https://www.ericbodwell.com/

https://www.nvspokenword.org/ 

Joseph Asphahani is an avid video gamer, effective high school teacher, and enthusiastic candidate for whatever sort of cybernetic limb enhancement your megacorp is planning for the inexorable dystopian future. When he’s not getting hopelessly lost in simulated worlds, he’s often dreaming up worlds of his own. The world of The Animal in Man is his first and favorite, and Violent Mind is his first novel. He resides in Chicago with his wife and two children. 

A lover of stories, poetry, and lyrics since she can remember, Ms. Porada has long benefited from the powerful connection between language and processing the world around her. It wasn't until her introduction to Spoken Word Poetry in 2013, however, that she discovered a community whose bravery and vulnerability empowered her to take the stage and no longer remain a secret-poet with an audience of one. Since then, she has been involved with the Spoken Word Poetry scene in a multitude of ways: attending open mics and workshops around the city, coaching performance poetry, and judging Young Chicago Authors youth poetry slams. Ms. Porada hopes to help young people tell their stories through verse--for themselves or to connect with the world. 

On the Web: Mr. O'Neill

Megan has been teaching high school ELA for 15 years. Her passion for words started as a love for lyrics in high school and blossomed into a love for literature shortly thereafter. To her, writing is power, freedom, therapy, and life.