Midwest Writers Room

BIO:

Silvia Acevedo writes stories for kids and adults who want magic and mystery in their world.

She stirred up monster hijinks in her latest title, MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS: CRASH COURSE. And she called up a Wisconsin ghost in the spooky anthology, THE HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA. Before that, she barely escaped the gods’ wrath in her mythological GOD AWFUL series.

Silvia’s worked in New York publishing, led the Wisconsin chapter of the So...

BIO:

Roy Behrens is an Iowa-based writer, designer and artist, who taught for 46 years at art schools and universities throughout the country. The author of eight books, he is known for his writings about about art, design and camouflage, and for his illustrations, including the cover of Jerzy Kosinski’s The Painted Bird, and the short stories of Guy Davenport and other well-known writers. He was art director of the North American R...

BIO:

 Andrew Patrie teaches English language, literature, and creative writing in West Central Wisconsin where he lives with his family. He has self-published two previous collections of poems: Nights, Grace (2006) and Half-Life (2016). His work has appeared most recently in Barstow and Grand, Sky Island Journal, Twig, and on Wisconsin Public Radio. He is a contributor to Volume One magazine and the underground Polish heavy metal ‘z...

BIO:

 Joe is the author of the Youtopia technothriller series; the third installment, Youtopia Infinity, is scheduled for release this December. He is also author of Roads without Houses, a collection of short stories set in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He is currently a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, a health nut, and the father of four exhausting but rewarding children. 

LINKS:

https://josephre...

BIO:

Rebecca grew up in Wisconsin, only leaving the state for two years to join the U.S. Peace Corps. Her debut novel, It’s Over or It’s Eden, is a first contact novel set in the Rocky Mountains. Her space opera series, The Displacement Duology, includes Dangerous to Heal and Negotiated Fate, and tells the story of a woman who has the ability to heal others and the intergalactic corporation that wants to monetize her. Rebecca co-fou...

BIO:

Terri Blair is a non-fiction writer, artist, amateur genealogist, and business owner. She has over 40 years of psychic training, including studying at the Edgar Cayce Association for Enlightenment and Research (A.R.E.) and with other accomplished teachers of psychic studies and mediumship. 

She has written feature articles for Psychic News Magazine in the UK, The Edge Magazine and posts articles regularly on Substack.

Terri lives...

BIO:

Rodney grew up in Sheboygan County, inspired by comic artist Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, and painter James Bama’s Doc Savage covers. After seven years teaching middle school science in North Dakota, he launched a 22-year career in information technology while pursuing a parallel path in writing and publishing. 

 In 2009, he began reporting for The Random Lake Sounder, later joining The Plymouth Review as reporter, ...

BIO:

Erica is the founder and CEO of Lake Literary Center, a literary arts hub in Fond du Lac offering writing workshops, book clubs, author readings, literary events, and open mics, plus more programming coming soon. She holds an MFA in creative writing (fiction) from Antioch University Los Angeles and a bachelor's degree in journalism & mass communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

A former magazine editor-...

BIO:

Described by MKE Lifestyle magazine as “Indiana Jones with a camera,” Jeannée Sacken is a photojournalist who travels to the ends of the earth, documenting the lives of women and children. She also photographs wildlife and is deeply committed to the conservation of endangered species. Jeannee has fictionalized many of her experiences while on assignment in her multiple award-winning Annie Hawkins Series. Her new novel, The Wome...

BIO:

DJ Slater is a Milwaukee native with a love for sharing stories. He wrote his first in third grade followed by several more during his school years, mostly about dinosaurs and an ambitious detective. His passion for writing took him on an appropriate career path – journalism, magazines and marketing. He has a BA in Journalism and History from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

When not writing, he loves acting, singing, mov...

BIO:

Originally from Michigan, Michael MacBride now calls Minnesota home. He has delivered newspapers, worked for UPS, delivered pizzas, worked collections at a bank, was a roadie for a country band, was a grant-writer and funder-researcher for non-profits, taught English, Literature, and Humanities courses at universities and colleges in the Midwest, and held a few other jobs in between. Now, he writes; helps others publish their b...

BIO:

A six-generation farmer, Corey Geiger is the author of two award-winning books - On A Wisconsin Family Farm and The Wisconsin Farm They Built - that have won four national writing awards and sold copies in all 50 U.S. states. A unique and adventurous individual, Corey and his wife Krista have won their division as an amateur couple at the Fred Astaire National Finals and appeared on Family Feud with Steve Harvey.

After graduatin...

BIO:

James is a Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin author of contemporary fiction. 

James began his career in television production and moved on to all forms of marketing and advertising, always with a writing and creative focus. He also avidly pursued music. 

Between 2003 and 2007, he and his wife left careers, sold their home, and focused on music, performing across Wisconsin. During this time, James wrote two novels, Shrugging and Turntable...

BIO:

Katie Venit is a children’s author who writes children’s books filled with wonder, humor, and a deep respect for the emotional power of language. Her titles include USA Today bestselling picture book FORTS, and CASSINI’S MISSION: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth. Her nonfiction essays have appeared in Literary Mama and Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin Life. When not writing, Katie works as an in...

BIO:

Agnes Patenaude, writing as Olivia Karimi Jones, is a Kenyan-American author, psychiatric nurse, and passionate advocate for resilience and healing. Her powerful debut memoir, *Scarred, But Not Broken*, chronicles her extraordinary journey from poverty and trauma to education, motherhood, and personal restoration. Olivia writes with unflinching honesty, weaving emotional depth with cultural insight, and inspiring readers to con...

BIO:

Janis M. Falk, in her first act, raised her family, pursued a business career, and lived large and wide—and now she has something to write about. She is a graduate of both University of Michigan and Northwestern University. Now in her second act, she can often be found kayaking the Great Lakes or pruning lavender plants on her organic farm. Janis was born in Detroit, then took a multiyear tour through Chicago. She and her husba...

BIO:

With a background in Special Education, Lorisa Wiedenheft is now pursuing her dream career of being a children’s author. She has two poetry collections, Love Complications and Reflections, and her poetry has been featured in Creative Wisconsin, Bramble, and Remington Review. 

Lorisa enjoys matcha lattes, supporting the Milwaukee Bucks, and going to the beach. When not writing, she’s either curled up with a book, working on an em...

BIO:

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Joan Elizabeth Bauer lives with her husband Paul in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they have raised three children. Joan holds a master’s degree in English from Marquette University and has worked as a trust officer in a bank. Her short fiction and book reviews have appeared in various journals, including Dappled Things, The Windhover, and Last Syllable. “Consignment,” a novelette, was published in...

BIO:

Mike is a Wisconsin native, first time author and 2 time father. He worked in film and television for thirty plus years, some credits include, Fight Club, Meet Joe Black, Monk, and a bunch of Warner Brothers cartoons. He spends time in Door County in the summers, and Lambeau field in the winters. Mike most recently was a consulting producer on the new CNN original, Breaking Bread. The Universe is his first novel, there’s anothe...