Esther Windt is a trans woman writer who’s currently attending Saint Ambrose University for an English Degree (Creative Writing Concentration). She’s been published with the Midwest Writing Center in the Shattered Constraints Anthology and has also been published in the SAU literary magazine Quercus Volume 32 and 33.

Garrett Traylor is a proud husband, father, son, brother, dog-dad, and whatever other ways humans are connected by love. He works as an academic librarian in his hometown. He has published works on Scandinavian cinema, adaptation theory, video games, parks and place meaning, and various works of poetry.

Emily Tobin is a librarian from Michigan who now lives in Illinois. She enjoys making art and experiencing entropy.

Kai Newell is a queer author and advocate who uses their writing and work to push for equality and inclusion. A Transgender and Gender Expansive Care Coordinator by day, they’re passionate about breaking barriers, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. When they’re not busy fighting for change, you’ll find them hanging out with their kids, jamming to 2000s emo, or getting lost in a great book.

Wendy Jean Saathoff is a QC native, breast cancer survivor and a mother of two. She finds substance through painting, writing poetry, instructing yoga and connecting with youth as a Behavioral Interventionist. She most recently presented an exhibit titled "Just Barely" at DeSoto Studios in Rock Island. 

Born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, Emily Murphy is a sophomore at St. Ambrose University, recently switching majors from forensic psychology to creative writing in pursuit of her childhood dream of becoming an author.

Caitlin Moran is a Masters student in Rhetoric at Iowa State University. They earned their Bachelors of Arts in English from Dominican University. Outside of academia, Caitlin plays hockey, reads, and writes. Their poetry and fiction has been published by Mount Island Literary Magazine and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park.

Sam Miller is a 17-year-old human being surely not a robot. You can usually find them reading or writing accompanied by a caffeinated drink. They strongly believe in the importance of storytelling and the sharing of experiences. 

Ava Miller has been writing since they could pick up a pencil, and to everyone's chagrin, they show no signs of stopping. They graduated from St. Olaf College in 2023 with degrees in English and Film & Media Studies, and they currently live in Davenport with several weird cats. 

June Heller lives in Davenport, Iowa, where she and her husband own the local Minor League Baseball team, the Quad Cities River Bandits. June recently took up creative writing while studying at the University of Iowa, where was thrilled to complete her bachelor’s degree before her teenage sons started theirs.

Gregory Gomez is a rising artist within the Quad Cities. His studies include an English Education degree with an endorsement in ESL as well as a music minor. He performs alongside the Quad City Wind Ensemble and the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps in his free time. 

Philip Goldfarb Styrt is an assistant professor of English at St. Ambrose University. He writes poetry about modern themes and topics in traditional lyric forms, and lives in Davenport with his wife, children, and toothless dog. His poetry has appeared in such venues as The Eastern Iowa Review, carte blanche, and SAU's own Quercus.

Monica Flink is an award-winning author, poet, and baker from Davenport, Iowa. Her work can be found in Writers on the Avenue's Everything Old is New Again anthology, Midwest Writing Center's These Interesting Times anthology, and soon in Iowa Poetry Association's Lyrical Iowa 2024 anthology as well as the 2024 Grant Wood Country Chronicle. 

Allie Crisco is a sophomore at St. Ambrose University. She enjoys writing in her spare time, particularly free verse poetry and narrative fiction. The first time she shared her work publicly was last year in the Shattered Constraints anthology published by the MWC.

Adrian Cole is a poet and mixed media artist. Their works have been included in Altas Vol. 13, Euphemism (2018-2019), and CitySpeaks; a collaborative work between local writers and the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra. Most recently a poem was published in Shattered Constraints: An Anthology of Radical Hospitality.

Asmita Bag is a Junior at Pleasant Valley High School. She enjoys writing poetry and (apparently) tying her identity to a high school. When she's not writing, she can be found sitting on her bed, curled up in a blanket, working on homework. Living the dream, huh?

The Being Human in the Age of AI podcast is the product of an ongoing collaboration between the Midwest Writing Center and the Galvin Fine Arts Center at St. Ambrose University. It showcases original poetry and flash prose from contributors to the anthology, exploring the complex relationship between technology and humanity. Featuring recorded readings by the authors, the podcast delves into themes of creativity, ethics, and the future shaped by artificial intelligence. Through powerful storytelling and personal insights, it offers a compelling space for reflection on how AI is reshaping our world and what it means to be human in the digital age.