JERRY YAP (“Factory 147”) received his PhD in chemistry in 2014 from the University of Maryland and has worked in both pharma and small to mid-size biotechs. He has published over 18 professional scientific publications in peer-reviewed science journals. He is currently an MFA candidate in the Popular Fiction and Publishing graduate program at Emerson College with a focus on hard fantasy and science fiction. His themes of exploration are centered on war, loyalty, and friendship using coming-of-age, character-driven stories.
ASHLEY HILL (“The Woman of Water”) is a life-long lover of magic and fantasy, both the “whimsical fairy with flowers in her hair” kind and the “evil fanged pixie with a dagger and hungry smile” kind. She graduated from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English literature and is currently a student of Emerson College’s MFA Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing program. When she isn’t adulting, she can be found in the corner of some place with her nose buried in a book or manically scribbling out the stories that play through her head.
SOPHIA GORJANCE (“Francis”) is an MFA candidate at Emerson College. She spends her free time reading and writing science fiction and fantasy, and making her boyfriend watch campy sci-fi flicks with her (movie suggestions welcome). You can follow her on Twitter @CaptainGorjance.
JOE BUCKLER (“The Light Over Whaler’s Watch”) is an author of adult and young adult fiction, a recent MFA graduate from Emerson College, and an alumnus of the University of Arizona where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in creative writing. His fiction has been featured in several publications, including Collective Realms Magazine, The Sanctuary Magazine, and the forthcoming anthology Nefarious Nature from Weasel Press. When not acting as Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Blind Corner Literary Magazine, he also serves as Curriculum Developer for a nonprofit education initiative in Louisville, KY. You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram @imwithjoebuckler.
BRIAN FELLER (“Through the Woods”) holds an MFA in fiction from Emerson College. He currently has work published in Canyon Voices Literary Magazine, Adelaide Literary Magazine, and Palm-Sized Press, as well as a story in an upcoming issue of Stork Magazine. He was the winner of FIU’s 2018 Student Literary Award in fiction. In his spare time, he’s an avid tabletop gamer and pen collector. He hopes to work as a professor of creative writing after completing his MFA in the fall of 2020.
ANNA O’CONNELL (“The Dragon of Ják”) is a musician who specializes in performing works from medieval to modern folk music as a harpist and soprano. Formerly a choir director for a church in central New York, she is now pursuing a doctorate in musical arts at Case Western Reserve University. Her research interests include accompanying herself on harp, 14th-century German chant, and seventeenth-century song.
ISABELLE KELLY (“The Ones Left Behind”) is an Emerson student set to graduate in 2022. Her YA short story puts a spin on the familiar tale of the Pied Piper.
MACKENZIE HICKS (“My Dearest Lydia”) has been writing since she was eleven. She writes and reads everything from fantasy to literary stories. She currently works at Steamboat Pilot & Today and is getting her MFA in popular fiction writing and publishing at Emerson College. She lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
EMMA BRACKETT (“Replacement”) is a junior writing, literature, and publishing major at Emerson College.
