Amanda Bales is the author of Pekolah Stories. Originally from Oklahoma, she has since lived many places, including Fairbanks, Alaska, where she received her MFA at the University of Alaska. She now lives with her dog, Axton, in central Illinois and teaches at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Christopher Murphy received his MFA from The University of Arkansas and teaches creative writing at Northeastern State University. He reads for Nimrod International Journal. His work has been published at Gulf Coast (online), This Land, Jellyfish Review, Necessary Fiction, and decomP among others. He will be joining us to discuss his collection of flash fiction, Burning All the Time.