Melissa Duclos has twenty years’ experience in the fields of writing and education including as a college-level writing instructor, freelance editor of social science and education research, and in education marketing and communications. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University and is the author of the novel Besotted. Her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Salon.com, and The Offing among other venues. She is a Senior Marketing Manager at Corwin Press and the co-founder of Amplify Writers, a project that supports the career development of writers from marginalized communities.

Ally Cottrell loves translating complex topics into accessible narratives. She has a bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College in English and Mathematics, and she currently works as a Marketing Specialist at Corwin. When not writing for work, she’s usually writing or reading speculative fiction while vying with her dog for a spot on the best chair.