"Num" was born in the city of Memphis, TN during the last few months of the seventies. Having been lovingly raised by old TV shows such as Taxi, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeanie, MacGyver and the A-Team he developed a quirky sense of how this absurd world should work--there is humor in most everything, and you can get out of any situation if you are just clever enough.

He learned to read early on but never really pursued it as a hobby until, by chance; he impulsively stole a book from a junior high school book fair, a juvenile science fiction novel. Though the story itself has been forgotten, its impact remained.

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far.. far..away... *needle scratches* Anne, who was born Anne Smith as the first daughter of a first daughter, was born in Louisville, KY.  Since that time she has lived in various and sundry states across the nation.  More recently she managed to escape the black and white land of Kansas, to relocate here in Memphis with her beloved groom of 17 years, Phil.  (Both Anne and Phil are relieved to know that there are real colors in the world once you cross that state line...)  Of note are her two lovely and equally capricious daughters, Beth - 24 and Marissa - 19 who have been left back in Kansas in a search for Toto or the Tin Man. Recently she added a new member to the family, Lady Awen of Blackmore, a miniature wire-hair dachshund whose coat is best described as the color of old copper pennies, sprinkled with cocoa dust.

Ben is also known as Angry_Monkey. I'd explain his nickname, but that's another story.

Ben writes pretty much whatever is in his head. I guess that's Speculative Fiction. He's written a novel for National Novel Writing Month, which he's not done anything with, and he wrote a short story for MidSouthCon's Student Writing Contest of 2007, which he won.

In his spare time, Ben plays video games, reads occasionally, and creates Flash movies. Ben tends to get lots of story ideas in his head before he writes anything, which he then stop a few pages into because he's got another idea. But maybe he should finish some more. Then he might win more contests.

Called Beth by her folks, she generally goes by Gabriel online. According to older family members, she has been stringing stories together since she could string words together. Her main love is science fiction/fantasy but lately she has been trying to branch out into other areas.

Her scribbling is generally done in her parents' house, where she lives with aforementioned parents, two siblings, three cats & a psychotic black lab. When not giving herself carpal tunnel she obsesses over T.V. shows (particularly if they are British or "Heroes"), is a field investigator trainee for the Mutual UFO Network (www.mufon.com), ghost hunts, works on photography, studies Japanese & does her best to keep Borders & Barnes 'n Noble in the black.

www.billsnodgrass.com  

Born in 1962, Bill Snodgrass grew up in a small Appalachian coal-mining town in Virginia.  In 1967, he moved with his family to Kentucky and then Indiana before finally settling in Memphis, Tennessee in 1974.  However, although growing up in a major metropolitan city, Bill never completely lost touch with his small town roots.

Since his days in high school, Bill has written.  Stories scratched, barely legible, on notebook paper and poems are still stuffed away in a folder in his file cabinet.  He began writing seriously in the late 1980's producing curriculum for a human relations, leadership program and writing numerous essays.

My name is Zorknot.

Brad Robinson is just the slave name given to me by my human oppressors. I came to this planet twenty-six years ago, and since then I've been forced to live by human laws and take a human form.

Ever since the eighth year of my incarceration I've been writing, in the hopes that sleeper agents here on Earth will be able to interpret the code I've embedded in my fiction and contact the mother ship. I don't want to leave really, but I miss all my friends from the station and I'd like to say hi.

I've learned a lot since I've come here. Humans are very interesting creatures and I enjoy observing them and writing about them.

Dani was born and raised in Memphis and has been writing since she was in 2nd grade. Her first story was about a snow storm (but when do those really happen in Memphis?) and won her great acclaim. From then on, she knew she wanted to be a writer even though her family constantly pushed her to be something "useful" and "legitimate". This did not dampen her spirits and she continued to write. In her early teens, she got several poems published before trying her hand at novels and short stories. She has attempted four times to write a novel and has ‘won' NaNoWriMo once. She hopes of rewriting one and getting published before the age of 21.

Ellen is a new writer here in Memphis.  She participated in NaNoWriMo during November, 2006, and won, so she got a pretty certificate.

She likes to read and write fantasy, and also likes to write poetry. Ellen is also a budding artist, especially enjoying fantasy art, such as animals with wings, dragons and others.  She can also play piano and a little bit of guitar.

www.jackiegamber.com  

Jackie has been writing since she was a child, but graduated from secretive journals to actual stories with plot, character arc, and structure some ten years ago.  She favors speculative fiction for writing, but enjoys suspenseful mysteries for reading.  When not writing, she complains about not writing, or she wiles away her time practicing Mediterranean cooking, being affectionate toward her two teenagers, and fixing various broken household paraphernalia.

Jenny has always aspired to write, but was intimidated by the huge potential for failure until 2002 when she particitpated in National Novel Writing Month, a writing marathon specifically for people who want to write "one day." Since then she's participated five times and won three and in 2006 she became a regional organizer.

When she's not writing she's reading (Terry Pratchett, the Harry Potter series, Douglas Coupland, Neil Gaiman, Dave Barry), watching TV shows on DVD (Buffy, Firefly, Scrubs), scrapbooking, playing with LEGOs and occasionally blogging.

Her goal is to be the next big thing. Get a novel published. finish a story that's worth reading.

Kara Ferguson was born and raised in Memphis, TN by extremely liberal parents. She frequently thanks them for deciding not to name her Starshine. Kara lives with her husband and their pets and spends her free time watching zombie movies, and playing Warcraft. She will read anything she can get her hands on.

Unfortunately Kara doesn't actually have a lot of free time because she's pursuing a degree in art history at The University of Memphis, where she writes long boring papers about art. She recently achieved senior status and hopes to graduate sometime before she's thirty. Kara also works full time in the printing industry, and longs for the day when she can make it through an eight hour shift without a paper cut.

Kara's writing career began with angsty teenage poetry, followed by several unsuccessful attempts at National Novel Writing Month and various unfinished short stories. Kara recently finished her first short story, which her husband refused to finish reading because, "it was too depressing." It wasn't even about zombies.

My name is Karen, I go by the screen-name WriterGirl, and I'm 17. I've lived in Memphis my whole life and work at the mall when I'm not working on the Great Never-Ending American Novel. I've won NaNoWriMo three times, and am currently rewriting my first NaNoNovel, creatively titled "The Hitch-Hiker Thief." One of my New Years Resolutions is to finish it. Preferably this year.

When I'm not becoming the next Jane Austin (ha), I'm either watching too much television, spending too much time online, listening to music, watching movies or reading. I'm lucky enough to have my own laptop, named Baby, which has served me faithfully since August, despite a broken mousepad and the loss of its F6 key. I live with my parents, and also have an older sister (also a writer), two cats and a brother.

Who am I? A young man who enjoys the creative process of art. Art that manifests itself here in written word. So I strive here alongside others with a love and desire for storytelling to develop and hone this joy and hobby into an art. Other joys? The community in Binghampton and the relationships of friends and Christian family that make it home; Music of many diverse kinds, including those I enjoy playing as I toy around with guitar and piano; And the study of Taiji which has become a great source of relaxation and conditioning, and a means to experience more of an Asian culture that has always fascinated me. These are only a small sampling of a varied and overgrown category of interests that make life a joy and help inspire and shape the stories yet to be told. I've only recently began this adventure in earnest after a wonderful experience during Nanowrimo that introduced me to some wonderful individuals with whom I can experience, challenge and be challenged on this path to expression. People who have encouraged me to work at moving beyond my editing dark side and finish. Rough edges can then be polished to a delicate sheen, and the realms of the mind become a reality, a fantastic reality.

Mary, a/k/a Writergypsie, writes primarily non-fiction. She currently writes all of the educational and marketing materials for the National Center for Legal Nurse Consulting. She has also had numerous pieces published online at Piker Press. But to pay the bills, she is pretends to be a medical malpractice paralegal. She is the mother of two precocious teenagers and two equally precocious dogs.

www.freewebs.com/rhondaclark

Rhonda Clark is a freelance writer and novelist. Her sought after articles have been featured in many e-zines. She has won commendations for her short, faith-based articles from Faithwriters.com. Her short stories have been featured on a story time radio show on station WHBK. She is a graduate of Texas A & M University-Texarkana. She’s a wife and stay-at-home mother of two.

Rhonda's writing can be found in Faithwriters.com, Faith Cycle Ministries, Journey: Women of Passions Magazine, Haruah Magazine, Riders & Reapers Magazine, and Christian Online Magazine.