Midwest Writers Room

BIO: Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Joan Elizabeth Bauer lives with her husband Paul in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they have raised three children. Joan holds a master’s degree in English from Marquette University and has worked as a trust officer in a bank. Her short fiction and book reviews have appeared in various journals, including Dappled Things, The Windhover , and Last Syllable. “Consig...

BIO: Mike is a Wisconsin native, first time author and 2 time father. He worked in film and television for thirty plus years, some credits include, Fight Club, Meet Joe Black, Monk, and a bunch of Warner Brothers cartoons. He spends time in Door County in the summers, and Lambeau field in the winters. Mike most recently was a consulting producer on the new CNN original, Breaking Bread. The Univers...

BIO: Christopher is a life-long horror junkie, an award-winning filmmaker, and a frequently published writer of horror-themed fiction and non-fiction. A member of the Horror Writers Association and the Wisconsin Writers Association, Christopher recently received the Wisconsin Backbone of Horror Award for “crafting amazing horror experiences” and “supporting Wisconsin horror.” His two feature films...

BIO: Once upon a time, Amanda was an avid gymnast. Today, she’s a writer, educator, and content creator. A former teacher turned full-time authorpreneur, Amanda is the founder of The Word Nerd Collaborative, a membership that supports middle school ELA teachers with engaging resources and classroom strategies. She also shares literacy tips, reading recommendations and bookish fun on her YouTube ch...

BIO: Tricia Quinnies writes contemporary romances/women’s fiction under the pen name Audrey Lynden. Living in Wisconsin, she’s inspired by her home state’s charming small towns, celebrity residents and the beautiful beaches along Lake Michigan. Because of the many interesting histories and quirky traditions happening all around Wisconsin, her contemporary romances will make you laugh, cry and chee...

Bio:  After earning Bachelor and Master’s degrees, Mary Ann Noe spent 29 years in Waukesha classrooms, first teaching 7th grade language arts and social studies, followed by high school English and psychology.  Upon retirement, she joined a writing workshop where she reinvented herself as an author.  Mary Ann publishes novels through Black Rose Writing.  Her non-fiction essays and poetry are in nu...

BIO: Lisa is the owner of Books & Company in Oconomowoc.  She has been a bookseller since 1992 at bookstores in New Mexico, Kansas, and Iowa before she moved to Oconomowoc in 2007 to purchase Books & Company.  She served on the Board for the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and on the American Booksellers Association’s Booksellers Advisory Board.  Lisa grew up in New Mexico in a...

BIO: A longtime Madison newspaper features writer, Tom Alesia wrote one of 2022’s bestselling baseball books, Beauty at Short: Dave Bancroft, the Most Unlikely Hall of Famer and His Wild Times in Baseball’s First Century , described by Wisconsin Public Radio host Larry Meiller as “such a fun book – I really loved this.” The Des Moines Register added, “Alesia does more than offer statistics; he bri...

BIO: A Milwaukee native, Ken graduated Ripon College and was later selected for the inaugural American Film Institute’s Writer/Director Program. He wrote/directed the Warner Brothers film, “Howzer,” has written teleplays/episodic television, and produced On-Air promotions for CBS-TV.  Ken’s feature film “Road Goddess” is under option; his novel “The Sun Jumpers” is optioned by G7 Animation. He wro...

BIO: Tamara Dean has been camping, fishing, hiking, and gathering wild foods from an early age, led and inspired by her parents. She writes fiction and nonfiction and teaches creative writing. Her essays and stories have appeared in The American Scholar , The Georgia Review , the Guardian , One Story , Orion , The Progressive , and elsewhere. She’s also the author of The Human-Powered Home: Choosi...

BIO: Felicia is a literary fiction and creative memoir writer and published poet with her debut book AWAKE: Poetry for the Healing. Her work has also appeared in magazines, newspapers, calendars, blogs and multi-authored books. Felicia lives as a nomad in a house on wheels with her three fur babies and partner Vinny. Follow her writing and traveling adventures at FeliciaClarkAuthor.com. SYNOPSIS:...

BIO: To honor the just concluded National Poetry Month, today we are interviewing Brenda Cárdenas, Wisconsin’s newest poet laureate. Brenda has authored Trace (Red Hen Press, 2023), winner of the 2023 Society of Midland Authors Award for Poetry and silver winner of Foreword Review’s Indie Poetry Prize; Boomerang (Bilingual Press); and three chapbooks. Her poems and essays have also appeared in man...

BIO: Evelyn Ann Casey writes stories filled with grace and gumption. A love of language and storytelling grew from her Chicago roots in a multi-ethnic neighborhood filled with Irish brogues and pubs, Sicilian music and cannoli, and the Yiddish banter of delis.  Evelyn’s poetry, essays and flash fiction are published in Midwest Review, Medium.com, Potato Soup Journal and elsewhere. She worked in go...

BIO: Kevin holds a BA in journalism and an MBA from Marquette University.  He’s worked as the outdoor writer for a daily newspaper, taught at the undergraduate and graduate level, and served as the president of an urban safety net hospital and a mental health emergency center.  A Wisconsin native, The Killers’ Terms is his third novel set in the state.  He’s recently been a guest on WTMJ4’s Mornin...

BIO: Kristin is the author of two award-winning suspense thrillers, Carpe Diem, Illinois and God on Mayhem Street , and the young adult dystopian Devil Particle Series. She teaches writing workshops, has critiqued manuscripts through the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies, and has helped writers hone their agent pitches at the Division’s Writers’ Institute. As a past Chicago Writers Associa...

BIO: Denise Forsythe found writing success with several mystery, horror, and science fiction short stories published in Mystery Magazine, Kings River Life, and Blood Moon Rising as well as several anthologies, including Determined Hearts: A Frankenstein Anthology; Black Buttons Vol. 3: A Family Affair; Buried; Murder of Crows; WhoDunit!; A Warm Mug of Cozy Vol 1 & 2; and Portal: The Inner Circ...

BIO: Ruth is a dedicated professional, holding a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in library science. Her experience spans various roles in the literary and library fields, including positions at a daily newspaper and a small press. Currently, she serves as the managing librarian at the Oshkosh Public Library, where she plays a key role in promoting literacy and communi...

BIO: Dave grew up on a dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin, and went on to earn a degree in journalism at UW-Eau Claire. He worked at the Rice Lake (WI) newspaper for more than 40 years as sports/outdoors editor, earning 20 first-place awards in the Wisconsin Newspaper Assn. for writing and photography. In retirement, Dave continues to write an outdoors blog, and an outdoors column for three norther...

BIO: Larissa is a fantasy romance who recently released her debut, A Realm of Lies and Power. When she isn’t in the trenches of being a mom, she can be found in the library–dreaming up new realms and brooding-anti heroes. She wouldn’t give a second thought to striking a deal with a faerie king if the chance presented itself.  SYNOPSIS: "I only killed in one of two ways. By the High Lord’s com...

BIO: Steven W. Strackbein began writing in his early thirties, during his military training amid the final days of the Iraq War. That time marked the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of storytelling, one that’s driven by a deep interest in human nature. Over the years, he earned degrees in Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, and an MBA—each one providing insights into the complexities of people a...

BIO:  Frank S Joseph's award-winning “Chicago Trilogy” novels -- TO DO JUSTICE, TO WALK HUMBLY and TO LOVE MERCY -- tell a story of lives forever changed by racial turmoil that marked and marred Chicago at mid century, a great city going up in flames. Frank lived it. As an Associated Press correspondent, he covered the ’60s riots that wracked Chicago’s inner city; the '67 Detroit riot, w...

BIO: Born in 1981, at the hospital in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, Sara Hefty (she/her) grew up on a family farm near Pine City, Minnesota, studied at multiple colleges and universities in the Midwest, and later established a home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with her husband Brian. They have two dogs, Bexley Joy and Freyja Sunshine, together known as The Golden Girls. RINGING THE BELLS: SHE’S RECOLLECTING...

BIO: Trotta released his first cheese-based children's book in 2016 titled “Florida Cheese” then his second children's book “Wisconsin Cheese” in 2017, and his third book “California Cheese” in 2019, before unveiling “Minnesota Cheese” in 2025 (after a long Covid break). Trotta, who grew up in Waunakee where his father Dick served as a hall of fame high school football coach, played foot...

BIO: Writing under the pen name J. Ellis Blaise (blaze), James Salimes has served as Chaplain, Pastor, and Spiritual Counselor for two decades. At an early age, he descended into dungeons with pen and paper in hand. Enchanted by spells and sipping bitter tea warmed by dragon fire, he wrote tales of magical places. The Fullness of Time began as a bedtime story for his children. His wife, a creative...

BIO: Kelly is a children’s book author from the Fox Valley of Wisconsin, who has had a keen interest in true animal stories from the time she was a little girl.  She credits her years working as a preschool director, then public library marketing coordinator,  for helping her recognize the book themes and subject matter that most captivate young readers’ attention. She lives with her family, which...