Contributors

Jen Anderson is a recent English major convert from psychology, and a 26-year-old lover of socks, Neruda poetry, and tea.


Brittany Barron is currently working on her bachelor's degree in Arts & Letters at Portland State University. She intends on perusing a career in freelance copywriting. During her time at PSU, she has contributed to a local DIY music zine in the Portland area, as well as working with various small businesses on newsletters, magazines, blogs, and website makeovers.


Michael Bauske is another one of these English Majors.  He enjoys playing and listening to music, reading, spending time with friends and family, pirating on internets, drinkin', smokin' weed, and all kinds of ill shit.

Amber Beren is a surprisingly sassy lass with some major adventure-seeking tendencies. Amber is an archer of many arrows. Vocalist/accordianist in local band Particles & Waves, budding blogger--How to Kill a Nihilist.com coming summer 2010--soon to be music journalist for PSU's alternative monthly The Rearguard, and part-time performance artist.


Eleanor Brown lives in Portland with her cat, Gatsby. She goes to school during the day and watches Netflix and reads comic books at night. She is graduating in December, so she spends way more energy than necessary on her papers for literature classes because she's afraid she'll never get another chance to write a lit crit essay.


Devan Cook is a 23-year-old student, writer, and pizza waitress (some might even call her a Renaissance woman.) She has written for the NBA and once saw Shaq naked in the locker room. She has also worked as a music journalist for Willamette Week, her greatest accomplishment being threatened with a slander lawsuit by Touch and Go Records (she accused CocoRosie of lip-syncing). In her spare time she enjoys avoiding her friends to watch hours on end of "Project Runway" on her computer.


Colin Cowden graduated from PSU with a BFA in English and a Minor in Writing. He lives in Portland, OR, and will likely continue to do so until the coffee runs out.


Michel Entler is a 26-year-old senior at Portland State University, and an English major. He is also a self-proclaimed expert on all things beer-related. For example, did you know that in the early 16th century King Henry outlawed hops? Michel also loves writing, and is in a constant search to find ways to combine the two.


Colin Farstad is a writer living in Portland, Oregon, currently studying under Tom Spanbauer, graduate of Columbia's MFA in Creative Writing and creator of "Dangerous Writing." Colin is currently at work on a novel and a short story anthology. He can be reached at colinfarstad@gmail.com.


Jeff Fischer is a recent graduate of Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife. He is writing a new novel while looking for a job.


Fleecy is the pseudonym of a West Coast writer who is currently finishing his BA in English at Portland State University. A lifelong music and fashion enthusiast with political passions, Fleecy's recent articles have covered everything from prog rock, libertarianism, and the New Romantic movement. In his spare time, Fleecy enjoys digital drawing, photo doctoring, and listening to as many albums from the 1970s as possible.


Rose Gebken was raised and currently lives in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Throughout her nonlinear college career she has held many jobs, including but not limited to: copyediting, bottling wine, selling lingerie, landscaping, repairing books, and teaching for a charter school; she is now looking forward to graduation and life in the real world with a combination of anticipation and dread. Rose is pleased to be able to share her thoughts and research on this blog, and hopes that by doing so she will help both herself and other writers find modestly lucrative forms of employment in order to support what she often considers the "bad habit" of writing.


Choosing to rule with a gentle touch instead of an iron fist, Justin Hoyt has established himself as one of the nation's foremost Cricket players, as well as a highly decorated competitive double-dutch champion.


Carrie Johnston writes for the Daily Vanguard and Melophobe. She has been published in Pathos literary magazine and is currently working on a piece about live children's music performances for Alaska Airlines' magazine. She's pretty sure that a career in journalism will give her everlasting life.


Rayna Kohl is studying English Literature and Writing at Portland State University. She has also gone far beyond the usual foreign language requirements, studying Spanish as a means for personal enrichment. She hopes to escape to Latin America after graduating next spring, where she will spend time traveling, eventually finding some cheap land, maybe somewhere in Southern Mexico, on which she will live, write, perfect her Spanish, and teach herself to farm.


Ines Kuna is a senior at Portland State University. As a double major in English and Philosophy, Kuna is skilled in critical inquiry and written design. A former columnist for various newspapers, Kuna has experience with the practical applications of these skills.


Mark Leonetti studies photojournalism at Portland State. He likes to think of himself as a storyteller, in general. Sometimes, Leonetti even thinks the news needs one.


Sara Lindsey is an eclectic collector of knowledge; she has dabbled in art, animation, and Japanese, to finally settle comfortably into the role of an English major at Portland State University. After graduating in August, she will be relocating to Vermont with her husband Ben, and two crazy cats, Ico and Lyra.


Zack Little is a student at Portland State University currently majoring in English. He enjoys long, introspective walks on the beach. His life goal is to become a doctor.


Craig Looney is a 24-year-old professional college student with a passion for storytelling. Whether it's in written, oral, or visual form, he believes stories shape us as individuals, as well as on larger cultural levels.


Ian McCreary, a senior at Portland State, has made himself comfortable at the college after attending three other colleges. McCreary is an English major who enjoys reading and writing, among several other hobbies. Outside of class, Ian writes for his music criticism blog and is working on getting published in local papers.


You will find that Rasena Meier is someone who has a passion for books and writing but who does love the sunshine and warm weather. She loves to dream about surfing and sitting on the beach reading her favorite books, and as someone who is majoring in English, she always has a book on hand.


Derek Pettie is a writer and liberal arts major at Portland State, set to graduate in fall 2010. His former lives include sailor, ski bum, and failed script writer. You can find him sipping beer at the Horse Brass on Belmont.


Sarah Preslar, from El Paso, Texas, is a junior at Portland State University. She will graduate next year with a BA in Arts & Letters, with minors in creative writing and philosophy. Although she is researching more sustainable writing careers, she mostly writes lyrics, poetry, and fiction.


Adam Shumaker is a scriptwriter for a marketing company in Portland, OR. He received his English Degree from Portland State University in 2010. He spends his free time writing and performing music, enjoying classic Film Noir, and reading.


Melinda Toynton, a senior at Portland State University, is a freelance writer and customer service specialist. With over ten years of experience, Toynton has built a successful career by utilizing strong writing, organizational, and interpersonal skills. Newly married, Toynton lives in NE Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two cats, and a seven year old black lab mix. Toynton's motto is "Where there's a will, there's a way."


Ann Tuttle is currently in the market for a writing career, but is certain she enjoys being and writing of the outdoor persuasion.


Andrew Wicker is a senior majoring in English Lit and minoring in Writing. A native of Portland, he spent ages 5-13 in the midwest, which he hopes adds balance to his Pacific Northwest mentality. He enjoys cheap beer, cheap whiskey, and playing in a band. He detests tense shifts, and poems that have been centered on the page. Also, bears.