Dr. Rosalie H. Contino is a second generation Italian-America who resides in Brooklyn, New York. She received a BS degree in Elementary Education from Fordham University and PhD in Educational Theater from New York University. In addition to teaching elementary and junior high school as well as serving as a teaching fellow for the Program in Educational Theater at New York University, Dr. Contino is a costume designer, consultant, and lecturer for multiple productions and events. Her plays Transitions in Taking Care of Daddy, Twixt ‘n Teen, and

Chef Tor is of New England and Swedish descent. At 22 he moved to Europe where he worked in Paris and Amsterdam and did modeling as well as film and commercials. While there he worked with the Netherlands’ foremost nutritionist, directed the “Whole Youth Center for the American International School in Scheveningen, The Hague, and learned the Dutch language, as

Paul Karwowski (pen name P. K. Allen) was born and raised in New Jersey.  After attending college, he served in the Navy on a flight crew in Patrol Squadron 26 in Brunswick.  It was in Brunswick where he met his future wife Pinky (Margaret).  After the service they got married and eventually built a home in Topsham in 1971, where they raised two boys and a girl. Paul and Pinky now have six wonderful grandchildren.  Paul’s activities have included camping,

Bonnie Wheeler has been the facilitator of the Write On! group for her past eight years. She shares her love of writing in a variety of styles: true stories and fiction, plays, prose and poetry. She is currently writing her third novella. Bonnie was featured on the cover of the National Spiritualist magazine and has had several poems and other writings published in it. She is an Oklahoma native who has lived in many different places as a Navy wife and settled in Topsham, ME.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Jeanne Mineo retired from that great public school system in 2004. She is a recipient of four WHO’S WHO IN AMERICAN TEACHERS citations. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University and her Master’s Degree in Education from Adelphi University. A proud mother and grandmother, she has always enjoyed writing creatively. Jeanne is currently a volunteer docent for the Huntington Historical Society of Long Island, where she continues to work and educate children.

Dov Silverman was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933. Immediately after high school, he served as a Marine sergeant in the Korean War. He worked as a railroad conductor and as an auctioneer before moving to Israel in 1972. A cum laude graduate of the History Department in Stony Brook University, New York, he is a widely experienced teacher, high school principal and lecturer. The Fall of the Shogun marks Dov Silverman's distinguished debut as a novelist.

Dan Mesnik is a writer who resides in the Washington DC area. He has been a “secret” sponsor of and contributor to IdeaGems Magazine since 2005.

If the name Claudia Aragon rings a bell, it should, Claudia is an outstanding storyteller, capturing the nuances of family life and the difficulties of a hard-scrabble existence. Her writing has appeared in The San Diego Reader, The Paper, The Sacramento News and Review, and Green Prints magazine. Claudia has finished a fantasy novel and is currently working on an adaptation of Frankenstein  She is ghost writing the family history of a well known resident in her area. She loves writing poetry and is inspired to write every day.

Linda Boltman’s psychological thriller, Man in the Moon by Jigsaw Press is available in both paperback and eBook at Barnes & Noble/Nook and Smashwords (offering 10 other formats, such as Sony, Apple, Diesel and Kobo) and Amazon.com/Kindle.  Her short story The Captive was selected by San Diego Writer's Ink Anthology, Vol 4 in 2010 as one of San Diego's finest writers.  Linda has had her stories and poetry published numerous times in Adventures for the Average Woman in both their magazine, ezine and kindle editions in the U.S. and England.   Many of

Michael James Marino is a fiction writer and journalist residing in Southwest Florida. Originally from Miami, he migrated to pursue an English degree atFlorida Gulf Coast University. While at FGCU he served as Staff Writer,Campus News Editor, and Front Page News Editor for the university'snewspaper, The Eagle News. His work has also appeared in the 2009 edition of Edison State College's literary journal, Illuminations.

Kathryn Sherwood studies English Literature at Catholic University in Washington, DC.  She is currently spending her junior year abroad – first at the University of Oxford and then at the University of Cape Town.

Donna Krause resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, with her husband and cat. She is a proud mother of three. Donna attended Gwynedd-Mercy College and graduated Cum Laude, in Sociology and Social work. Donna has experience in the mental health field as a therapist. She is in tune with others’ needs, as she is a spiritual person. Donna is well-read in psychology and spiritually based books. She writes poetry that centers on what inspires her in life. Donna is also an avid movie buff.

Vince McDermott was born in Trenton, NJ, too many years ago. He now lives in Brunswick, ME, with his wife, Joanne. He was a meteorologist for thirty years, serving in the USAF, and working for the National Weather Service, as well as in private industry. He wrote many nonfiction articles on stamp collecting prior to joining Write On! four years ago. Vince writes humorous poetry and is now concentrating on mysteries and historical fiction.

Gladys Szabo was born in Jamaica, New York, moved to Connecticut at the age of one, and then to Maine in 2000. She has two children, Robert and Dawn, and four granddaughters. While raising her family, Gladys was active in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and has continued with Girl Scouting as a leader and a Neighborhood Team member. She has a passion for animals, enjoys crafts, gardening, and volunteering. Her greatest joys are family, friends, her cat, Mocha, and meeting new people, which are all the focus of her writings. 

Ruth Foering was born in Queens, NY, and grew up in Long Island. She attended Fordham University for two years, where she met her husband of 54 years. While raising four children and after attending night school for six years, she received her degree and began her teaching career. Ruth lived in Vermont for thirty years, Florida for twelve, but she and her husband always summered in Maine. They now live in Maine year-round. Ruth is a storyteller who focuses on interesting and amusing events she has experienced in life.

Adelaide Guernelli was born Puerto Rico, where she received a B.A. and M.A. in Humanities and Education at the University of Puerto Rico, and her Ph.D at N.Y.U. Adelaide is the author of Me Visto de Corazon, a book of poetry. She has also authored many works of literature, essays of literary criticism, translations, and a book on commercial correspondence. She lives in Brunswick, ME, close to her son and family and is very happy to develop more skills writing poetry in English.

Betty King lives and writes on a hard-scrabble farm in Woolwich, where she raised her eight children. She writes about her immediate surroundings and the people in her world. Her background is in architecture and architectural research, and she likes to paint, play the piano, garden and walk the dogs. She is usually serving on town committees and on the boards of several nonprofits. She is often seen collecting petition signatures at the polls on Election Day. Betty appears regularly in the letters section of the local paper. She has three beautiful granddaughters.