A Quilt of Holidays Authors

 
Marie Asner is an entertainment reviewer, poet, freelance writer and workshop presenter with over 5500 bylines. She has been a regular radio guest in the Midwest as a film critic. Marie is also a church musician, recipient of a writing grant for an Amelia Earhart poetry project and current Kansas Senior Poet Laureate.
Carol Ayer’s poetry has been published by Poetry Quarterly, Poesia, Every Day Poets, and in previous Silver Boomer Books. Her other credits include Woman’s World, The Christian Science Monitor, and several Chicken Soup for the Soul volumes. Carol lives in Northern California and works as a freelance writer. Visit her website at www.carolayer.com.
Debra Ayers Brown is a writer, humorist, blogger, magazine columnist, and award-winning marketing professional. Enjoy her stories in Guideposts; Woman’s World; Liberty Life Magazine; Chicken Soup for the Soul; Chocolate for Women; Not Your Mother’s Book, and more. She is a University of Georgia honor graduate with her MBA from The Citadel. Debra, “proud momma” of daughter Meredith, lives near Savannah, Georgia, with her husband Allen and mother Sara. Visit her at http://DebraAyers Brown.com.
Cathy Bryant’s held many jobs, including civil servant, life model and nanny, before becoming a writer. Now her poems and stories have been published all over the world in magazines and anthologies. In 2009 Cathy was runner-up in the Woman & Home fiction prize; in 2010 she won the Marple Humourous Poetry Prize; in 2011 she was runner-up in several writing contests; and in 2012 she won the Swanezine Poetry Competition. Cathy co-edits Best of Manchester Poets and her collection Contains Strong Language and Scenes of a Sexual Nature came out in 2010. She lives in Manchester, United Kingdom. cathy@cathybryant.co.uk.
Janelle Burch lives in Southeast Missouri and is a member and past president of the Heartland Writers Guild. She has placed in contests for a children’s story and photography. She is a teacher and educational supervisor in the field of severe disabilities and enjoys writing short stories relevant to life in small towns, articles on the subject of genealogy and children’s stories.
Pat Butler grew up on Long Island, New York, where holidays revolved around beaches, boats and clam shacks. Leaving the island as a young adult, Pat opted for city living in New England and France, traveling widely while rediscovering her roots through other cultures. Currently residing near Atlanta, Georgia, Pat is exploring Southern culture and literature, while continuing to write, travel and enjoy any activity near the ocean. Previous publication credits include Fresh Boiled Peanuts, Rhythm & Rhyme 6, Ruminate, and online magazines. Her first poetry chapbook, Poems from the Boatyard, was published by Finishing Line Press (www.finishing linepress.com) in 2011. Blog: poemsfromtheboatyard.blogspot.com.
Judy Callarman lives in Cisco, Texas. She is a retired professor of creative writing and English at Cisco College and chair of the Fine Arts Division. Her poems and nonfiction have won contests and been published in Silver Boomer Books’ This Path and From the Porch Swing; Radix; Passager; Grandmother Earth; and Patchwork Path – Christmas Stocking.
Loretta Carter lives in a community called Hanging Dog in Murphy, North Carolina. She is married with three grown daughters and five grandchildren. She is retired from a local hospital where she worked in the business office for close to twenty-five years. She is a new writer but has been interested in writing since her high school days.
Mary Chandler is a prolific writer whose work has appeared in many magazines, journals, zines, newspapers, anthologies, and on the Internet. A retired teacher and avid reader, she also enjoys travel, meeting new people, and visiting with family and friends. Mary lives in Reno, Nevada. She and her husband are parents to three wonderful children and five fabulous grandkids!
Madonna Dries Christensen lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband, Gary Christensen. Three times nominated for the Pushcart Prize and recipient of other writing awards, Madonna is Editor/Publisher of Doorways magazine; a columnist for Extra Innings, and Contributing Editor to Yesterday’s Magazette and Writer’s Magazette. Her published books are Swinging Sisters; Masquerade: The Swindler Who Conned J. Edgar Hoover; The Quiet Warrior; Dolls Remembered; and Toys Remembered. A collection of her memoirs, In Her Shoes: Step by Step, was published in 2012. All books are available through Amazon and other major bookstores. Royalties go to chosen organizations. Website: www.madonnadrieschristensen.com.
Beth Lynn Clegg, Houston, Texas, is an octogenarian who began her writing career after retiring from other endeavors. She has been published in a variety of genres, and also enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, and church activities. Her favorite activity is spending time with family, friends, and two spoiled cats.
R. Vern Cowles was a native Nebraskan who recently retired as Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters. He held dual Masters degrees in Economics (Doane College) and Theology (Washington University) and was published in religious and education magazines, including The Episcopal News and Reading Improve­ment, and in the holiday anthology, Thanksgiving to Christmas: A Patchwork of Stories.
Kerry Alan Denney has been writing short stories, novels and songs, and playing guitar and trumpet since before he was old enough to shave. He has independently released three “project” CDs full of evocative melodies and provocative six-string shred­dage, and is the First Place Winner of the Atlanta Writers Club Fall 2009 Poetry Contest. Although he believes but cannot prove that the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are sinister fabrications of a vast capitalist conspiracy, he still fervently believes in Santa Claus. His author’s website is www.kerrydenney.com.
Terri Elders, LCSW, lives near Colville, Washington. She’s a frequent contributor to anthologies, with over fifty pieces of creative nonfiction appearing in books such as Chicken Soup for the Soul, Thin Threads and God Makes Lemonade. She currently is a co-creator and editor for Publishing Syndicate’s new anthology series, Not Your Mother’s Book. A public member of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission, Terri received UCLA’s 2006 Alumni Award for Community Service for her work with Peace Corps. She’s lived in Belize, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Seychelles. She blogs at atouchoftarragon.blogspot.com.
Joanne Faries, originally from the Philadelphia area, lives in Texas with her husband Ray. Published in Doorknobs & Bodypaint, she also has poems in Magnapoets and Silver Boomer Books anthologies. Joanne is the film critic for The Little Paper of San Saba. Look for her humorous memoir My Zoo World: If All Dogs Go to Heaven, Then I’m in Trouble on Amazon. Wordsplash-joannefaries.blogspot.com.
Marilyn E. Freeman lives in Florida. She has two daughters, ten wonderful grandchildren and one adorable great-grandson. She is the author of two children’s books, Summer Adventures With Grandma and Pasquale’s Journey. She has been published in several magazines. Her anthology work has been published by Blooming Tree Press, Patchwork Path, Write Integrity Press, and a story in Hurray God, Hope Pray Believe.
Cynthia Gallaher is the author of three published collections of poetry and is on Chicago Public Library’s list of “Top Ten Requested Chicago Poets.” She teaches online journal writing classes through the University of Illinois at Chicago Writers Series, and leads creative writing workshops at libraries, centers and park districts. Gallaher’s holiday poems are part of a larger manuscript called Holiday Palooza. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ swimmerpoet.
Jeannette Clift George is the founder/artistic director of the A.D. Players, the Houston-based Christian Theater Company. Jeannette is equally well known as author, playwright, Bible teacher, national speaker and star of the movie The Hiding Place.
Ginny Greene wrote newspaper features, became a columnist, and edited several newsletters before settling beside a river in Idaho. She is a past president of Abilene Writers Guild, and one of the original four partners of Silver Boomer Books. She is an avid fan of words and continues as a freelance writer and editor.Ginny’s book Song of County Roads was published by Silver Boomer Books in 2009. She is working to complete two more volumes of nonfiction, pleading daily with her computer to cooperate.
Becky Haigler is a founding partner in Silver Boomer Books and author of the short story collection Not so GRIMM: gentle fables and cautionary tales. Retired from teaching Spanish in Texas public schools, Becky follows her husband Dave wherever his work takes him. She is a mother and grandmother and dabbler in arts and crafts of various kinds, though she prefers the term “Renaissance woman.”
Dixon Hearne’s work has been twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. His recent book, Plantatia: High-toned and Lowdown Stories of the South, received the Creative Spirit-Platinum award for Best Fiction Book. Other work appears in Mature Living, Louisiana Literature, Cream City Review, Wisconsin Review, and numerous other magazines, journals, and anthologies. His work also appears in two previous Silver Boomer Books anthologies: Flashlight Memories and From the Porch Swing.
Elizabeth Howard lives in Crossville, Tennessee. She writes both poetry and fiction. Her stories have been published in Xavier Review, Elixir, Appalachian Heritage, The Distillery, Wind, Muscadine Lines, Still, and other journals.
Janet Klise is a retired writer-editor-photographer, having fulfilled these duties for more than 40 years for high school, college, university, and federal government publications. After so many years of loving to read, write and edit, she finds she cannot leave the reading and writing alone. She limits editing to her own writing and to Letters to the Editor. Janet was born in Monroe, Louisiana, but has lived in California since the age of four. She now resides with her husband Tim and cats, Callie, Cairo and Alice, in Clovis, California.
Nancy Julien Kopp grew up in Chicago but has lived in the Flint Hills of Kansas for many years. She and her retired husband enjoy traveling and attending Kansas State University sports events and family gatherings. Although she started writing late in life, Nancy has been published in twelve Chicken Soup for the Soul books, several other anthologies, including Flashlight Memories at Silver Boomer Books, ezines, newspapers and magazines. She is an occasional poet. Once a classroom teacher, she now teaches through the written word. Visit her blog at www.writergrannysworld. blogspot.com.
MaryEllen Letarte, wife, mother, and grandmother, writes stories and poems while sitting at a cluttered desk in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, USA. She is founder and director of the Louise Bogan Chapter of the Massachusetts State Poetry Society. Her poems and stories have appeared online and in national publi­cations, including Silver Boomer Books. Visit versealive.wordpress.com and www.louisebogan.com.
Carrie McClure is an actor and woman of many talents who savors life one day at a time with her cat, Rosie. Now a resident of St. Louis, she won critics’ awards for her acting while living in Dallas. Her poetry has appeared in the Silver Boomer Books anthology From the Porch Swing.
Kyle McLoflin is a southern poet by nature and dairy farmer by circumstance. His roots run six generations deep in the Louisiana delta. Legend has that his forebears blew into New Orleans on the tail winds of a hurricane in 1817. He spends his leisure time crafting poems and rifling through genealogical records for evidence of connections to royalty. Thus far, his closest connections are two regal pups, Duke and Countess.
Carole Ann Moleti’s memoir, Someday I’m Going To Write a Book: Diary of an Urban Missionary, chronicles her experiences as a public health nurse in the inner city. Excerpts have appeared in This Path, Thanksgiving to Christmas: A Patchwork of Stories and Oasis Journal, which awarded Carole its prize for Best Nonfiction in 2009.
Wilda Morris is Workshop Chair of Poets & Patrons of Chicago and former President of the Illinois State Poetry Society. She has won numerous awards, including a Pushcart nomination. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies and journals (both print and online). Her book, Szechwan Shrimp and Fortune Cookies: Poems from a Chinese Restaurant, was published by RWG Press. Each month, Wilda Morris’s Poetry Challenge provides a contest for other poets on her blog at wildamorris. blogspot.com. She also offers leadership for poetry workshops in various locations.
Sheryl L. Nelms is from Marysville, Kansas. She graduated from South Dakota State University in Family Relations and Child Development. She has had over 5,000 articles, stories and poems published, including fourteen individual collections of her poems. She is the fiction/nonfiction editor of The Pen Woman Magazine, the National League of American Pen Women publication, and a recent Pushcart Prize nominee. Sheryl’s Bluebonnets, Boots and Buffalo Bones was published by the Laughing Cactus Press imprint of Silver Boomer Books.
The Rev. Dr. Bill Olewiler is a retired United Methodist pastor from Virginia. He earned his M.Div, M.R.E. and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. He is the former Pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church, Orange Park, Florida, and is an Affiliate Member of the Florida Annual Conference. He led Community UMC, Lake Como, from December 2010 to June 2011. Bill and Nancy Payne-Olewiler have been married for four years. Nancy is from Illinois, and Bill and Nancy are members of the Rockford Writers’ Guild, Rockford, Illinois.
Carl Palmer, twice nominated for the Micro Award and thrice for the Pushcart Prize by poetry magazine editors, is from Old Mill Road in Ridgeway, Virginia. Carl now lives in University Place, Washington. MOTTO: Long Weekends Forever!
Joan Peronto lives in New England but is a transplanted mid-westerner, having graduated from the U. of Wisconsin, Madison. She worked as a reference librarian for 30 years and has been published in Crossing Paths, an anthology of western New England poets, The Berkshire Review, The Berkshire Sampler, Hummingbird and The Rockford Review.
Barbara B. Rollins, writer, editor and publisher with Silver Boomer Books, takes advice from her sons and husband when they are right and explores what she chooses – her favorite activity being hugging twin grandsons. Her Eagle Wings Press books A Time for Verse – Poetic Ponderings on Ecclesiastes and A Cloud of Witnesses – Two Big Books and Us, added to a series of juvenile forensic books and the young adult novel Syncopated Summer, make this anthology the fifteenth book bearing her name.
Stan Rosenberg was a founding director of the Tupelo Press, a member of the League of Vermont Writers, Manchester Dance, and a board member of the Manchester Music Festival. Though born in Brooklyn, New York, a good portion of Stan’s youth was happily spent on his grandfather’s farm in upstate New York. He has been a pharmacist, stockbroker and innkeeper. Now a longtime resident of Vermont, his work has appeared in The Manchester Journal and Lost Magazine.
Sioux Roslawski is a third grade teacher, a dog rescuer for Love a Golden, and a freelance writer. Her quirky musings can be found at siouxspage.blogspot.com. She’s been published in several Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, and is currently working with an illustrator on a picture book entitled A Home for Always.
Harvey Silverman is a retired physician living in Manchester, New Hampshire. He writes primarily for his own enjoyment, but his nonfiction has appeared in both professional and general publi­cations.
Pat St. Pierre has been writing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction since her college days. She tries to capture small vignettes of life and turn them into poems. Her second chapbook, Theater of Life, published by Finishing Line Press, contains such poems. Her poems have been widely published in such places as Boston Literary Review, Three Line Poetry, Silver Boomer Books, The Shine Journal, The Camel Saloon, Flutter Poetry, and Wind. Pat loves photography and can be seen carrying her camera wherever she goes. She takes photos which also describe “snapshots” of everyday occurrences. Some of her photos can be viewed at Ken*Again, Ramshackle Review, Pond Ripples, The Shine, The Camel Saloon, and Decades. She considers herself a literary “jack of all trades” and thoroughly enjoys what she does. Her blog is www.pstpierre.wordpress.com.
Suki Stone is a reading specialist for children and mentor for doctoral students in the San Diego area. She is currently working on a book about reading and language arts instruction for students with learning disabilities. She writes poetry and is an open-mic poetry host at local bookstores and coffee houses.
Susan Sundwall writes from her home in upstate New York. She’s a freelance writer and mystery novelist. Her first novel, The Red Shoelace Killer – A Minnie Markwood Mystery (Mainly Murder Press) will be available on November 1, 2012. Her numerous poems, essays, and articles have been published in Ideals, Sasee, Catholic Forester and Funds for Writers, among many others. Go on over to her blog at www.susansundwall.blogspot.com and find out what else she’s been up to.
Diane Tarantini lives in a hundred-year-old house in Mor­gantown, West Virginia. She is a graduate of West Virginia University’s Perry Isaac Reed School of Journalism. Her writing has won awards in humor, inspiration, and book-length prose. Recently she had a revelation that she is a writer, not a novelist, preferring to work in the under-5,000-word realm. Now she must determine whether or not to burn her 90,000-word not-quite-memoir manuscript in the chiminea out back.
B.J. Yudelson, a retired writer for not-for-profit agencies, writes creative nonfiction in Rochester, New York. Her work has appeared in Colere, Democrat & Chronicle, Eclectica Magazine, The Griffin, Jewish Action, The Jewish Georgian, The Legendary, Tiny Lights, and the anthology Flashlight Memories. Both of her pieces in A Quilt of Holidays are excerpted from her memoir, which she is currently revising for the umpteenth time.