Sam J. Miller is a writer and a community organizer. His short stories and essays have appeared in literary journals such as The Minnesota Review, Fiction International, Fourteen Hills, Permafrost, and Monkeybicycle. He has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize. At his day job, Sam has organized homeless people to successfully fight for changes to New York City and state housing policy. He also coordinated the writing of a major housing report that has been made required reading in urban planning courses at Columbia University—and has been banned in New York State prisons. For more infomation on Sam, e-mail him or visit his website.

Silvia Morales grew up in the Bronx, the daughter of an artist who taught her to love the arts. She has long been a supporter and defender of arts programs in New York City public schools, having spent over ten years teaching high school English and Spanish. Teaching allowed her to encourage an appreciation of art and literature in countless students, an appreciation which she has also passed on to her two daughters. She currently teaches composition as an instructor in the City University of New York.

Helen Dano is author of the Hawaiian childrens' book, The Little Makana (Bess Press, Honolulu). She was born in Hawaii and grew up in Kalihi, a western suburb of Honolulu, and then moved further west to what was then the sugarcane town of Waipahu, the subject of her work-in-progress, 'Aina: Waipahu, a narrative poem. Poet Jeanne Beaumont has been her teacher at the 92nd Street Y for the last two years. She is currently studying poetry with filmaker/poet Michelle Valladares and poet David Groff at City College of the City University of New York.