Marianne Wiggins, author of The Shadow Catcher (2007), Evidence of Things Unseen (2004), Bet They’ll Miss Us When We’re Gone (stories) (1991), John Dollar (1989), Herself in Love and Other Stories (1987 ), and several other books. She won a Whiting Writer’s Award in 1989 for exceptional talent and promise and the Janet Heidiger Kafka Prize for the best novel written by an American woman for John Dollar. Evidence of Things Unseen garnered a nomination for the 2003 National Book Award and the Gold Medal for 2004 Commonwealth Club Prize for Fiction; it was also a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Ms. Wiggins teaches at The University of Southern California.

William Luvaas, author of A Working Man’s Apocrypha (stories) (2007), Going Under (1994 ) and The Seductions of Natalie Bach ( 1986 ). His short fiction, reviews and essays have appeared in the American Literary Review, Antioch Review, Cosmopolitan, The Village Voice, Harper’s Weekly, and Glimmer Train. His story “Ashes Rain Down” won first place in Glimmer Train’s Winter 2007 Fiction Open contest. He has taught at San Diego State University and the University of California, Riverside. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant (2006).

Larry Leichman, publisher, co-founder and co-owner of Arbor Books located in New York City. Arbor Books works with mainstream publishing companies, independent publishers and self-publishing authors through the preparation of manuscripts, cover design, illustration, printing, distribution, book marketing, and author publicity. Arbor Books books have been reviewed by The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Publishers Weekly. Mr. Leichman teaches a publishing course in a dozen universities and colleges in the NYC area.

Lauren Groff, author of Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories (2009). She is the best-selling author, too, of The Monsters of Templeton ( 2008 ), which was short-listed for the Orange Prize for New Writers. Her short stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories of 2007, Best New American Voices 2008, The Atlantic Monthly, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train and elsewhere, and have been awarded a Pushcart Prize. She teaches at Queens University of Charlotte (NC).