the creators of
Mothers, Missionaries, Majesty, Mayhem
J. S. Absher’s second full-length book of poetry, Skating Rough Ground, was published in 2022 by Kelsay Press. His first full-length book, Mouth Work (St. Andrews University Press) won the 2015 Lena Shull Book Contest from the North Carolina Poetry Society. His poems have appeared frequently in the North Carolina Literary Review and have recently been published or accepted by Triggerfish Review, Tar River Review, and Amethyst Review. His poems have won awards from the North Carolina Poetry Society, BYU Studies Quarterly, and the journal Dialogue; and have been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife Patti.
Andrew Bashford is a student of language, faith, and landscapes whose work often examines what it means to feel at home. He is also a teacher of creative writing and rhetoric, both in the classroom and on his almost-popular YouTube channel Writing with Andrew.
Troy Bird is a member of the Timpanogos First Ward from Orem, Utah. After serving a mission in Los Angeles, California from 2007 to 2008, he attended BYU-Idaho from 2009 to 2011, and then Utah Valley University from 2016 to 2020, studying English and Digital Media to figure out how to finish his first fantasy novel (which he is still in the process of writing). He enjoys writing articles, short stories, and poetry for Chains and Tales, his personal blog, which features scenes from his novel as well as other personal writing projects. He currently lives in Orem, working full-time and helping his wonderful family the very best ways he can.
Emma Brough is pursuing an English degree with specializations in professional and creative writing. Though her heart will never be far from the Puget Sound, she and her husband now call Idaho home. Emma has been previously published in Vibrations, Outlet, Inkblot, and Outrageous Fortune. She enjoys exploring themes of morality, memory, and the mysteries of life as a series of intentional coincidences in her writing.
Sarah Emmett (sarah.emmett1@gmail.com) is a poet from Utah currently living in Boston while she studies library science. Her poems have previously appeared in Inscape and Dialogue. She uses her poetry to meditate on faith, illness, and family history.
Phoebe Larsen is a senior in Brigham Young University—Idaho’s English program. She is the author of two self-published books, and her poems have recently appeared in BYU-Idaho’s Inkblot. When she isn’t writing or reading, she’s running.
Chris McClelland has spent years as an adjunct professor of English and creative writing at various colleges around central Florida. In 1999, he attended the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. His writing has appeared in Narrative, Harper’s, Puerto Del Sol, and Mid-American Review, among others. His novel, In Love and War, has been published to many positive reviews. His most recent nonfiction has appeared as a series in SwimSwam Magazine; his most recent fiction won the bronze award for short fiction in the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. He lives in Orem, Utah, with his wife and two sons. “Pilgrimage Along Montparnasse” is his first poem to appear in a major literary magazine.
Daniel Moore (mooredaniellee@gmail.com) grew up in the Intermountain West, eventually settling in the small town of American Falls, Idaho, where he worked for fourteen years at a small, community newspaper doing everything from reporting to designing advertising. He now works nearby at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, where he supports the annual giving program. He and his wife Angie are the parents of six children.
Maria Mortensen Davis is a poet and mother of four living among the mountains and Mormonism of northern Utah, where she draws inspiration from the spirituality of both. You can reach her on Instagram @mmortdavis.
George M. Ottinger (1833 – 1917) came to Utah in 1861 where he married Mary Jane McAllister Cullin in 1861. She died the following year and, in 1864, he married Phoebe Nelsen. Ottinger acted and painted scenery for the Salt Lake Theatre. He formed a business with photographer Charles Roscoe Savage, with whom he later traveled to Europe as art missionaries. Upon his return, he painted murals for the St. George, Logan, and Manti Temples. Nephi Protected from his Brethren by the Daughter of Ishmael and Her Mother is one of several Book of Mormon paintings he created.
Isaac James Richards is a graduate student and first-year writing instructor in the BYU English Department. He has won four poetry contest awards, with his most recent poems forthcoming in Amethyst Review, BYU Studies Quarterly, Constellations, Trampoline, Volney Road Review, and elsewhere. He is also a reader for Fourth Genre and a contributing editor at Wayfare. He can be reached via his personal website: isaacrichards.com.
Ryan Shoemaker’s debut story collection, Beyond the Lights, is available through No Record Press. T.C. Boyle called it a collection that “moves effortlessly from brilliant comedic pieces to stories of deep emotional resonance.” His forthcoming story collection, The Righteous Road: Stories, will be available in 2024 through BCC Press. Ryan’s short fiction has appeared in Gulf Stream, Santa Monica Review, Booth, New Ohio Review, and Juked, among others. Find him at RyanShoemaker.net.
Katie Whitworth was born and raised in Texas, served a mission in southern Peru, and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English. She has presented academic work at the BYU Religious Education Symposium, BYU English Symposium, and the Folklore Society of Utah Conference. She and her husband have one daughter.
