories have been published by the Associated Press in newspapers across Kentucky and the Midsouth. Notably her story on the 2007 Fancy Farm Picnic appeared in the 2007 winter edition of Lexington's Prep Magazine. In Fall 2009, she joined the staff of Commonwealth Middle College on the campus of West Kentucky Community & Technical College.