Category: Author

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Author

Anna Jinja

Are you published?
indie press publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve always been fascinated by the power of stories to connect us—to each other, to ourselves, and to the world around us. Growing up, I felt like stories were a window into lives and experiences that were different from my own, and they helped me make sense of the complexities of being human. As an adoptee, storytelling became an especially important way for me to explore identity, belonging, and the intersections of different cultures.

Starting The Anna Jinja Show felt like a natural extension of that. The show is about bringing people together through creativity, vulnerability, and shared experiences. Writing has always been my way of reflecting and making meaning, so incorporating that into the show—whether through scripts, interviews, or creative prompts—allows me to bring these values to life.

More than anything, I hope my writing and the show inspire others to tell their own stories, to embrace the messy and beautiful parts of their lives, and to connect in ways that feel genuine and transformative.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I deeply admire Madeleine L’Engle. Her ability to blend profound philosophical and spiritual questions with richly imaginative storytelling has always resonated with me. In works like A Wrinkle in Time, she explores the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of human relationships, all while emphasizing the power of love, curiosity, and courage.

Her work inspires me to embrace complexity in my writing, to lean into the questions that don’t have easy answers, and to believe in the transformative power of creativity. Like L’Engle, I want my writing to invite readers to look beyond the surface, to explore the connections between the seen and unseen, and to find beauty in both the light and the dark.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Chosen by Chaim Potok

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I believe I have a good sense of humor, and it’s one of the most important tools we have to navigate life’s ups and downs. Humor breaks the ice, eases tension, and helps us see the light even in the most challenging situations. While writing Adopting Grace, I made sure to weave bits of humor into the story. Though I explore meaningful and often complex topics, humor keeps Grace’s journey relatable and human. It ties everything together, reminding us that joy and laughter are just as essential.

What one piece of advice would you give a budding writer?
Ignore anyone who doesn’t support your creative journey. Early in my writing journey, someone told me that writing was a self-indulgent waste of time if it didn’t generate income—and that I wasn’t good enough for it to make a difference anyway. Those words stung, but they taught me something valuable: the importance of believing in yourself, even when others don’t.

Writing isn’t just about making money; it’s about expression, exploration, and growth. The stories you tell have value.

Author bio
Anna Jinja Mather was adopted from Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Iowa. Her heart is filled with love for people and their stories. By sharing her adoption story and all that she is learning to help her navigate through personal and professional challenges, she hopes that this will lead us to believe, accept, and value the inherent worthiness of all people. She has dedicated her life to a number of nonprofit organizations and causes as a volunteer or employee, which has led to a myriad of unexpected opportunities and adventures – including stepping into the role of a radio producer and host at KHOI 89.1 FM. Anna lives happily with her husband, Pete, and their dog, Floyd, in the little blue house of happiness. Adopting Grace is her debut novel.

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Author

Kelsey Bigelow

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What is your genre?
Poetry

Are you published?
Self published

What inspired you to become a writer?
Writing started as a necessity. It was my coping tool through the hardest experiences of my life. It was the only way I had to express myself and to understand my own thoughts and feelings. Poetry became as crucial to me as any other basic need.

By my college years, I began really honing the craft through creative writing classes and saw the impact my poetry was having on my classmates. After that, poetry became about more than myself. It became about helping others see that we’re not as alone as we may feel. It became about showing each other that we’re all going through something, and even if it isn’t the same hard things, we can at least understand each other a little better by talking about it.

Becoming a professional poet was inspired by other poets I admire and became friends with who were doing this full time too. I always knew I was meant to be doing something more impactful than occasionally sharing my work at a local open mic, slam, or workshop. When I saw others doing this as their career, I knew I had to make it happen. This was what I was meant to be doing. And here we are!

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
As a “hybrid poet” (a term I’m coining), there are four specific poets who have inspired my writing — two “page” poets and two spoken word poets. Somehow, they all rhyme with each other, which is funny considering I’m not much of a rhymer: Jamaal May, Ross Gay, Sarah Kay, and Phil Kaye. They each inspired my love for specificity, formatting, storytelling, and voice. I believe they’re each masters at what they do.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
If I had to pick only three of my favorite books, I would have to choose:
How to Be Alone: When You Want to and Even When You Don’t by Lane Moore
Hum by Jamaal May
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I don’t shy away from the uncomfortable conversations, because I believe we grow in empathy by talking about the hard stuff. Therefore, my writing will delve into topics like mental health, grief, eating disorders, relationships of all kinds, etc. It’s going to use a raw lens because I’d rather us be human together than to stifle what’s really happening.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
No one is going to take you seriously unless you take you seriously. So you must always first believe in yourself, write because you want to write, and stay true to who you are. Chances are, there will be moments where you’re the only one who thinks you can do this. Keep going in those times, because you’re right. The support from others will come and go, but you will always be there for you. You’ve got this!

Author bio
Kelsey Bigelow is a poet who spends her time sharing this therapeutic tool with audiences of all ages. She is the author of four poetry projects, including her latest book Far From Broken. Her work is published with several presses and journals. Kelsey is a 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, 2023 Button Poetry Video Contest Finalist, and 2023 Central Avenue Poetry Prize finalist. As a performer, Kelsey has worked with organizations like The Mayo Clinic, NAMI, Planned Parenthood, and more. Videos of her work are on Button Poetry, Write About Now and elsewhere. She’s the founder of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, chair for the Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam, director for BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, and more.

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Author

Denise Williams

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What’s your genre
Romance

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve always loved to tell stories and write—that included short stories in middle and high school and truly awful poetry in the late 1990’s but then I started college and graduate school and my writing took a turn for the academic which was wonderful but a far cry from romance. In 2012, I moved to Des Moines and began commuting to Ames every day which led me to audiobooks and I quickly found my favorites in romance. More than anything, falling in love with those books and then subsequently graduating with my PhD and becoming a new mom, led me back to writing. Like so many have, I found myself buried in “momming” and work and I wanted something to refill my cup. I turned back to writing fiction and what I thought would be another short story turned into my first novel, How to Fail at Flirting. Ten books later, writing still fills my cup and I’m still kept company on I35 by audiobooks, only now, I have the option to hear my own words read back to me sometimes. My tenth book released in March—it still feels surreal most of the time.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
Kennedy Ryan is one of the best writers publishing today. She writes stories that are as emotionally evocative as they are a thrill ride. Her characters are flawed and beautifully real and her stories showcase the range of human experiences from sweet first kisses to digging one’s way out of trauma. A former journalist, her research is impeccable and her prose sparkles. I met Kennedy when I was a new author and I still remember how she hugged me and cheered me on and what that meant to me. She’s a genuine person who has had tremendous success and still reached out to lift others. She’s a philanthropist and entrepreneur and, among romance writers, there’s no one who garners more kudos from colleagues. She inspires me to be a better writer.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan. A romantic thriller set against the backdrop of political upheaval.
Juliet by Anne Fortier. A modern quest connects to the famous star-crossed lovers.
The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North. A speculative fiction thriller that explores the nature identity/M.

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
My tagline as an author is “sometimes love is funny.” Readers should know I do not shy away from real-life issues facing so many of us—self-doubt, trauma, heartbreak, loss—and that none of those things preclude us or the characters from having a sweeping, sexy, funny love story. In most of my books, prepare to swoon, fan yourself, and tear up a little. Those are the books I love to read and that’s what I strive to write.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
My best advice to new and established authors is a reminder that the only thing a first draft needs to be is written. It’s so easy to get hung up on making something perfect and it’s so easy to stop when we realize our first draft isn’t perfect (using we here because this is true for pretty much everyone). So, keep going. Keep writing. Give up on perfect.

Author bio
Denise Williams wrote her first book in the 2nd grade. I Hate You and its sequel, I Still Hate You, featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter, and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. After penning those early works, she finished second grade and eventually earned a PhD. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Audiofile Magazine, Book Reporter, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah Magazine, and her mom’s list of top topics of conversation with strangers. Her books have been listed as an Indie Next pick, Library Reads pick, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. After growing up a military brat around the world, she calls Iowa home. Click here to visit Denise.

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Author

Pat Underwood

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What’s your genre?
Poetry

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
My cousin, a gifted English teacher and writer, gave me one of his collections of free verse years ago that at first I didn’t understand. After rereading it several times and soaking in the meaning, I learned how stunning poetry can be. He inspired me.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I especially like Galway Kinnell’s excellent work. He had so much to teach us about living life to its fullest.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Thirst by Mary Oliver
Everything’s A Verb by Deb Marquart
Dubious Angels by Keith Ratzlaff

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
It’s important to me to share poetry, whether it’s something written by yourself or someone else. Support is important. I look forward to meeting in groups both to critique each other’s work and to educate.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
Trust in yourself and the value of what you have to say. Know that you are a beautiful person with words that can reach others in meaningful ways.

Author Bio
Pat Underwood married her high school sweetheart, and they raised two sons on a country hillside north of Colfax, Iowa where the wildlife inspires her writing. She is the author of three poetry collections and received a 2001 Pushcart Prize Nomination. One of Pat’s favorite honors is being a contributor to Voices on the Landscape; Contemporary Iowa Poets edited by Michael Carey.

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Author

Shannon Evans

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What’s your genre?
Spiritual nonfiction

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspire you to become a writer?
I started writing as a little girl and just never stopped!

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
It’s hard to name just a few, but as a child I was enamored by the work of Lois Lowry, Madeleine L’Engle, and Louisa May Alcott. As a nonfiction writer, Mirabai Starr, Terry Tempest Williams, and Sue Monk Kidd were the ones who gave me permission to trust my intuition and my voice. I love the modern fiction of Jessamyn Ward and Celeste Ng.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd
11.22.63 by Stephen King

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I’m a liberal Catholic feminist who predominately writes for women but welcomes male readers too.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
Sit under as many editors as you can!

Author Bio
Shannon K. Evans is the author of The Mystics Would Like a Word, Feminist Prayers for My Daughter, and Rewilding Motherhood. By day, she serves as the spirituality and culture editor at the National Catholic Reporter. She and her family make their home in Ames, Iowa. Click here to visit Shannon.

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Author

Dawn Terpstra

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What’s your genre?
Poetry

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
As a family growing up on a teacher’s salary, entertainment for the week was found at the public library on Saturday mornings. I would stock up, checking out as many books as I was allowed, and then spend hours lost in the lush imaginations and language of storytellers. I knew from the time I was a second grader, when I wrote a twenty-page story, “Hanky and the Giant,” that writing was my true calling. Thankfully, I have built a career writing radio commercials, political ads, corporate marketing and communications and teaching high school English. Writing poetry has always been a therapeutic guilty pleasure.

What author do you admire and how have the inspired your writing?
My answer to the question about an influential author is often “the one I’m reading now.” There are too many choices! In poetry, early influences were the Romantic poets, Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron and Keats. I loved the landscapes and characters in novels by John Steinbeck and William Faulkner. In college, the quirky ingenuity of e.e. cummings was an obsession. In graduate school, I find myself returning to an interest in form and meter influenced by the work of A.E. Stallings, Marilyn Hacker, and Annie Finch. Combining form with poetry of place and the environment is currently where my interest and work resides.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Modern Poetry and frank: sonnets by Diane Seuss
Swift: New and Selected Poems by David Baker
Shirt in Heaven by Jean Valentine

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
My husband and I live on 15 acres in rural Jasper county, where our hives of bees and two corgis are usually happy. I am an avid birder. I have no fingerprints. I defer to our granddaughters to touch everything and leave a mark.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
One is never too old (or too anything) to set and realize one’s truest, wildest writing goals. Ignore the naysayers. Believe in the (im)possibilities of your writing. You can always learn process. You can’t learn the desire and passion for your art. Own it.

Author Bio
Dawn Terpstra is a poet, writer and beekeeper living in rural Iowa. Her poetry appears in publications and anthologies including Verse Daily, Midwest Quarterly, Quartet, The Grist, Cities of the Plains, and others. She is the author of a chapbook, Songs from the Summer Kitchen. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. She is currently the Poetry Editor for River Heron Review. She is a graduate of Iowa State University with an undergraduate degree and two masters degrees. She is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at Rainier Writing Workshop, Pacific Lutheran University.

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Author

Marilyn Baszczynski

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What’s your genre?
Poetry

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
I think my love of stories brought me to writing. Then, as I began writing my own stories, I felt myself connecting to poetry, exploring that condensed and intense form as a good vehicle for what I wanted to share.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
Margaret Atwood and her relationships with nature and people would be first. But when we moved to Iowa, Ted Kooser and his work resonated very deeply. I love how his poems draw the reader down into the specific details of the experience without the poem drawing attention to itself.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
I have far too many favorites to list, the three recent ones are: The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
Gratitude with Dogs under Stars by Deb Marquart
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
Living in a rural space informs much of what I write about. It feels like a liminal space. This contributes to my belief that we are all connected to each other in our emotional landscapes, as well as to everything in the physical and spiritual world around us. I find myself writing in this space at the present time.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
I always recommend that writers read extensively, and outside of the genre that they intend to focus on. There is an abundance of literature, and life, to inspire us. I think we just need to keep still to listen and receive it.

Author Bio
Marilyn J Baszczynski is a retired French teacher, originally from Ontario, Canada, who lives and writes in rural Iowa. She has two chapbooks: Gyuri. A poem of wartime Hungary, and daughter, while i’m still here. Her poems appear in numerous journals and anthologies including Abaton, Aurorean, Backchannels, Conestoga Zen, Gyroscope, Half-Way Down the Stairs, Healing Muse, Last Stanza, Midwest Poetry, Scapegoat, Shot Glass Journal, Star82 Review, Slippery Elm, and others. Marilyn is past-president of Iowa Poetry Association and editor-in-chief of their annual anthology, Lyrical Iowa, since 2017. Click here to visit Marilyn.

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Author

Charlie R. North

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What’s your genre?
Poetry

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
During my first year of high school, I found the magic of poetry. It works as the thread that stitches together emotion, experience, time, and place, connecting the writer with the reader. Who wouldn’t want to share a magic like that?

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
Naming a favorite author feels impossible, as l appreciate so many of them. However, when I first read Sylvia Plath’s Ariel, I was captivated. How Plath used imagery, metaphor, and symbolism in her poems mesmerized me. She was mysterious and yet transparent, complex, and yet she confessed everything. Her work required abstract thinking and pushed me as both reader and writer. Because of her work, I now research words, places, anatomy, nature, and everything in between until I find the best artifacts for my writing. My curiosity about the world grew, and with it, so did my poems.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Ariel by Sylvia Plath
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Wintering by Katherine May

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I hope I never stop wanting to learn or that I lose the desire to submerge myself in experience.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
Everything I would tell a budding writer is cliché and would make every word-nerd reading this cringe (me included). I can’t give anyone advice, but what I can share is a sliver of my experience: always have something to write with.

Author Bio
Charlie R. North grew up in a small Montana town, discovering her love for poetry early on. Now living in Iowa, she and her husband have raised their family there. A graduate student at Iowa State University, Charlie is working toward a degree in English literature. Her poem “Battered Secrets” was a top finalist in Wingless Dreamer’s Calling the Beginning anthology. She has been published in Poet’s Choice, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, and won Lyrical Iowa’s 2022 First Time Entrant Award. Her work was also recently featured in The Cities of the Plains An Anthology of Iowa Artists and Poets, published by Grand View University.

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Author

Steve Semken | Ice Cube Press

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What’s your genre?
Publisher

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a publisher?
I founded Ice Cube Press in 1991 to use the literary arts to better understand how to live in the Midwest.

What author do you admire and how have the inspired your writing?
Jim Harrison, Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Snyder and so many authors over the years.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Any poetry with Mary Oliver

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
It’s hard to even be a bad writer once you decide you want to be writer. Write and read. And, treat other authors as you would like to be treated.

Author bio
Book Publisher since 1991, Writer since first grade. I’ve earned my 10,000 hours the old-fashioned way by fixing my mistakes. Where Smart Thinking and Creative Minds Commemorate Being Bold, Ferocious, and Brave. Check out my Substack. I’ve written a few books, but mainly I publish others. Click here to visit Ice Cube Press.

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Author

William Bortz

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What’s your genre?
Poetry

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspire you to become a writer?
Growing up, I didn’t have anyone to talk to about what I was experiencing or feeling. Books, poetry, and music quickly became a way for me to understand the world around me and my place in it. I wanted to become a writer so I could be that safe haven for anyone needing one.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
Hanif Abdurraqib. He writes with such great intention and appreciation. It makes me look closer at everything that I see.

Name three o four favorite books and their authors
Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib
The Wild Iris by Louise Glück

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I believe that most often hope is a small light far away, and it is always worth moving toward that light.

What’s one piece of advice you would give a budding writer?
Read, read, read.

Author bio
William Bortz is a poet and editor from the Midwest. He is the author of Many Small Hungerings (Andrews McMeel, 2023) and The Grief We’re Given (Central Ave, 2021). You can find his work online and in print in Okay Donkey, Random Sample, Little Death Lit, Lyrical Iowa, and others. William lives with his wife and daughter. He will always be happy to talk about music or basketball. Click here to visit William.