Juan Martinez was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, and has since lived in Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. He now lives in Chicago. He's an assistant professor at Northwestern University. His work and has appeared in various literary journals and...  read

Mary Anne Mohanraj is author of Bodies in Motion (HarperCollins), The Stars Change (Circlet Press) and ten other titles. Bodies in Motion was a finalist for the Asian American Book Awards, a USA Today Notable Book, and has been translated...  read

Mare Swallow is the Executive Director of the Chicago Writers Conference, and as such was named to NewCity's Lit 50 list twice. Her writing has appeared in Story Club Magazine, Brevity, and Hypertext Magazine. She is the author of 21...  read

Alicia Swiz is a professor, performer and professional feminist. Drawing from her personal experience and her academic training, Alicia Swiz facilitates conversations about gender, sex and pop culture. She is the host of the monthly comedy showcase, Feminist Happy Hour,...  read

Mikki Kendall, a writer and occasional feminist divides her time between two careers, a family, and brunch. She commits acts of fiction largely focusing on black people in every situation under the sun, and a few under undefined celestial bodies....  read

Anne Elizabeth Moore was born in Winner, SD and grew up in St. Paul, MN. She is the author of Unmarketable from the New Press (2007 Best Book, Mother Jones) and Cambodian Grrrl from Cantankerous Titles (2012 Best Book, Lowell...  read

Kellye Howard is a writer, speaker, actress, and stand up comedian who has been featured on Comedy Central, TBS, NBC, FOX, WGN, and many more. She also currently performs improv with Second City every Saturday night in the Blackout Cabaret....  read

Felix Jung received his MFA in Creative Writing from The Ohio State University in 2000. His writing has appeared in Crab Orchard Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, and Cassette From My Ex - an anthology of personal essays on relationships in...  read

Melissa Wiley is the author of Antlers in Space and Other Common Phenomena, an essay collection published by Split Lip Press. Her creative nonfiction has appeared or is forthcoming in places like The Rumpus, DIAGRAM, The Offing, Juked, Noble /...  read

Nestor Gomez was born in Guatemala but has lived in Chicago since the mid-80's. He has shared several stories about driving for a ride-sharing company, which he used as material for his first solo show. Nestor told his first story...  read