Contributor Bios – August 2022
Ram Brisueno is a Baltimore-based collagist using acrylics and found and decorative paper torn and manipulated to navigate story, myth, and the human experience with color, shape and form. A graduate of UMBC, his work is imbued with a poetic sensibility that aligned wonderfully with this project. Ram continues to create and has shown work in shows, galleries, museums, and private collections.
Efren Laya Cruzada is a poet and professional writer who grew up in a small town in Texas and studied literature and creative writing at New York University. He is the author of Grand Flood: a poem. His poetry has been published in Star*Line, Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, Poetry Pacific, The West 4th Street Review, and others. He is currently working on a collection of poems that draws inspiration from the landscapes, cityscapes, and artworks where he has lived, worked, and traveled. For years, he lived abroad as a teacher and freelance writer. He currently lives in Austin, Texas. He was born in the Philippines.
Candace Dodson-Reed is a mom, community advocate, and higher education professional. She is involved in a variety of professional, political and personal efforts that are often intertwined, but stand alone on their own merits. She can be reached at cdodreed@gmail.com. Find her on Instagram at @cdrsview.
Gracjan A. Soren-Bjorn Kraszewski is author of a novel entitled The Holdout (Adelaide Books, 2018) and a Civil War history Catholic Confederates (Kent State Univ. Press, 2020). Thermonuclear Mirth, a novel, is under contract and forthcoming with Arouca Press. Selected fiction has appeared in Amsterdam Quarterly, Riddle Fence, Nashwaak Review, Wilderness House Literary Review, Eclectica Magazine, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, New English Review, The Southern Distinctive, PILGRIM, Bull: Men’s Fiction, Black Bear Review, Adelaide Literary Magazine, The MacGuffin, and The Scriberlus. Selected articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in The Catholic Historical Review, The Polish Review, the Journal of Southern History, the Journal of Southern Religion, and Idaho Magazine. Gracjan played baseball in college, professionally in Europe in the Czech Republic and Belgium, and competed for the Polish National team. Holder of a Ph.D. in history, Gracjan is fluent in English, Polish and French with ability in Russian, Italian and Spanish.
Eleanor Lewis is a writer and artist living in Baltimore. Her poetry has been published in Poet Lore, Maryland Poetry Review, The Light Ekphrastic, and other publications.
Meredith Purvis is a writer, artist, and a traveler. Her heart and her writing are happiest when she’s exploring. Find her on Instagram at @updownbindery.
