Ben Clark grew up in rural Nebraska and now lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has worked as an English teacher, librarian, tile maker, track coach, and in a microwaveable popcorn factory. He is an assistant editor for Muzzle Magazine, and recently graduated with an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His first full-length collection of poetry, Reasons To Leave The Slaughter, was released by Write Bloody Publishing in 2011. He recently finished a collaborative manuscript with Colin Winnette entitled Kate Jury Denton Texas.

Stevie Edwards spent her formative years in the Midwest but currently resides in Ithaca, NY. Edwards is an MFA-poetry candidate at Cornell University, where she splits her time between teaching writing and contemporary literature to undergrads, taking graduate courses, trying to write, and watching terrible reality television on Hulu. 

Her first book, Good Grief, was published in April 2012 by Write Bloody Publishing. In August 2013, Tired Hearts Press will release her latest chapbook, Atomic Girl. Her poems are published and forthcoming in Verse Daily, Rattle, Devil’s Lake, PANK, Indiana Review, Southern Indiana Review, Vinyl Poetry, and Aim for the Head: An Anthology of Zombie Poetry.

She is the Editor-in-Chief of Muzzle Magazine and an Editor of 4th & Verse Books. When Edwards gets a spare minute from academia and editing, she can often be found giving readings in cities throughout the US or hibernating.

Josh Gaines is an award winning photographer, random word capitalizer, road trip addict, separated Air Force Capt. and MFA/Writing graduate of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. He is the founder and fearless leader of Thoughtcrime Press.

His first book, Cigarette Sonatas, was published by Thoughtcrime Press in 2013. He is currently working on his second book of poems that will likely not be entitled Big City and an amazing new novel whose title... is a secret.

Josh lives with his wife Anna, and his three-year-old daughter, Ella Lorien Gaines, who appreciates the nuances of repetition.

Josh can be contacted at josh@thoughtcrimepress.com