BIO:

Scott is an Army veteran, former middle school and high teacher, journal editor, and healthcare administrator. He and his wife, Colleen, have four children and two grandchildren. He holds master’s degrees in English and moral theology and an MBA. Scott is a member of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the Wisconsin Writers Association and is on the board of directors of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra. He is the author of a recently published poetry chapbook titled Without a Prayer, and his work has appeared in Mobius, America, Door is a Jar, New Verse News, and Moss Piglet, among other literary publications.

LINK:

https://scottmcconnaha.com/about/

BIO:

Debra Hall is a Racine poet whose work explores the intersection of love, loss, and the sacred ordinary. She just published her debut chapbook, What the Current Cannot Swallow. She serves as the current president of the Kenosha/Racine Poet Laureate program and she was Racine Poet Laureate from 2020-2022. Her poems have appeared in Bramble Literary Magazine, Wisconsin Poets Calendar(s), A Wreath of Golden Laurels by Local Gems Press and Moss Piglet

SYNOPSIS:

Debra and her husband were on dream trip in Rome when a medical emergency changed everything. Brain surgery, navigating a foreign healthcare system in a language not their own, and a dire six-month prognosis—the crisis that followed would test their 35-year marriage. In this intimate chapbook, ancient gods and Catholic icons become unexpected companions through illness and loss. Hall traces her journey from crisis through grief to hard-won transcendence, finding that even in the current's pull toward despair, moments of grace remain.

LINKS:

https://www.poetdebra.com/

BIO:

SYNOPSIS:

Waves of Shrapnel: A Soldier’s Journey” is a dark, raunchy, and unfiltered memoir from Jason’s time in the Iraq War. It captures the reality of deployment—the absurdity, the fear, and the dark humor that keeps soldiers going. While it doesn’t hold back, at its core the book is about brotherhood, loss, and honoring the men we lost. It’s not a polished war story—it’s the one that actually gets told behind closed doors.

LINKS:

BIO:

Bruce Landay writes near future military political techno-thrillers. As a former US Air Force officer, he brings an authentic vibe to his military characters, their mission focus, and internal motivation to defend their core principles and their country. He consults with multiple military experts on his books to get the facts right.

Landay also writes a weekly Substack column, Future Trends and Science Fiction, where he reviews new technology and how it was portrayed in the past by science fiction books, films, and television.

SYNOPSIS:

Five years ago, a covert rescue mission at a Chinese military base ended in slaughter. Navy Special Ops pilot Jazmin Hassani was the sole survivor of a live test of a classified directed-energy weapon—left broken, burned, and not expected to live.

Now the weapon strikes again. On American soil.

Assigned to investigate, Jazmin uncovers a conspiracy powerful enough to bury the truth. When a U.S. Senator shuts down the case and intelligence agencies deny the weapon exists, she goes underground. Teaming with a rogue Cyber Command operative, Jazmin defies orders to expose the truth—while hunted by elite operatives and betrayed by her own government.

LINKS:

https://brucelanday.com/

https://brucelanday.substack.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Electromagnetic-Assault-Bruce-Landay-ebook/dp/B0GBLBZLBK

https://bookshop.org/p/books/electromagnetic-assault-bruce-landay/416f175721b96489?ean=9798993999203&next=t

BIO:

Katrina worked as a therapist, professor, and researcher in the field of occupational therapy for over two decades. She started poemwalking after a delightful midlife crisis and ended up hiking the entire 1,200 miles of Wisconsin’s Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Katrina published a chapbook, First Steps (Brain Mill Press, 2025), that won the Brain Mill Press + Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Chapbook Contest, and a full-length collection of foraged poems, A Thousand Miles of Poetry released this month with WWA Press. Her poems have been featured in a variety of publications including Ploughshares, Blue Heron Review, The Solitary Plover, Scrawl Place, Portage Magazine, and Bramble.

LINKS:

https://katrinaserwe.com/

BIO:

Brad H. Hill is the author of No One Is Normal: Breaking Free from Normal, a collection of raw and honest short stories exploring struggle, identity, and the pressure to live up to society’s idea of “normal.” Drawing from personal experience and real life observations, Brad writes about adversity, resilience, addiction, personal growth, and the complicated paths people take to find themselves. His work resonates with readers who have ever felt like they didn’t quite fit the mold. Brad is also the host of the No One Is Normal Podcast, where he continues the conversation by exploring the deeper stories behind personal transformation and self discovery.

SYNOPSIS:

No One Is Normal is a powerful collection of short stories that challenge the idea that anyone’s life follows a “normal” path. Through deeply personal experiences and honest reflection, Brad Hill explores themes of adversity, addiction, resilience, identity, and the difficult lessons that shape who we become. Rather than presenting life as a tidy self help formula, the book reveals the messy reality of growth and the strength that can emerge from struggle. Each story invites readers to reflect on their own journey and reminds them that the parts of life that make us feel different may actually be the things that define our strength.

LINKS:

https://www.bradhhill.com/

BIO:

Tammy Borden is sought-after speaker and author of Waltraud: A True Story of Growing Up in Nazi Germany, a World War II novel based on her mother’s first-hand accounts as a German girl during one of the darkest chapters in history. As a professional copywriter turned novelist, she also worked in nonprofits for more than 20 years where she helped others tell their stories before pursuing her own creative endeavors. She and her husband live in Wisconsin where they enjoy nature, gardening, and Sunday afternoon naps.

SYNOPSIS:

Waltraud: A True Story of Growing Up in Nazi Germany is a gripping tale of survival and quiet resistance. Inspired by true accounts of the real Waltraud, the author’s mother, the novel shines a rare light on World War II from a German citizen perspective inside Hitler’s Germany, and introduces an unsung heroine who refuses to give in to an ideology of hate. Waltraud is more than a story of war. It is a testament to resilience, unbreakable love, and the strength of the human spirit.

LINKS:

TammyBorden.com

BIO:

Laurie spent 15 years as the books editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune (now called the Minnesota Star Tribune) and is the author of News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist, also published by the University of Minnesota Press and winner of a Minnesota Book Award. She reviews books for the Washington Post and the Boston Globe, and teaches in the MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program at the University of Georgia.

SYNOPSIS:

Laurie’s new book, “Ghosts of Fourth Street,” is a memoir that takes place in 1965 and 1966 in Duluth. It’s the story of a big complicated family that faces tragedy when the oldest son died, and it is told through the eyes of Laurie as a nine-year-old child. The book examines themes of family and loss, but it is mainly about the power of story—the stories told about the past, the stories families tell about themselves, the stories that little Laurie read In books that gave her solace during a difficult time. And it’s about the stories that families don’t tell, and what that kind of silence means.

LINKS:

lauriehertzel.net