Richard Bausch, who holds the Heritage Chair at GMU, will be guest author. Richard has published eight novels and five volumes of stories. His stories have appeared in THE ATLANTIC, THE NEW YORKER, HARPERS, and numerous literary journals and anthologies, including the O'Henry Prize Stories and Best American Short Stories.
Jenny Bent
Jenny Bent has ten years of experience working in the publishing industry. Currently, she is a literary agent with the firm of Trident Media Group, LLC in New York City, who represent clients like Garrison Keillor and Michael Ondaatje. Prior to becoming an agent, Ms. Bent worked at Rolling Stone and Ladies Home Journal magazines. She was an agent with three other literary agencies before joining Trident Media Group. She represents clients who write commercial and literary fiction as well as nonfiction on a variety of topics.
Jenna Blum
Jenna Blum's first novel, THOSE WHO SAVE US, has recently been published by Harcourt. Her short fiction has earned awards and appeared in national publications, including THE BELLINGHAM REVIEW, THE KENYON REVIEW, and READER'S BREAK. Ms. Blum holds an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University where she teaches Creative and Communications Writing. She also runs Advanced Fiction Workshops for Grub Street Writers.
Walter Cummins
Walter Cummins is Emeritus Professor of English at Fairleigh Dickinson University as well as editor emeritus of THE LITERARY REVIEW. He has published approximately 100 stories in such magazines as KANSAS QUARTERLY, OTHER VOICES, CROSSCURRENTS, FLORIDA REVIEW, SOUTH CAROLINA REVIEW, VIRGINIA QUARTERLY REVIEW, and many more. His story collections are titled WITNESS and WHERE WE LIVE. Early in his career, two novels, A STRANGER TO THE DEED and INTO TEMPTATION, came out as paperback originals. He also has published memoirs, essays, articles, and reviews.
Elizabeth Evans
Award winning author Elizabeth Evans has published three novels with HarperCollins:SUICIDE'S GIRLFRIEND, ROWING IN EDEN, and CARTER CLAY, which was selected by The Los Angeles Times for "The Best Books of 1999." Other works include THE BLUE HOUR (Algonquin) and the story collection LOCOMOTION (New Rivers). Her awards include an NEA Fellowship and a James Michener Fellowship.
Meg Files
Meg Files is chair of the English department at Pima Community College. Her novel, MERIDIAN 144 was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her other books include a collection of short fiction, HOME IS THE HUNTER, and a nonfiction, WRITE FROM LIFE, published by Writers' Digest Books. She was James Thurber Writer-in-Residence at OSU and Jack Kerouac Writer-in-Residence in Orlando.
Alex Glass
Alex Glass began his publishing career at the Putnam Berkley Publishing Group. He served three years in the NEA literature department where he helped award over seventy federal grants to American writers. He joined Trident Media Group in 2001 as an assistant to Robert Gottlieb. His interests include literary and select commercial fiction. He was a fellow in creative writing at American University, where he received an MFA . Recent sales include TWINS, a first novel by Marcy Dermansky to William Morrow; GOODBYE STRANGER, a first novel by Matt Bondurant to Hyperion; and RUBY TUESDAY, a first novel by Jennifer Anne Kogler to HarperCollins.
Cynthia Gregory
Cynthia Gregory won first prize in the 2002 RED ROCK REVIEW short fiction contest, and second place in the Writer's Digest 2001 Short Fiction competition. She has an MFA and her work has appeared in such publications as THE EAR, THE SANTA BARBARA REVIEW, BLACK RIVER REVIEW, BRIARCLIFF REVIEW, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, HERB QUARTERLY, and BON APPETIT. She resides in the Bay Area with two geriatric Bichons and teaches the art of composition to college students. Ms. Gregory is currently at work on a collection of short stories, called "Amen, Baby."
Deborah Grosvenor
Deborah Grosvenor has worked in the book publishing industry for over twenty years, as an agent, an editor, and selling foreign and subsidiary rights. As an editor, her best-known acquisition was a first work of fiction, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy, when she was director of book acquisitions and subsidiary rights at the Naval Institute Press. Deborah also signed up best-selling author Homer Hickham's first work, TORPEDO JUNCTION, and helped launch best-selling author Stephen Coonts's first novel, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER. The Grosvenor Literary Agency was formed in 1996, and has a stable of about three dozen authors. It handles commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction.
Donna Levin
Donna Levin has published two novels with major New York houses, and has also published two books about writing, GET THAT NOVEL STARTED and GET THAT NOVEL WRITTEN. She has taught fiction writing for ten years at University of California and hosts the Literary Luncheon series at "A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books" in San Francisco.
JoAnn Mapson
Best selling author JoAnn Mapson has written eight mainstream fiction novels including HANK AND CHLOE, THE WILDER SISTERS, and BAD GIRL CREEK--a 2002 Booksense 76 pick, as well as an alternate selection for Doubleday, Literary Guild, and Book of the Month Clubs. JoAnn authors a monthly column on the writing life for Art Matters and teaches in the MFA Program at UAA.
Michael Neff
Michael Neff is Editor-in-Chief of DEL SOL REVIEW, the founder and director of WEBDELSOL.COM (#10 in the Writer's Digest Fiction Top 50 and the largest publisher of periodical contemporary literature in the U.S.) and the founder and chief editor of ALGONKIAN WORKSHOPS. He is publisher of several national literary magazines at WEBDELSOL including IN POSSE REVIEW, DIAGRAM, LA PETITE ZINE, 5_TROPE, and DEL SOL REVIEW. His own work has appeared in THE LITERARY REVIEW, NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW, MUDLARK, QUARTERLY WEST, PITTSBURGH QUARTERLY, CONJUNCTIONS, AND AMERICAN WAY MAGAZINE. In 2001, he served as the Writer's Digest Finalist Fiction Judge.
Jayne Anne Phillips
Jayne Anne Phillips is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. Her work has appeared in HARPERS, PLOUGHSHARES, GRANTA, DOUBLETAKE, and the NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY FICTION. She has taught at Harvard University, Boston University, and is currently Writer In Residence at Brandeis. Her books include two prize-winning tour-de-force short story collections, BLACK TICKETS and FAST LANES, as well as her critically acclaimed novels, MACHINE DREAMS, SHELTER, and MOTHERKIND.
Charles Salzberg
After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in English, Charles broke into the world of magazine writing: NEW YORK MAGAZINE, ESQUIRE, NEW YORK, GQ, and a variety of others. This experience eventually led to books, the most recent ghostwritten book making the NYT bestseller list. Charles has been a Visiting Professor of writing at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and currently teaches at Sarah Lawrence, The New York Writers Workshop, and the Writer's Voice. His clients for editorial work include such publishers and literary agencies as Viking/Penguin, Dell, Simon and Schuster, Henry Holt, St. Martin's, M. Evans, Trident Media Group, Peter Rubie Agency, Graybill & English, and the Spieler Agency, among others.
Richard Bausch, who holds the Heritage Chair at GMU, will be guest author. Richard has published eight novels and five volumes of stories. His stories have appeared in THE ATLANTIC, THE NEW YORKER, HARPERS, and numerous literary journals and anthologies, including the O'Henry Prize Stories and Best American Short Stories. 
Jenny Bent has ten years of experience working in the publishing industry. Currently, she is a literary agent with the firm of Trident Media Group, LLC in New York City, who represent clients like Garrison Keillor and Michael Ondaatje. Prior to becoming an agent, Ms. Bent worked at Rolling Stone and Ladies Home Journal magazines. She was an agent with three other literary agencies before joining Trident Media Group. She represents clients who write commercial and literary fiction as well as nonfiction on a variety of topics. 
Jenna Blum's first novel, THOSE WHO SAVE US, has recently been published by Harcourt. Her short fiction has earned awards and appeared in national publications, including THE BELLINGHAM REVIEW, THE KENYON REVIEW, and READER'S BREAK. Ms. Blum holds an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University where she teaches Creative and Communications Writing. She also runs Advanced Fiction Workshops for Grub Street Writers.
Walter Cummins is Emeritus Professor of English at Fairleigh Dickinson University as well as editor emeritus of THE LITERARY REVIEW. He has published approximately 100 stories in such magazines as KANSAS QUARTERLY, OTHER VOICES, CROSSCURRENTS, FLORIDA REVIEW, SOUTH CAROLINA REVIEW, VIRGINIA QUARTERLY REVIEW, and many more. His story collections are titled WITNESS and WHERE WE LIVE. Early in his career, two novels, A STRANGER TO THE DEED and INTO TEMPTATION, came out as paperback originals. He also has published memoirs, essays, articles, and reviews. 
Award winning author Elizabeth Evans has published three novels with HarperCollins:SUICIDE'S GIRLFRIEND, ROWING IN EDEN, and CARTER CLAY, which was selected by The Los Angeles Times for "The Best Books of 1999." Other works include THE BLUE HOUR (Algonquin) and the story collection LOCOMOTION (New Rivers). Her awards include an NEA Fellowship and a James Michener Fellowship.
Meg Files is chair of the English department at Pima Community College. Her novel, MERIDIAN 144 was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her other books include a collection of short fiction, HOME IS THE HUNTER, and a nonfiction, WRITE FROM LIFE, published by Writers' Digest Books. She was James Thurber Writer-in-Residence at OSU and Jack Kerouac Writer-in-Residence in Orlando.
Alex Glass began his publishing career at the Putnam Berkley Publishing Group. He served three years in the NEA literature department where he helped award over seventy federal grants to American writers. He joined Trident Media Group in 2001 as an assistant to Robert Gottlieb. His interests include literary and select commercial fiction. He was a fellow in creative writing at American University, where he received an MFA . Recent sales include TWINS, a first novel by Marcy Dermansky to William Morrow; GOODBYE STRANGER, a first novel by Matt Bondurant to Hyperion; and RUBY TUESDAY, a first novel by Jennifer Anne Kogler to HarperCollins.
Cynthia Gregory won first prize in the 2002 RED ROCK REVIEW short fiction contest, and second place in the Writer's Digest 2001 Short Fiction competition. She has an MFA and her work has appeared in such publications as THE EAR, THE SANTA BARBARA REVIEW, BLACK RIVER REVIEW, BRIARCLIFF REVIEW, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, HERB QUARTERLY, and BON APPETIT. She resides in the Bay Area with two geriatric Bichons and teaches the art of composition to college students. Ms. Gregory is currently at work on a collection of short stories, called "Amen, Baby." 
Deborah Grosvenor has worked in the book publishing industry for over twenty years, as an agent, an editor, and selling foreign and subsidiary rights. As an editor, her best-known acquisition was a first work of fiction, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy, when she was director of book acquisitions and subsidiary rights at the Naval Institute Press. Deborah also signed up best-selling author Homer Hickham's first work, TORPEDO JUNCTION, and helped launch best-selling author Stephen Coonts's first novel, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER. The Grosvenor Literary Agency was formed in 1996, and has a stable of about three dozen authors. It handles commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction.
Donna Levin has published two novels with major New York houses, and has also published two books about writing, GET THAT NOVEL STARTED and GET THAT NOVEL WRITTEN. She has taught fiction writing for ten years at University of California and hosts the Literary Luncheon series at "A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books" in San Francisco. 
Best selling author JoAnn Mapson has written eight mainstream fiction novels including HANK AND CHLOE, THE WILDER SISTERS, and BAD GIRL CREEK--a 2002 Booksense 76 pick, as well as an alternate selection for Doubleday, Literary Guild, and Book of the Month Clubs. JoAnn authors a monthly column on the writing life for Art Matters and teaches in the MFA Program at UAA. 
Michael Neff is Editor-in-Chief of 
Jayne Anne Phillips is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. Her work has appeared in HARPERS, PLOUGHSHARES, GRANTA, DOUBLETAKE, and the NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY FICTION. She has taught at Harvard University, Boston University, and is currently Writer In Residence at Brandeis. Her books include two prize-winning tour-de-force short story collections, BLACK TICKETS and FAST LANES, as well as her critically acclaimed novels, MACHINE DREAMS, SHELTER, and MOTHERKIND.
After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in English, Charles broke into the world of magazine writing: NEW YORK MAGAZINE, ESQUIRE, NEW YORK, GQ, and a variety of others. This experience eventually led to books, the most recent ghostwritten book making the NYT bestseller list. Charles has been a Visiting Professor of writing at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and currently teaches at Sarah Lawrence, The New York Writers Workshop, and the Writer's Voice. His clients for editorial work include such publishers and literary agencies as Viking/Penguin, Dell, Simon and Schuster, Henry Holt, St. Martin's, M. Evans, Trident Media Group, Peter Rubie Agency, Graybill & English, and the Spieler Agency, among others.