Creative Non-Fiction

Michele Grace Lessirard

“I want to go HOME”, soul loss and mending the fragmented self. There’s the forgetting and then the remembering. Both are necessary. Both contribute to your Genius.

Entering that dark night of the soul in my early 30's remembering, as a baby, crying “I want to go HOME.”  Remembered the childhood Near Death Experience (NDEr) at age three; of going over to the other side and sitting with Jesus while the SA happened rocked my world. Everything shifted. Opened up. At that point a very practical Michele stepped aside for the new me- Michele Grace- to be born.

Kay Harris

I loved Tallahassee from the day I arrived as a freshman in 1966. I have a Bachelors in Music Education and a Masters in Public Policy with a specialty in Data Management and Research. My career as a systems analysis and program analyst for the State of Florida spanned 32.5 years, and I have been in business nearly 20 years as a real estate investor and social media marketing coordinator, but my teenage dream was to become a writer.

Andrew Miller

Before retiring, Andrew Miller worked as a research biologist for the US Army Engineer R&D Center, then taught biology at Thomas University in Thomasville, GA. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Front Porch Review, Blue Lake Review, The Meadow, The River, Northern New England Review, Pithead Chapel, Maine Homes, The Evergreen Review, Toastmasters Magazine, and Fatherly.

Michelle Roberts

Catherine Maddox

After spending 25 years writing for corporate and political purposes I am now ready to utilize my writing degree for stories I enjoy reading and writing.  I enjoy most genres with romance and non-fiction tied for first. 

Steffan Oxenrider

Steffan writes inspired fiction and non-fiction within multiple formats: novel, screenplay, poetry, short story, and essays. He’s currently based out of Georgia. His themes include cultural pursuits and how diverse groups interact, spirituality & faith, the paranormal, mysticism, self-discovery, and even hints of "magical realism" among others. He enjoys exploring the unknown and stresses in his writings via colorful characters and settings that there are possibilities beyond what we envision on the surface of our everyday lives.

Leigh Watson Healy

Leigh Watson Healy has written and spoken extensively about outlook and trends as a publishing and media industry consultant. Her 20 years of experience writing fact-based nonfiction shines through Leigh’s personal essays on the importance we place on family and our legacies. Leigh has spent the last three years writing memoir and, most recently, scriptwriting for documentary films about local history. She serves on the Gadsden Arts Center and Museum board and enthusiastically supports art and cultural organizations in the community. Leigh graduated from Emory University with a B.A.

D J Buchanan

   I grew up as an animal lover and bookworm with an artistic bent. As a child I was always conjuring up stories in my head, and even consigned some of them to paper, but I "outgrew" that. I graduated from FSU with degrees in Psychology and Biology, married, raised a son, and engaged in a banking career. My husband, David, supported and encouraged me in all my interests, which includes rescuing homeless pets, painting with oils, and various creative arts and crafts.

Pat Stanford

Pat Stanford was born in Philadelphia. Her farming family moved to Delray Beach, Florida when she was one, looking for year-round growing seasons. She lived there until a brief stint in the Air Force took her to California.

She graduated Florida State University with a B.S.in Secondary Education, which was never used for its intended purpose. She won second place in the 2004 Seven Hills Contest with her short story, Divorce Sale.