Sand is currently Managing Editor for the Piker Press and has been producing artwork, fiction, nonfiction and novel-length writings for the Press since the very first issue.

Lydia writes poetry, travelogues, essays and the popular vampire fiction series, Dark Whispers and Night Time.

Alexandra Queen is the senior editor of the Piker Press. She is also a freelance writer/cartoonist with numerous print credits and her own weekly humor column in print. But no novels. Yet. Dammit.

Josh lives in Missouri where he chainsmokes cigarettes, micro-analyzes Joss Whedon, and suffers frequent heartburn. His accomplishments include co-parenting the brainchild known as the Piker Press, participating in NaNoWriMo, and coaching writers.

Wendy and Caribou do canine search and rescue in California. Wendy works with a therapeutic horseback riding center for the disabled and is a licensed Physical Therapist. She also writes poignant fiction and compelling nonfiction.

Cheryl is the Assistant Editor in charge of poetry at the Piker Press. She also contributes reviews, humor, poetry, and photography to the Piker Press.

Mel Trent lives and works in North Carolina. Occasionally, she writes something that's not half bad. She has written poetry, fiction and anime reviews for the Press.

At some point in his life, Dan Mulhollen realized that writing was the one thing he did with any degree of perfectionism. An incurable dabbler, Dan's hobbies include songwriting, computer and board gaming, photography, tarot reading, and collections of v

Katrina Stonoff is a former journalist gone to the dark side to write fiction. A five-time Nanowrimo winner, she is finishing her third novel and outlining a fourth.

In addition to reviews, Bernie has written humorous sci-fi shorts about a priest assigned to a backwater planet, and the serialized novel Stained Glass, a sensitive tale of a woman who must reconcile her love for another woman with her faith.

Hailing from the Czech Republic, Jerry writes short stories, nonfiction, software, and novels. Not necessarily in that order.

Author, artist, zoo-keeper, Autumn has penned assorted artwork for the Press, writes short stories and humor, composes the Websurfing column, and cleans up lots and lots of dog droppings. She's the one on the right.

Artist James Shin pens several regular strips, including FatBottoms which is appearing from the beginning in the Press.

Tedi Trindle has written humor, "Teditorials", investigative reports, and an assortment of other things.

Chalmers "Chas" Wallace lives in the NYC area pretending to be a Product Manager for a small internet startup while spending his free time writing and trying to get published.

Ed is a born storyteller who hails from Texas. NASCAR, motorcycles, and body piercings are some of the more memorable topics of his fiction and non-fiction, but he is also known to discuss fatherhood, romance, and the love of a good dog.

Kellie is a reference librarian and writer. She has published numerous articles in professional journals, a book that has gone into its second printing, and has landed another book deal, on which she is working currently.

Richard Voza has been teaching writing for over 20 years, which is why he hasn't had a novel published. When unemployed a few years ago, he made great progress on his third unpublished novel, "The Curse".

John has written articles on British car maintenance and repair, flight simulator technology, and ham radio operation. For the Piker Press he has written articles on science, fantastic fables, and serialized his 2002 NaNoWriMo novel, "Victory Highway".

Tyler Willson has been a lot of places, and done a lot of things. Raised on a dirt farm in a town called Elmo, Utah (population: 312 - including dogs and cattle...)

Basil D. writes the Meanderings column, a series of essays that are frequently funny and often insightful.

Cartoonist and columnist, John's work is predominantly political humor of an unabashedly inflammatory nature.

Patrick "Teech" Devine writes poetry laden with sensuality, drama and fantasy.

Jon Renaut, a.k.a. The Tejon, contributes photos and articles to the Press, but his true fame is the instigation of the Urinal Cake Thread, now an annual tradition on the NaNoWriMo boards every November, and here at the Press the rest of the year.

Fiction writer Emrys Koenigsmann lives in the barren, wintry lands of the North.

Dan's hobbies include woodworking and running marathons. At one time, Dan was also a Certified Beer Judge from the American Homebrewers Association. (It's good work if you can find it.)

KK writes nonsense short stories, and is attempting to find someone foolish enough to publish his serious novel.

Sci-fi, fantasy and romance fill Missouri-born Anna Parrish's tales.

Beverly Pauley lives in Alderson, West Virginia, with her husband, Curtis, and dacshund, Quentin -- named for Quentin Collins, werewolf in the television show "Dark Shadows." Pauley is a long-time fan of Edgar Allen Poe and all things Gothic.

Amy Probst hails from Michigan. She's a published newspaper columnist and tech writer, and a talented photographer. For more Amy, go to www.amyprobst.com.

Gypsy writes how-to and nonfiction articles for magazines. Her other projects include travelogue, history pieces, and a stint as a regular columnist for the Press in 2004.

A native New Yorker, Bruce writes short stories in a mad search to one day create the definitive short story. In the meanwhile his works have appeared in SNM Horror Magazine, Demonic Tome, Freedom Fiction, and The Horror Zine.

Kevin writes ultra-short science fiction pieces. His style is influenced by his work in television news, where brevity and impact are emphasized.

Jonathan D. Scott is the owner of a small advertising and graphic design firm in the Southeast. Two of his novels are available from amazon and middletonbooks. com. He is married with two daughters and is a very ordinary person, or at least appears so to the casual observer.

Sailor Jim writes as he has lived: weird, wild, funny, with unexpected twists and not infrequent incidences of explosions and sex.

Dabbling in poetry, fiction and nonfiction, Terri Edwards (Terrifried) holds down a job as an English teacher in Japan, where she has lived since 1988.

Jeffrey Carl Jefferis is a thirty-year-old freedom fighter. He has been pushing the envelope of word power for so long that his fingers are permanently stuck to the sealing glue

Mark is the father of twins and a jack-of-all trades, master of some, but has yet to figure out what he has mastered! He lives in SE Michigan and writes whenever he can for whatever he can as often as he can.

Van Lee studied history at the University of Southern MS and has spent the last seven years doing independent research on military history. He's currently working on his second book.

Barry has been a ghostwriter, a speechwriter and a copywriter. His work has appeared in newspapers, trade magazines and on the Internet. He has an excessive reliance on spell check.

Cody L. Stanford lives in Overland Park, Kansas. He attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City and is fascinated by the arts, history, politics, mythology, and other elements that shape the forces and foibles of human nature. His stories have appeared in "The New Orphic Review", "The Circle", and "Eyes". When not writing, he often spends time working with tigers and other exotic cats at a nearby feline conservation park.

Chris Miller is editor of the Cold Lake Sun, a print newspaper. He has a degree in journalism and writes short fiction for a number of publications.

Effie Collins is a writer of horror and speculative short fiction and novels.

Michael Lee Johnson is a poet and freelance writer from Itasca, Illinois. He is heavy influenced by: Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen, and Allen Ginsberg.

Carol Anne Byrnes is a community college English instructor who has been writing creatively since about third grade. There seems to be something of a family tradition here -- yes, her grandmother's family really DID come from Blarney.

Michael McLaughlin lives on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico. He has been published in the Ojo Del Lago, The Barfing Frog, The Harrow, and New Graffiti, and currently is with an improvisational comedy troupe called "Spanglish Imposition."

April has been writing for almost five years, getting inspiration from various experiences seen by the eyes of a thinker. The purpose of her creativity is urging people to see beyond the bounds, to be themselves, to speak their minds loud, not to be afraid to differ from the crowd. She creates to destroy. To destroy the naive beliefs. To destroy the stereotypes.

I have loved writing and reading ever since I was a child. Aside from 'Paradoxica,' I am the author of the recently released novel, Climbing Through Windows. When I’m not writing, I can be found at work or spending time with my friends and family

Hailing from the quiet, itchy back woods of Pennsylvania, Paula Patruzzi has this to say about herself:"I've been a paper carrier, punch-press operator, 'sales associate', and pipefitters'/welders' helper. Now I'm a writer, which is a lot more fun than the other ones."

Two-time NaNo winner Schizophrenic Chick writes short stories and poems for the Press.

Born and raised in East Tennessee, I grew up close to nature and related to nearly everyone in the valley...I now try to recapture the flavor of the mountains in everything I write.

A fictional,wandering shaman who writes a fantasy advice column for the Press.

I still long for my homeland of mountains with woods thick as hair running down their shoulders. Yet here on the coastal floodplain, a mercenary to the American consumer, I seek to find my new place in the world.

John Paulits is a former New York City teacher. He has published three children's books and his science fiction novel HOBSON'S PLANET was a 2009 Eppie Award finalist.

Peter is currently working towards an MFA in Creative Writing, having journeyed across the country to do so. He has work forthcoming in Writers' Bloc.

Anna Sykora writes for the joy from Hanover, Germany, where she resides with her patient husband and three enormous Norwegian Forest Cats. Editors seem to prefer her humor, horror and animal tales.

Kathryn Long is an author of mystery and suspense novels and short stories.

Mark Lyons has published stories in several literary magazines, including Whetstone (JP McGrath Memorial Award), Bucks County Writer, Sensations, and the Schuylkill Valley Journal of the Arts.

Peter lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he's worked in the magical realms of libraries, human resources, and word processing departments.

Ronald lives in Charleston, South Carolina where he spends his days running, reading, writing, and trying not to get on the nerves of his wife of 39 1/2 years. Gleefully retired from an unremarkable career in financial and social services, Ronald spends his hard won free time writing short stories with a southern theme and setting. His wife, mother, and daughter are his biggest fans because, well, they have to be.

Sam Gridley's fiction and satire have appeared in numerous magazines in print and online. His novel "The Big Happiness" is available for download at his website, Gridleyville. A new novel, "The Shame of What We Are," is forthcoming from New Door Books.

Tom Hamilton's work has appeared in over seventy publications including 'Bathtub Gin' 'The Rockford Review' and the 'Old Crow Review' among many others.

Twenty three year old English writer currently studying film in Cornwall, the South of England. Mainly interested in short stories and poetry. Influences (lots of Americans) : Charles Bukowski, Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Raymond Carver, Jack Kerouac

David H. Donaghe lives and works in the high desert of southern California. He has three passions in life: reading, writing, and riding his motorcycle. When not delving into a good book or putting his face in the wind on his motorcycle, David writes short stories and novels. In 1995, David took the First Place prize in the California Writer's Club short story contest with his Western short story, "Blind Justice."

I have been writing for several years now. My grown up job is being a funeral director in Ventura County, CA. I have also written an unpublished novel, "Funeral On The Beach" and am currently working on another novel as well as another short story. Funeral directing is a third career; I had toiled in Television Animation for 16 years, working for studios such as Disney, Warner Brothers, Sony and Knowledge Adventure.

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director and worked as an art dealer when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. His chapbook 'Remembrance' was published by Origami Condom Press and 'The Conquest of Somalia' was published by Cervena Barva Press.

Peter is a speculative fiction writer, most notably the author of the award winning supernatural thriller, "The Grandmaster." He is also the Founder and Managing Editor of Ex Machina Press, a publishing company based in Los Angeles, which was named 2007 PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR by the DIY Book Festival in Los Angeles.

A freelance writer currently operating out of Branson, Missouri, Steven P. Servis has a bachelor degree in creative writing, with a minor in advertising and promotion. Publishing credits include "The Taj Mahal Review." His website is Steven P. Servis

Tim Henderson is a freelance writer who currently resides in Asheville, NC. He holds an M.A. in Communication Studies, spent several years teaching English in Japan and traveling around Asia, and is finishing up a collection of short stories based on his adventures in the Far East.

Tom Larsen lives in Lambertville, New Jersey with Andree and her pets. His work has appeared in Newsday, New Millennium Writings, Antietam Review and Puerto del Sol.

Wayne Faust has been a full-time music and comedy performer for over 30 years, performing in 38 states, England, Holland, Scotland, and Mexico. ( www.waynefaust.com). He wrote a full-length non-fiction book about the entertainment business called "Thirty Years Without A Real Job." (Picklehead Music Press - www.picklehead.com).

Alexei Russell is an emerging writer living in Winnipeg, Canada. He had a great many jobs before realizing his University English teacher may have had something, when she suggested he'd be happiest as a writer. A believer in the maxim that a writer should try his hand at all genres, he has conquered all themes and genres, apart from Westerns--which he will get around to eventually.

Antonio Hopson has published short stories in The Harrow Magazine, The Subterranean Quarterly, Poor Mojo's Almanac and also NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu's Exquisite Corpse Magazine.

I grew up in central Iowa, where the writing bug infested my impressionable brain in my teens. Insecure Pisces that I am, many of my stories and characters remained imprisoned in a shoe box until I moved to Mississippi in 2001...

Christopher Allen, a native Tennessean, lives in Germany and writes creative non-fiction, humor and Southern literature. His work has appeared in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times, Tough People" and "Gathering: Writers of Williamson County," as well as in the ezines "Metazen," "Ruthless Peoples Magazine" and "The Short Humour Site."

David Lignell lives with his wife Colleen and their family in Lawrence, Kansas. He is an active member of Pam Casto's flash-fiction workshop listserv.

Jim Wisneski is an author and poet living in the Lehigh Valley, PA with his wife, his almost one year old son, two cats, a fish, and a hermit crab. Updates and some of his short stories can be found at his site www.JimWisneski.com.

When Jonas Knutsson left junior high in 8th grade to pursue a career as a gentleman of leisure, said institution made a note of a great general improvement in morale and academic performance and has yet to request his return.

Karla Lammers works as a corporate lawyer and has written several academic articles. Since turning her pen toward literary fiction, some of her short stories have appeared in online publications.

Kristan Ginther is a professional copywriter and published nonfiction author. Her recent short fiction work has appeared in apt Literary Journal, M Review, and Planet Magazine. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Dan, two cats, and Boxer dog. She h

For the first 29 years of my life, I grew up with the smells of Eucalyptus trees, and the old Mission churches with their euphoric music.

Matthew Dexter is an American freelance writer living in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Michele Host is a lawyer and writer living in New York.

"Despite spending 9 years in institutes of higher education, Phil only ended up taking two classes in English. (We think it shows.")

I am an elementary school teacher living in Connecticut who wants to get published and who wants recognition as a skilled writer of thought-provoking stories.

Susan Okaty lives in Virginia Beach and is a member of Hampton Roads Writers (hamptonroadswriters.org). Her work has appeared in Highlights for Children and Vox Poetica.

Virginia Bond was born in Oregon and received a Masters in Ministry in 2001. She is the author of The Reign, an adult historical fiction novel, and Specter in the Woods, a juvenile mystery which should be out within the next few months.