S. Brandi Barnes is a poet and journalist, and is part of the African-American Writers Initiative at the Second City improv theater in Chicago. Her work has appeared in Essence, the Chicago Reader Newspaper, Black Collegian, Afrique Newspaper, N'DIGO Magapaper, and in literary anthologies such as The Woman That I AM (St. Martin's Press) and NOMMO 2: A Literary Legacy of Black Chicago Writers (OBAC-Press). Brandi is the author of the book Blackberries in the China Cabinet (Kar-Mel Publishers). She can be contacted at www.brandibarnes@earthlink.net.

Jennifer Brown Banks is a feature writer for Being Single Magazine and an award-winning poet. Her work has wowed local and national audiences in publications such as Today's Black Woman Magazine, Simon and Schuster's "Chocolate" series, Honey Magazine, and Writing for Dollars.com. She teaches in Illinois.

Patricia E. Canterbury is a mentor, political scientist (a former assistant executive officer for the California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors), wife, and author. She is the author of the "girl" mysteries A Poplar Cove Mystery, a trilogy for those nine to 14 years of age, and the eight-volume The Delta Mystery series, for six to nine year olds. Pat is working on her first "boy" mystery trilogy, which will be part of the Popular Cove Mystery series.

Juanita Carr a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, has resided in California since 1955. She currently lives in Sacramento with her son and two sassy cats. Writing for pleasure and fn began at an early age when she crafted stories for her grammar school classmates. She has been a serious writer since 1997, when she joined an active and productive writing group. With one novel completed, she is diligently working on another. Inclusion in the Seasoned Sistahas anthology is her first published work.

Lillian Comas-Diaz is a clinician, scholar, and activist, interested in reconciling liberation psychology, feminism, and multiculturalism. She has been a member of fact-finding delegations investigating human rights abuses in Chile, the former Soviet Union, South Africa, India, and Nepal. Lillian is the senior editor of two textbooks, Clinical Guidelines in Cross Cultural Mental Health, and Women of Color: Integrating ethnic and gender identities in psychotherapy. Additionally, she is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the American Psychological Association Division 45 official journal, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.

Joy Copeland until her recent retirement, Joy Copeland worked as an executive for a major corporation, one of many roles in a chain of careers. Now Joy devotes her time to her passions: writing, traveling to the settings that serve as backdrops for her stories, and spending time with family. Joy writes both family stories and tales of fantasy. Her story "Hair Dreams" has been accepted for an upcoming anthology of African-American Horror and Suspense, which Kensington is scheduled to publish in 2004. She has just completed her first novel, a supernatural thriller entitled Borrowed Destiny, and is busy at work on a second novel, Simon Says.

J. M. Cornwell is a professional editor, nationally syndicated freelance journalist, columnist, writer, and book reviewer who lives in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

La Rhonda Crosby-Johnson is a native of Oakland, CA. Now beginning her tenth year as a self-employed health education consultant, she has spent the last 23 years working in the areas of health and education as a social worker and educator. She is the author of one published poem, "Who Told You," and is currently working on her first novel. She is a daughter, sister, niece, aunt, friend, mother, godmother, and grandmother, and she currently lives in San Leandro, CA, with her husband.

Deidra Suwanee Dees was born into Muscogee Nation and is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University. Suwanee, named after her grandfather Suwanee Dees, is conducting research for her dissertation on cross-cultural education at Poarch Muscogee Nation in Alabama. She has worked as the director of education at Poarch Muscogee Nation, developing culturally appropriate educational curricula. Her research was published in a textbook for college literature courses, Forced from the Garden (Guild Press, 2003), a collection of scholarly literature by a diverse group of women writers. Her writings have also been published in a literature book, Joining the Circle (TA Publications, 2003), a component of the Writers Workshop of the annual Eastern Shawnee Pow Wow. Suwanee received two prestigious awards for excellence in journalism by the University of South Alabama. The People's Poet in the United Kingdom honored her for her creative verse. She also received the Mirrors International Tanka Award from AHA Books in Gualala, California. Deidra just published her first book, and is working on her second which will be published in late 2005.

Janet Elder is an RN and OB nurse manager for Wayne Memorial Hospital, and is currently working on her master's degree in health care administration. Born and raised in rural Georgia, she is a single mother with one son, 4-year-old Jonathan, and is active in music ministry.

Renee Fajardo is an attorney by training. After spending several years working with inner-city children and homeless families, she decided that her first love, writing, was a more effective way to use her skills. In 1996, as the mother of seven, she turned her passion for working with children and young adults into a career. Today, Rene writes for various publications in the Denver metro area and is the co-author of two multicultural children's books based on family foods, Holy Mole Guacamole: And Other Tummy Tales and Pinch A Lotta Enchiladas: And Other Tummy Tales. She is also a professional storyteller whose repertoire includes Inuit, Hispanic, Filipino, and Southwestern folk tales, along with creation myths. As a teacher of storytelling and creative writing workshops, her passion is to help young writers draw on their family and community ties to create a rich and vibrant world.

Estelle E. Farley is a member of the Carolina African-American Writers Collective. Her work is featured in the anthologies Beyond the Frontier: African American Poetry in the 21st Century, Dark Eros: A Celebration of African American Eroticism, and In the Company of Women. She has also contributed to several literary journals. Estelle has shared her work at various venues around the country and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Levonne Gaddy was born and raised in rural Piedmont, North Carolina, during the 1950s and 1960s. She was the first in her family of origin and extended family to complete a college education. She majored in business education at North Carolina Central University and social work at University of California Los Angeles. Levonne has worked the past twenty-five years in the human services field. Though her education has afforded her the ability to make a reasonable living, her heart has always lived in the world of words and in the practice of writing. Her story "A New Dancer" is part of her memoir in progress. Levonne lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband.

Uma Girish is a writer based in Chennai, India. Covering a range of subjects such as parenting, health, fitness, culture, books, and authors, her work has appeared in the leisure pages of the Economic Times, in magazines like Debonair and Gurlz, and on sites like Einkwell, Seven Seas, Absolute Write, Writer's Ezine, and Write from Home. She has won awards for her fiction and non-fiction, for both adults and children, and has more work forthcoming in American and Canadian magazines.

Joyce Gittoes is a 67-year-old retiree, living in Phoenix, Arizona. She was born and bred in New York City and also lived in Queens. She's a former high school English teacher and social worker, and is currently an actress in Phoenix.

Eve Hall is an author and poet who resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She just released two new poetry books, Enter Eve's Poetic Paradise and Dante's Poetic Playground. Her work has received anywhere from first to fifth place in several writing contests, and it has also appeared in magazines such as Purpose, Skyline Publications, and Threecupmorning. One of her goals is to find an illustrator and publisher for her children's books.

D.L. Harris is a poet and playwright living in Seattle, Washington. Her play "The Satin Sisters" was produced in Seattle and Atlanta, Georgia. She has her own company, BackBone Productions, and describes writing as her anchor.

Jo Ann Yolanda Hernández was born in Texas, raised her sons in Vermont, earned her Master's in Creative Writing at University of San Francisco, and now lives in Arizona. Her latest manuscript "The Throw Away Piece" won first place at the 2003 Latino/Chicano Literary Prize at the University of California, Irvine.

Gilda A. Herrera a fifty-plus "sistah," is a freelance writer of non-fiction and fiction based in San Antonio, Texas, her hometown. She has written for newspapers and magazines and is thrilled that her first mystery novel, Four Dogs with a Bone, will be published this year.

Cynthia Regina Hobson was born on the Southside of Chicago, Illinois, where she attended the Art Institute of Chicago's Art Student Program. She and her family later moved to Elk Groove, California. Cynthia retired from a career executive assignment at the California Energy Commission in 1999 after 30 years' state service. She is continuing her love of art through painting and writing. She is the owner of Hobson's Corner.

Beatrice M. Hogg lives in Sacramento, California. An MFA student in creative writing at Antioch University Los Angeles, Beatrice has been published in newspapers and magazines such as the Sacramento Bee, Sacramento News & Review, Astronomy, Reminisce, and Whispers from Heaven. She is working on a memoir about her hometown, a coal-mining town in western Pennsylvania.

Geri Spencer Hunter is a native of Marshalltown and a graduate of the University of Iowa's College of Nursing. She is the author of Polkadots (1998), a contemporary relationship novel. Her short story "Déjà Vu" has been included in Eleanor Taylor Bland's anthology Shades of Black (2004), a collection of short stories by black mystery writers. Her short story "A Woeful Tale" is included in Nan Mahon's anthology Lily Love's Cafe, a collection of short stories that were published as a fundraiser for Chicks in Crisis, a resource agency for pregnant teens. She is married with children and grandchildren and lives in Sacramento, California.

Margaret Hurley lives in Northern California with her husband, and is a recent retiree from the US Postal Service. Her love for animals led to her new business, breeding Brittany puppies, and creating scrumptious dog treats as M & M's Gourmet Dog Treats. Occasionally she also writes.

Paula White Jackson is an award-winning poet from Arvonia, Virginia. She is a member of the Carolina African American Writers Collective and has won two Emerging Artist Fellowships. The author of two poetry collections, Saturday Morning Pancakes and Those Hands, Those Hands (A Mother's Life and Death), she has also placed work in the anthology Catch the Fire, as well as Obsidian II, the Piedmont Literary Review, and the BMA Sonia Sanchez Literary Review. Paula was a staff writer and columnist for the Fluvanna Review, Scottsville Monthly, and More Magazine. In addition to poetry, she writes essays and children's picture books. Her non-fiction has appeared in FYAH and in Women's World magazine. She teaches workshops and enjoys performing readings of her work.

Strella Jasper is an expert in biblical Persian history. She is an international missionary who authors articles, songs, and poetry that reflect the human condition she experiences as she ministers in foreign lands. Ms. Jasper unwinds with her flower gardens in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains at her home in Denver, Colorado.

Larraine Johnson exemplifies her credo: Never give up on you. A retiree from 25 years of public administration, Larraine recently graduated from Otterbein College (June 2004) with a major in leadership and the liberal arts. A demonstrated professional and entrepreneur, as well as a prolific speaker and teacher, Larraine brings passion to any presentation. Her website, www.EmberLightPress.com, is her personal statement for empowerment and the healing arts. She is the recipient of several community awards, including the YWCA Mary Townsend Achievement Award. She holds papers of Ministerial Fellowship with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World.

Meta Jones is a 52-year-old retired contracting officer with three children and three grandchildren. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she migrated to Atlanta after college and has lived there ever since. Recently she decided to dust off her dreams and pursue a writing career. Her first story will be published in December in a new magazine, What's Within You, which will also publish one of her poems, "Whenever," in a future issue. She's currently working on a suspense novel.

Sandy Kay has written regularly all of her life, though it took a big push of support from a very close friend to help her see herself as a writer and not just as someone who writes. Given an opportunity to work with a published writer at the school she currently attends, she is reinventing herself in the middle of her life as a writer.

Donna L. Kinsler graduated cum laude from the University of New Haven and embarked upon a highly accelerated career path with AT&T. After a sabbatical, during which she traveled and lived in Barbados, Jamaica, Paris, and Stockholm, she returned to co-found Hi-Tek learning systems, a non-profit organization in Florida that prepared inner-city youth for High School Equivalency exams. Donna is former director of new business development at BlackPearl Entertainment (Warner Bros), where she assisted in producing the acclaimed television series Judge Mathis, and she has held similar positions with Suzanne de Passe's de Passe Entertainment and Kill Duke's Yagya Wonder's Black Bull Music. Now the first-ever operations manager for the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, Donna is responsible for administration of the prestigious NAACP Image Awards, among other things. She continues to work with community, civic, and environmental programs, including Sparrow's Ministries, an AIDS Hospice Village in South Africa, through which she sponsors children afflicted with AIDS.

Debbie La'Sassier resides in New York. In 2001, she self-published her first book, Healing Through Poetry. She's a member of the International Society of Poets, Black Writers United, ISP, Civil Rights Org., and Black World Newspaper. Debbie's poetry has appeared in several anthologies and is on various websites, including Poetry.com, Writerscrib, and A Mobius Pi. She has also recited and performed poetry at the Zen Den Coffee House in Babylon, New York.

Norma Ng Lau was born in Oakland in 1923. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of California at Berkeley, she spent the 50s and 60s raising her two children and helping her parents run their small grocery on Oakland Avenue. She also studied to become certified as a state public accountant, internal auditor, and fraud examiner. At the age of 54, she began a 30-year political career. Elected five times as Oakland's city auditor, she exposed three major fraud scandals before retiring in 1998 to write a mystery novel. Deeply involved in professional, women's, and cultural organizations, she was named a "Woman of Achievement" by the Soroptimists in 1980 and "Woman of the Year" by the National Women's Political Caucus in 1982. She passed away in October 2004 at the age of 81.

Elaine Ruth Lee is the author/editor of "Go Girl: The Black Woman's Book of Travel and Adventure" published by Eighth Mountain Press. She is a freelance travel writer whose work has appeared in numerous national magazines and webzines. She co-hosts a monthly travel radio show and has appeared on numerous local and national radio and TV shows. Elaine Lee is also a practicing attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area. Several years ago, she traveled solo around the world and continues to travel regularly. She has visited over 36 countries.

Virginia K. Lee received a BA in sociology from California State University at Los Angeles and a MS degree in education from the City College of New York. She has been adjunct in Early Childhood Education at the Borough of Manhattan Community College since 1988-She is also a member of the International Women's Writing Guild and a Cave Canem Fellows graduate. She is the poet laureate of Memorial Baptist Church in Harlem and an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Joan McCarty is the author of the plays "A Time to Dance" and "Last Bus to Stateville." She also wrote a collection of short stories entitled Through My Windows. She is a stage manager and a teacher at Spelman College in the Department of Drama and Dance, and currently resides with her husband Anthony, outside of Atlanta.

Patricia A. McLean-Rashine is a 46-year-old mother of three. She has been writing short stories, essays, and particularly poetry for many years. She performs and teaches poetry throughout the Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Washington area. She is the author of two self-published books of poetry, A Sister Speaks of…. and Ain't Gonna Bite My Tongue No More. She is the founder and a current member of an all-female poetry ensemble known as "In the Company of Poets." In addition to her regular 9 to 5, she teaches on a regular basis at area women's transitional homes. www.inthecompanyofpoets.com

Constance Diggs Matthews Constance Matthews is President of Epiphany Management Inc., a San Diego based Marketing & PR firm with divisions serving the publishing and non-profit industries. Constance heads the company's public relations, publishing, and resource development projects. The company's client roster includes such individuals and organizations as Manuelita Brown (artist), Jerry Hoover (author), Marlo Brooks (author/motivational speaker), California Southern Small Business Development Corporation, QBR: The Harlem Book Fair, Gordon "Specs" Powell, The Diamond Business Improvement District, The Jacobs Family Foundation, Market Creek Plaza, the University of California San Diego, the Chicken Soup For the African American Soul Empowerment Tour, and Hope in the City.

Carole McConnell fiction and essays have appeared in print and online, in regional and national publications. Her story "Lingua Franca" is due to appear in Nalo Hopkinson's anthology, So Long Been Dreaming. Another story, "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair," is in Fantastic Visions III. Her devotionals appear in Christian online and print magazines and also on www.faithwriters.com. Her reviews are on www.compulsivereader.com, www.thefilmforum.com, and www.curledup.com. Her short story "Homecoming" won New Mass Media's Westchester Weekly annual fiction contest in September 1996 and received third place at the Annual Contemporary Western Fiction Contest. Published essays include "Oreo Blues," in W.W. Norton's LIFENOTES: Personal Writings by Contemporary Black Women and "That Smile" in the anthology Then an Angel Came Along. Carole lives in New York with her husband of twenty years and their two sons.

Saundra Kay Mock is a freelance writer living in the Dallas, Texas, area, where she leads a quiet family life. She has been twice published with Standard Publishing

Carol Nowell resides in the small town of Raeford, NC. She has a daughter, son, and six grandchildren. Reading romance novels inspired her to start writing. Carol's first paid work appeared in the December 2003 issue of True Story. At the age of 44, she met her first true love, and they plan to be married in July of 2005 with her wearing her a red wedding dress.

Sandra Romos OBriant has been published both in print and online. An excerpt from her novel, The Sandoval Chronicles: The Secret of Old Blood, was published in LA HERENCIA. The novel is presently under consideration with an agent.

Oktavi has performed her spoken word in a variety of venues, including radio broadcasts throughout Los Angeles, Ca, and Raleigh/Durham NC. A partial list of her published work includes; Fertile Ground, Runnagate Press, Editors, Kalamu ya Salaam, & Kysha N. Brown, Dark Eros, St Martins Press, Editor Reginald Martin, Catch the Fire, Berkeley Publishing Co., Editor, D. Knowledge, Beyond the Frontier, Black Classic Press, Editor, E. Ethelbert Miller, bum rush the page, Three Rivers Press, Editors, Tony Medina & Louis Reyes Rivera. She is an active member of the Carolina African-American Writer's Collective and participated in the California Arts Council, Artist-in-Communities Residency program. Oktavi was one of the founding members of the women's group, Motley Cabal and Founding Editor of Teen View, a Los Angeles newsletter for young writers. Although her main focus is poetry, she writes and has had short stories published. She currently resides in California.

Roberta Orona-Cordova Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Roberta Orona-Cordova has an extensive career in writing, both as a writer and as an instructor. Roberta received her bachelor of arts degree in rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley, her master of arts degree in speech and communication from San Francisco State University, and her master of fine arts in screenwriting from UCLA. She has written several screenplays, including Viva la Vida: The Story of Frida Kahlo; written and directed a narrative short film, Rosie; and written a collection of short stories, Letter to My Daughter So I Can Sleep.

Katherine Parker is a member of a dynamic poetic duo in San Francisco, CA, called "Sistahs Wid' Gaps" in celebration of being two very talented gap-toothed women. They have been performing around the Bay Area for at least 10 years and are currently involved in a CD project.

Doris House Rice was born in Daingerfield, Texas. She is the author of two self published books and four gospel plays. Her plays have been performed at universities, colleges, civic centers, churches, and theaters. Her work is in Kente Cloth, African American Writers In Texas (Center for Texas Studies University of North Texas); Feminine Writes; Women; Wisdom & Writing (National Association of Women Writers) and several anthologies. She is the founder and president of the Officer Reginald R. R. House Scholarship Fund and Community Development, Inc., she founded in memory of her son.

Oroki Rice is the founder of Sisters on a Journey, an organization for women survivors of trauma. Oroki is an ordained minister, a writer and former preschool and elementary school teacher. Her most current ministry uses her combined gifts to help women and children face life triumphantly. Oroki holds a bachelor of arts degree in applied behavioral sciences and is certified as a family development specialist. She has been trained extensively in the area of childhood sexual abuse. She also facilitates drumming and healing circles. The Sisters on a Journey Drumming and Healing Circle is a group of women dedicated to keeping the ancient rituals of rhythm and body awareness alive in the healing process. Through the Circle many women have discovered the power of the drumbeat. They realize why the slave masters forbid Africans to gather and "make a joyful noise" by way of the drum.

Rochelle Robinson Black feminist, writer, community activist, and global citizen, Rochelle Robinson lives and works in Oakland, CA. She is currently participating in community-response project training, through Generation FIVE (San Francisco), around child sexual abuse. She has been active in the peace and solidarity movement and has been involved in numerous community-organizing projects. She holds a Master's degree in women's studies from San Francisco State University and is co-founder of Sisters Solstice Writing Collective, a Black women's autobiography project.

Rosemarie Sagastume is a native of Guatemala and has lived in Boston for most of her life. She has written for many years of emotional experiences in her life. This is her first published work.

Debra Sledge is the co-founder and chief operating officer of the Sledge Group Inc., a non-profit organization founded by Mychal and Debra Sledge with a mission to empower at-risk youths by providing them with alternatives, strengthen families, and end the cycle of destruction. The organization provides one-to-one mentoring, group mentoring, tutoring, dance instruction, and parent/guardian support. Debra is a proud wife and mother of two beautiful daughters.

Janice Smith is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and a 46-year-old mother of a 20-year-old son. A member of the Detroit Writer's Guild for approximately two years, she was recently selected as the first place winner of their 2003 short story contest. She also coordinates the Guild's Young Authors Program. She writes poetry and has been working on a first novel.

ReGina A. Bradford Tardy is a faithful child of God. ReGina is an wife, and mother of two wonderful sons. She is a playwright who enjoys spending precious moments with her wonderful husband and sons. She writes from a spiritual perspective with a voice of encouragement that speaks to the experiences of women of color. ReGina is the author of A Mustard Seed of Faith, Inner Strength For Inner Struggles; Resting On A Rainbow, Enlightening The Journey, and Onward & Upward, Elevating The Inner Woman. She is founder of On A Positive Tip Productions, Inc. a theatrical ministry to bring the awareness of healing through acting, not acting out. She is the owner of Per-Fect Words Publishing Company.

Dr. Norma D. Thomas is an associate professor and the assistant director of the Center for Social Work Education at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. She is also president and CEO of the Center of Ethnic and Minority Aging, Inc., in Philadelphia. She received her bachelor of arts in social work from Penn State University, a masters in social work from the Temple University School of Social Administration, and her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work. Norma is the vice president of the Tau Delta Omega chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., located in Chester. She has an extensive academic publication record and has also published poetry in a number of anthologies, including Generations. She is currently working on a book of poetry called Home Remedies and has self published a book of poems titled Sometimes I Hear Old Folks Singin with her daughter Raina Leon.

Lynnette Velasco is a children's book author and poet, and she is also president of Black Americans in Publishing.

Vicki Ward has written poems essays, and stories for most of her life, and began writing in earnest in her 40's. For several years she was a writer for Roots Magazine, where she interviewed the group Earth Wind & Fire, artists Freddie Jackson, and Jonathan Butler, and others. She also wrote reviews for new released CDs by R&B, gospel, and jazz artists, and reviewed local stage plays. In 1999 as a member of a theater troupe she traveled to Russia, performing in the chorus of the Greek tragedy "Oedipus." She published an article detailing her experiences as an African American woman observing life and culture in the former Soviet Union. Vicki is the editor of "Life's Spices From Seasoned Sistahs", A Collection of Life Stories From Mature Women Of Color, published by her company, Nubian Images Publishing. She is a member of NAWW, and NCBPMA and is a founding member of Black Publishers Association, holding the office of Membership Chair.

Felisicia Williams resides in Chesapeake, Virginia with her husband Lamar. They have a combined family of two sons, one daughter, and four wonderful grandchildren. Felisicia loves to read and write. She was recently published in Celebrations - Notes to My Mother, an anthology of letters. Felisicia continues to pursue her love of writing and is presently working on a children's story. She is a certified juvenile and domestic relations mediator and juvenile probation officer.

Ramona Moreno Winner is an author of children's bilingual books. In 1996, she published her first book, It's Okay to Be Different !Esta Bien Ser Differente¡. She has since written several stories with multicultural themes. Her mission is to teach children to respect other cultures while embracing their own.

Diantha L. Zschoche is an African-American woman in her early 50s, married with two children in their 20s. Originally from Chicago, she has resided in Southern California since college. She and her husband have been involved in Christian ministry and community for 25 years. Her writing has mostly been used in the ministry, but in the last few years she has been submitting her work for publication.