John D. Allen is a native of Vancouver, Canada who now finds himself living about four hours north of there in the not-so-mythical town of Kamloops. What can one say? Ranching, Logging, Mining, Trucking. You got the picture. Starved for culture is a phrase that comes readily to mind. After receiving a BA from the English Department of Simon Fraser University many long years ago, and spending some time in the graduate program there, John drifted away from an uncompleted MA in Victorian poetry (failing to see either money or fame at the end of that road), spent a decade chasing the elusive muse of freelance writing and finally chose instead the multifarious and ever-challenging world of retail sales, where he lingers to this day. Like the Scholar Gypsy in Mathew Arnold's poem of the same name, he stands behind the retail counter "Waiting for the spark from Heaven to fall." You can write John D. Allen at [email protected].

J. Carlsson writes art and dance criticism in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. J. has written for publications including Reflex, Artforum, New Art Examiner, High Performance, and Art issues. J. is currently working on several cultural and aesthetic essays, revolving largely around theoretical issues raised in painting, photography, prose fiction, and cinema. J. has recently written five plays and is working on a number of others.

Carla Maganinho was raised in Seattle and Portugal. Right now, she's in Seattle, studying at Shoreline Community College. She hopes to transfer to the University of Washington and get a degree in Computer Sciences. Outside of school, she's also trying her luck at freelance web design. Carla runs CB Media in her spare time… which is whenever she's not studying. Among other things, she loves music, movies and the Web. Write to Carla at [email protected].

Celine McLean was born and raised in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu and has recently taken up the quirky habit of writing about herself in the third person. She recieved a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from the University of Hawaii and then moved to Seattle to complete a Master's Degree from the University of Washington. Having completed that, she is temporarily working as a Customer Service Representative, but is searching for a Real Job doing editing or writing, or the like. She is also involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism, loves to read, is learning how to fence, has many strange friends and likes the color blue. Write to Celine at [email protected].

David Meek has this to say about himself: I have never liked to talk about myself to strangers. In the 1970s I hitch-hiked around America and listened to other people talk about themselves. In 1977, while living la vie boheme in New York City, I yearned to go to France and read and write poetry. I lived in Paris for the better part of the next ten years, reading Tin-Tin comics and doing fashion design. A daughter was born in 1981 on the eve of the Socialist election victory. She now resides in Tahiti with her Mama. In the 1990s I went to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and got a degree in Radio, TV, and Motion Pictures. Then I got married to Meira, editor and China scholar in women's migration issues. My favorite artists include Leonardo, Ellsworth Kelly, and Lin Feng-mien; favorite authors include Patrick O'Brien and Tennesee Williams. Write me at [email protected].

melissa meister is a senior studying women's studies and humanities at the university of arizona in tucson, arizona. her specialities are film theory and philosophy, respectively. she is the co-director of the women's studies writing center at the university of arizona and is the webmaster of The Melissa Pages, a site devoted to academic activism and XENA! she is one of those people who wants to do everything and anything before she is 30 years old, but is currently settling for the utter and complete subversion of the dominant paradigm. you can reach her at [email protected], so please drop a line!

D.K. Pan is a voracious reader and student of butoh. He is an experimentalist who possesses an unflagging curiosity and much empathy for others. Pan lives in the University District of Seattle, Washington and enjoys taking dance classes of all types. Write him at [email protected].

Terrie Shattuck is the author of profiles, poetry, essays of place and a memoir. She was born in Seattle, Washington and spent her childhood in southern California, returning to the Northwest when she entered high school. She spent several years in a fundamentalist religious community, then resurfaced and moved to Alaska, where she took a bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She has worked as a copy editor on the news desks of both Anchorage metro papers and The Seattle Times. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and a pet tortoise. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Riki Shore writes short stories and creative nonfiction when she has time off from writing articles for the Microsoft Office web site. She is also a hand-weaver and hopes to design her own fabrics and garments someday. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her boyfriend and their two dogs, Bailey and Bear.

Jessie Summa-Kusiak studied printmaking, painting and animation at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, New York. In 1996 she assisted Karen Aqua with an animated piece for Sesame Street.
     A Cambridge native, she has worked as a designer and illustrator for Planet Interactive, Vertigo Development Group, and Peregrine Publishers. She is proficient in most leading-edge graphics programs.
     Now a resident of Seattle, Washington, and like everyone else there, she loves coffee, writing songs, playing electric guitar, and singing. And yes, she has a tattoo.She can be contacted at [email protected].

Jeff Weston lived first in a small forgotten New England town by the sea. Finding social interaction too taxing, he spent long hours in an imaginary stupor wandering ideally foggy marshes. Naturally, this led to schooling in the arts, and finally to aimless travel. After living in Boston and Chicago, he settled in New York, where he works in the dusty confines of Gotham Book Mart with other cranks and several cats. Jeff can be contacted at [email protected].