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Stacy has been capturing the essence of place through an intuitive use of light, color and composition for almost two decades. Her signature images of architecture, interiors and gardens have resulted in three solo exhibitions and numerous awards. Her photography has been featured extensively in books and magazines including at home (where she was lead photographer for more than 10 years), Garden Design, Luxe Interiors + Design, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Veranda, AD, Horticulture, Living Etc., British Homes & Gardens, The Wall Street Journal and many more. She is the author of two bestselling and critically acclaimed monographs celebrating the American landscape: In the Garden (Melcher Media/Perseus Books, 2012) and Gardens at First Light (Moffly Media, 2015). Lightkeeper is her first memoir.

Melissa Fraterrigo’s memoir, The Perils of Girlhood is published by the University of Nebraska Press in Fall 2025. She is also the author of the novel Glory Days (University of Nebraska Press), which was named one of “The Best Fiction Books of 2017” by the Chicago Review of Books as well as the short story collection The Longest Pregnancy (Livingston Press). Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies from storySouth and Shenandoah to Notre Dame Review, Sou’wester and The Millions. A graduate of the University of Iowa (BA) and Bowling Green State University (MFA), she teaches creative writing at Purdue University, and is also the founder and executive director of the Lafayette Writers’ Studio in Lafayette, Indiana, where she offers classes on the art and craft of writing. She lives with her husband and two daughters in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World. Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Today Show, Wired, Fox News, and BBC.

Peter Rosch is the author of multiple dark fictions born from the various addictions he chased while living in New York City as an award-winning writer and creative director. He’s many years sober now but remains an addict’s addict. WHAT THE DEAD CAN DO is his debut novel.  Peter grew up in the Southwest, lived in New York for nearly 20 years, and now resides midway between Austin and San Antonio in Wimberley, TX where he works as an author, freelance creative director and copywriter in advertising, and most importantly, full-time dad. Learn more about Peter Rosch at www.peterrosch.com and on IG: @Peterrosch; Facebook: @AuthorPeterRosch; BlueSky: @Peterrosch; and Threads: @PeterRosch.     

Nikki Nash, a debut memoirist with a vibrant Hollywood background, shares her unconventional journey from TV associate director to writer. She delves into her chaotic upbringing in 1970s Los Angeles, influenced by politically active artists. With humor, she recounts her aspirations sparked by Warren Beatty and the realities of pursuing dreams. Nikki also emphasizes the importance of authenticity in writing and the valuable lessons learned through constructive feedback and empathy, celebrating the goodness found in people's unique stories.

Leigh Dunlap is the screenwriter behind the hit movie, A Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff.  She also wrote Spy Girls, based on the popular teen book series, for producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting) and Camp Rockaway for Sony Pictures and producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (Gladiator, Stuart Little).  Her movie, 16-Love was one of Gravitas’ and Warner Digital’s top titles and The Standoff, starring Olivia Holt and Alex Wolff, was released on Netflix. 

Micah Thorp is a physician, writer, and lifelong Oregonian. His research has been published in numerous medical journals, and his literary works have appeared in Blind Corner, Cleaver Magazine, The Raven’s Perch, and The Write Launch. His debut novel, Uncle Joe’s Muse, won a 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award and a Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award. His sequel, Uncle Joe’s Senpai, was published in 2023 and was a finalist for the Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award. Aegolius Creek, Micah’s forthcoming novel, is the recipient of a 2025 IPPY Independent Publisher Book Award: West-Pacific Best Regional Fiction.

Kate Hash is a Chapel Hill, NC-based debut novelist who enjoys creating and consuming stories about dynamic women, unexpected relationships, and the complexity that comes with entering midlife. She has lived in Italy, run a business, and even appeared on an episode of House Hunters International (one of her favorite "two truths and a lie" facts). During her four years abroad in the early 2010s, Kate operated a popular travel blog and contributed guides to the much-beloved Design*Sponge. Kate is currently the Assistant Vice Chancellor for IT at the University of North Carolina and is mildly obsessed with college towns and the creative energy they produce.

Bernice L. McFadden is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Tulane University and the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Sugar, The Warmest December, Loving Donovan, Nowhere Is a Place, Glorious, Gathering of Waters (a New York Times Editors' Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012), The Book of Harlan (winner of a 2017 American Book Award and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction), and Praise Song for the Butterflies (long-listed for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction). She is a five-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist, as well as the recipient of three awards from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

Kate Russo, author of Until Alison and Super Host, grew up in Maine but now divides her time between Maine and the UK. She has an MFA in painting from the Slade School of Fine Art, and while living in London, she worked with the theatre group, Love Bites, who presented two of her short plays (“The Blind” and “Bernie's Night Off”) at the Calder Bookshop Theatre.  She exhibits widely in the United States and England. Learn more at KateRusso.com and connect on Instagram @RussoKate.