Alysse Kathleen McCanna

Alysse Kathleen McCanna is the author of FishWife (Black Lawrence Press), winner of the 2025 Colorado Book Award. Her poetry has appeared in North American Review, The Rumpus, Poet Lore, TriQuarterly, and other journals. Alysse holds a PhD in English from Oklahoma State University, an MFA from Bennington College, and is an Associate Professor of English at Colorado Mountain College in the Vail Valley.

Juan J. Morales

Juan J. Morales is the son of an Ecuadorian mother and Puerto Rican father and the author of four poetry collections, including Dream of the Bird Tattoo and The Handyman’s Guide to End Times. Morales has received fellowships from CantoMundo, Macondo, Longleaf Writers Conference, and has served as the editor/publisher of Pilgrimage Press. He lives in Pueblo, Colorado, occasionally teaches for Lighthouse Writers in Denver, and is an Assistant Professor of English at Colorado College.

Ty Bannerman

Ty Bannerman is a non-fiction writer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of Nuclear Family: a Memoir of the Atomic Age, a founding member of the Dirt City writer’s collective, an MFA graduate from the University of New Mexico, and the former food and features editor for the Weekly Alibi. He currently writes and edits for the Nob Hill News. His essay “The Exhibition” was published in the Midway Journal and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.