STORY

Jacqi Newsom, born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, is an artist and dedicated educator passionate about connecting others to art and culture. She earned her BA in Art Education from Herron School of Art and Design and her MA in Studio Practice for Art Educators from Teachers College, Columbia University. Currently an IB Visual Arts Teacher in Indianapolis, Jacqi brings her art history, technique, and storytelling expertise into her work. Through her writing, she hopes to inspire others to explore their creative voices and deepen their understanding of the visual arts.

Courtney Treglia is an artist and writer born and raised in New York. Spending half of her time in Rochester developed her love of nature and the other half living near New York City imbued her with a tenacity for opportunity. Growing up in a family that encouraged the arts and writing, the two became interchangeable to her. They have since become the bedrock of her advocacy that the arts are necessary for mental health and building a more empathetic world. Courtney uses these values in her work as the Assistant to the Chair and Academic Advisor for the MA/MAT Art Education department at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan to support future educators and artists.

Rachelle Wolf was born May 3rd, 1995 in Perm, Russia, and adopted by an American family.  She has lived in several states growing up including Nebraska, Missouri, West Virginia, and for a brief time in Idaho where she attended college.  She then took  a job with Xanterra and worked  in Death Valley, CA and Yellowstone National Park for two years.  Her time in Death Valley is where she got most of her research material for the desert scenes in the beginning of the book.  She currently resides in Nebraska as she works on the sequel to Where the Stars Take us Volume 1.

Michael Alexander Rodriguez is a Colorado raised writer, artist, and actor who is constantly inspired by all the facets of science fiction and fantasy.  Inspirations for his work range from JRTolkien to Michael Creighton to H.P. Lovecraft

Naomi Watson (she/her) is a trans author from the Northwest. Growing up, she dreamed of being a screenwriter. Struggling with ADHD, she overcame many hardships during high school. After nearly 15 years later, she’s finally honed her writing skills and harnessed her overwhelming creativity to release her first novel "The Last Champion Rise of the Fae Empress". Continue your journey with Naomi as she writes the continuation of her epic seven part series "The Last Champion".

Aurora Rain Llydell has been writing since she was 14 years old. She's always been able to delve deep into fantasy worlds to untangle their mysteries with an unquenchable thirst. She has a passion for stories in every form, especially fantasy. She self published a book of poetry in 2017. Aurora has a bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. She married her partner of 7 years in August of 2022, and currently lives in Christiansburg VA with their toothless dog and grumpy cat.