writer biographies joddy murray graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, where he received the Academy of American Poets College Prize, and then went on to get his Master's in Education from the University of Oklahoma. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, Joddy now lives in Austin, Texas. He teaches English at Southwest Texas State University. He willingly explores the personae of other voices, other times, other lives. He has an unusual sensitivity, a poet's verbal skill, and a naturalist's sense of the environment. mary hanna has been working hard for the past three years at fiction, taking two summer classes in writing at Oxford and submitting stories to professional creative writers for critiquing. She trusts that she has learned something. penny cagan was born in Trenton, New Jersey. She earned a MBA in Creative Writing from NYU in '83, a Master of Library Science degree from Rutger's University in 1985, and her undergrad degree from the University of Rochester. She also spent a year abroad in England. She is employed as a Reference Librarian, and Adjunct Professor of Library Studies in New York City. Poetry has always played an important role in her life. tim applegate owns and operates a furniture restoration company in western Oregon, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. louise till is active in Tucson, Arizona in an ongoing writer's group as well as a monthly reading series. She currently teaches third grade in a public school. erich vogel 's poems have appeared in numerous literary journals in Europe and North America. He has also published under the pseudonym Erica Vogel in Aierlings and Encodings. He has written and directed a small number of films, including the dramatic feature Reflected. He currently works in the mental health field and is studying for his Doctorate in Psychology. ellen lindquist has two master's degrees, one in journalism, and the other in education. cynthia warryn leffner sees herself as an artist, who utilizes language and visual images to convey what she sees as an involuntary, inherent response to the world around her. Always seized by intense emotion and attracted to strong, vibrant color, she began to use her own life experiences as a way of making the human condition tangible and accessible, and thereby, hopefully universal. jason hughes is a senior at UNC Charlotte majoring in English, and minoring in journalism. A long-time Sanskrit fan and UNCC Student Media Player, he overcame his lingering pubescent fears of rejection, submitted, and was able to get his first work published in this issue. He is hedging all future productivity in poetry and life in general, on the sustenance of diet cola and half dollar bags of jelly beans. That, afterall, is what has kept him going thus far. miriam jones lives, writes and works in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She is currently studying to become a high school teacher. melissa vincent lives in Concord, NC with her two children, and is a post-baccalaureate student at UNC Charlotte. She currently works in a coffee shop where she reads surreptitiously and writes poems on the backs of napkins. randall garrison has been a writer of poetry, short stories, and novels for over three decades. He is an award-winning commercial writer and retired partner in a marketing company with blue chip clients such as General Motors, Lear Corporation, and Cadillac. misty lynch obtained her Bachelor's of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish at UNC Charlotte, however, she has recently returned to school to pursue her lifelong passion of creative writing. She labels the general theme of her poetry as "voyeuristic southern belle gone mad". ellen doyle , OSU, is a member of the Ursuling Sisters of Brown County, Ohio, the oldest of eight terrific siblings and aunt of twenty-two inspiring nieces and nephews. She has just completed a sabbatical year after eleven years as a college president and is readjusting to the busy world of work in Cincinnati, Ohio. brad mchugh is a third year Architecture major at UNC Charlotte and hates anchovies. The inspiration from life lets him enjoy bungee-jumping, although he never has. However, he finds comfort in global warming, psychic friends, and everything else corrupt about this country. He likes long walks on the beach, and non-conformity. He'll always cherish the time he wrestled a bear by himself. On the serious tip, he credits his strengths to his parents' guidance and intelligence, and insight to what his younger siblings teach him every day. sarah pearsall is currently a senior at UNC Charlotte double majoring in English and Philosophy. Her hobbies include breaking noses in the weekly rugby games, and serving "pink" ribs to unsuspecting customers. She is now working her butt off to graduate in May of 1999 through a rigorous, yet not-what-she-wants-to-do internship.