Midwest Writers Room

BIO : James is a New York City–born Puerto Rican writer now living just across the Mississippi in Winona, Minnesota. He was born with congenital cataracts and has never had sight in his left eye. At age nine, he lost much of his remaining sight in the right eye due to a racial assault. A decade later a medical breakthrough restored the sight to his right eye. Because of his experiences his memoir...

BIO: Michael holds a BA in English Literature and an MA and PhD in Communication Science, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Michael purchased Orange Hat from founder Shannon Ishizaki in 2024. Before that, he worked in academic research and evaluation positions at the University of Illinois and the Medical College of Wisconsin. When not running Orange Hat, Michael is also an adjunct pro...

BIO : Nora is a syndicate author for Thrill Ride eZine and The Butchered Writers. She is an editor for Baynam Books Press and also is a freelance narrator and editor. For the Sake of Brigid, her first novelette, came out on May 24, 2024, from Baynam Books Press, and her first short story collection, Cemetery Tacos on Wednesday and Other Delights, will be published in November of 2025 from JournalS...

BIO : Thomas Cannon was raised on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point. In 2021, he was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of Oshkosh. He has written an eclectic collection of books and has many poems and short stories published in journals. Thomas and his wife have raised three children and have three gran...

B I O: Wade Walker is the author of the Code Name: LoneWolf action-horror spy series, blending classic pulp, supernatural suspense, and action thrills. His novels—Bite of the Wolf, Operation Frankenstein, and the newest release, the short story special Night of the Pumpkin Man—mix monsters, espionage, and dark humor in the spirit of Ian Fleming, Hammer Horror, and 1960s Eurospy cinema. He is also...

BIO : Maxine Rosaler is the author of the novel-in-stories Queen for a Day (Delphinium Books, 2018), which was nominated for the Kirkus Prize. The Jewish Book Council selected it as one of ten recommended fiction books in 2021. Her work has appeared in Prairie Schooner, Tikkun, The Southern Review, Glimmer Train, Witness, Fifth Wednesday, and other literary journals. Her stories have been cited in...

BIO: Steve is the winner of the Rick Bass Montana Prize for Fiction, the Zona Gale Award for Short Fiction, The Great Midwest Writing Contest, the Jade Ring Award, the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters Fiction Contest, and the Midwestern Gothic Summer Flash Contest. His fiction has appeared in New Ohio Review, MQR, Whitefish Review , and others. His short-story collection, Sometime...

BIO: Scott Eveloff MD is a pulmonary physician with thirty years’ experience of treating seriously ill patients. He has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, ABC’s 20/20, and Inside Edition. His insider’s knowledge of the many ways to harm patients in today’s hospitals as there are to heal them prompted this debut novel. Dr. Eveloff is an exercise fanatic, but loves evenings out on the deck with a good whi...

BIO : Silvia Acevedo writes stories for kids and adults who want magic and mystery in their world. She stirred up monster hijinks in her latest title, MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS: CRASH COURSE. And she called up a Wisconsin ghost in the spooky anthology, THE HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA. Before that, she barely escaped the gods’ wrath in her mythological GOD AWFUL series. Silvia’s worked in New York publishi...

BIO: Roy Behrens is an Iowa-based writer, designer and artist, who taught for 46 years at art schools and universities throughout the country. The author of eight books, he is known for his writings about about art, design and camouflage, and for his illustrations, including the cover of Jerzy Kosinski’s The Painted Bird, and the short stories of Guy Davenport and other well-known writers. He was...

BIO:  Andrew Patrie teaches English language, literature, and creative writing in West Central Wisconsin where he lives with his family. He has self-published two previous collections of poems: Nights, Grace (2006) and Half-Life (2016). His work has appeared most recently in Barstow and Grand , Sky Island Journal , Twig , and on Wisconsin Public Radio. He is a contributor to Volume One magazine an...

BIO:  Joe is the author of the Youtopia technothriller series; the third installment, Youtopia Infinity , is scheduled for release this December. He is also author of Roads without Houses , a collection of short stories set in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He is currently a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, a health nut, and the father of four exhausting but rewa...

BIO: Rebecca grew up in Wisconsin, only leaving the state for two years to join the U.S. Peace Corps. Her debut novel, It’s Over or It’s Eden, is a first contact novel set in the Rocky Mountains. Her space opera series, The Displacement Duology, includes Dangerous to Heal and Negotiated Fate, and tells the story of a woman who has the ability to heal others and the intergalactic corporation that w...

BIO: Terri Blair is a non-fiction writer, artist, amateur genealogist, and business owner. She has over 40 years of psychic training, including studying at the Edgar Cayce Association for Enlightenment and Research (A.R.E.) and with other accomplished teachers of psychic studies and mediumship.  She has written feature articles for Psychic News Magazine in the UK, The Edge Magazine and posts artic...

BIO: Rodney grew up in Sheboygan County, inspired by comic artist Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, and painter James Bama’s Doc Savage covers. After seven years teaching middle school science in North Dakota, he launched a 22-year career in information technology while pursuing a parallel path in writing and publishing.   In 2009, he began reporting for The Random Lake Sounder, later join...

BIO : Erica is the founder and CEO of Lake Literary Center, a literary arts hub in Fond du Lac offering writing workshops, book clubs, author readings, literary events, and open mics, plus more programming coming soon. She holds an MFA in creative writing (fiction) from Antioch University Los Angeles and a bachelor's degree in journalism & mass communication from the University of Wiscons...

BIO : Described by MKE Lifestyle magazine as “Indiana Jones with a camera,” Jeannée Sacken is a photojournalist who travels to the ends of the earth, documenting the lives of women and children. She also photographs wildlife and is deeply committed to the conservation of endangered species. Jeannee has fictionalized many of her experiences while on assignment in her multiple award-winning Annie Ha...

BIO: DJ Slater is a Milwaukee native with a love for sharing stories. He wrote his first in third grade followed by several more during his school years, mostly about dinosaurs and an ambitious detective. His passion for writing took him on an appropriate career path – journalism, magazines and marketing. He has a BA in Journalism and History from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. When not w...

BIO: Originally from Michigan, Michael MacBride now calls Minnesota home. He has delivered newspapers, worked for UPS, delivered pizzas, worked collections at a bank, was a roadie for a country band, was a grant-writer and funder-researcher for non-profits, taught English, Literature, and Humanities courses at universities and colleges in the Midwest, and held a few other jobs in between. Now, he...

BIO: A six-generation farmer, Corey Geiger is the author of two award-winning books - On A Wisconsin Family Farm and The Wisconsin Farm They Built - that have won four national writing awards and sold copies in all 50 U.S. states. A unique and adventurous individual, Corey and his wife Krista have won their division as an amateur couple at the Fred Astaire National Finals and appeared on Family Fe...

BIO: James is a Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin author of contemporary fiction.  James began his career in television production and moved on to all forms of marketing and advertising, always with a writing and creative focus. He also avidly pursued music.  Between 2003 and 2007, he and his wife left careers, sold their home, and focused on music, performing across Wisconsin. During this time, James wro...

BIO: Katie Venit is a children’s author who writes children’s books filled with wonder, humor, and a deep respect for the emotional power of language. Her titles include USA Today bestselling picture book FORTS, and CASSINI’S MISSION: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth. Her nonfiction essays have appeared in Literary Mama and Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin Life. Wh...

BIO: Agnes Patenaude, writing as Olivia Karimi Jones, is a Kenyan-American author, psychiatric nurse, and passionate advocate for resilience and healing. Her powerful debut memoir, *Scarred, But Not Broken*, chronicles her extraordinary journey from poverty and trauma to education, motherhood, and personal restoration. Olivia writes with unflinching honesty, weaving emotional depth with cultural i...

BIO: Janis M. Falk, in her first act, raised her family, pursued a business career, and lived large and wide—and now she has something to write about. She is a graduate of both University of Michigan and Northwestern University. Now in her second act, she can often be found kayaking the Great Lakes or pruning lavender plants on her organic farm. Janis was born in Detroit, then took a multiyear tou...

BIO: With a background in Special Education, Lorisa Wiedenheft is now pursuing her dream career of being a children’s author. She has two poetry collections, Love Complications and Reflections , and her poetry has been featured in Creative Wisconsin, Bramble, and Remington Review .  Lorisa enjoys matcha lattes, supporting the Milwaukee Bucks, and going to the beach. When not writing, she’s either...