Contributors

Precy Larkins is a writer and freelance editor who lives in Utah with her husband and three children. She’s had several short stories included in anthologies published by Elephant’s Bookshelf Press.

Angela and her husband (an audiologist and first counselor in their ward bishopric) reside in Boise, Idaho. She is currently serving in her seventh year as a ward family history consultant and as a part of the stake family history library staff. Her greatest joys are service, teaching genealogy and computer skills, recording family history in words and pictures, helping other women find strength through trials, and serving in the community with the Red Cross— plus writing, painting, and traveling.

Rachel Lewis finds a home in teaching, whether it’s writing, piano, or aerobics–or teaching her toddler the joys of living. She loves the creative process and is particularly experimental with recipes, much to the delight and chagrin of her husband’s taste buds.

Rebecca Lee Jensen Ogden met her husband in 2006 and (after several failed attempts) married him in 2009. She earned a master’s degree in British literature at BYU and now pursues a master of fine arts degree in creative fiction, also at BYU. She had her first child in August 2010 and so spends most of her time singing him songs and reading him books while the dishes pile up. Then while the baby sleeps and her husband does the dishes, Becca works hard on her young adult novel and reads plenty of excellent food blogs.

While in school, Rebecca contemplated being a writer, a lawyer, or a dentist. Her BA in English and JD from the University of Utah has given her the chance to dabble in the first two. Her only dentistry experience came while accidentally extracting her son’s loose incisor with a toothbrush. She feels grateful she can stay home with her four children, two boys and two girls, and just wishes someone would invent a self-cleaning house.

Rebecca earned a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from BYU and has worked as a therapist for adolescents and couples. She currently teaches writing at BYU. Rebecca enjoys reading, gardening, and sharing family moments with her husband Sam and their two daughters.

Rena Lesue-Smithey is an English and creative writing teacher. Before she began her MFA in Creative Non-Fiction Writing from Cedar Crest College, she was a correspondent for The Daily Herald.

Rose is an undergraduate at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she studies English, French, editing, and how to cook for herself without starting inadvertent fires. She dances barefoot on the first warm night of every spring.

Ruth graduated with a BFA in art education from Utah State University. She and Roger Swaner are parents of four sons. She teaches classes in creative writing and is a book author, journalist, and magazine writer. Ruth has won numerous awards for her writing. She is the author of Portraits From An Unfinished Woman (Covenant Communications), and the co-author of Hard-Won Wisdom (Deseret Book).

Rynell Lewis feels her life is a friendly rough draft. Though she is mostly a mom, she occasionally works from home editing and writing. She resides in Utah with her four young children and husband.

(Guest, January 17, 2007) asks: “I have a question: Who are we anyway?”

Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn, having tea parties, and chasing her four kids. She has degrees from Brigham Young University, University of North Texas, and University of Reading (UK). She writes under both Samantha Hastings and Samantha Larsen.

Sarah graduated from BYU with a BA in history and a minor in communications. She then went on to attend Harvard University where she earned an EdM in management and policy. Sarah now lives in Washington D.C. where she works as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education. She served in the Wisconsin, Milwaukee mission from May 2001-November 2002.

Sarah Dunster has published poetry in many online and print journals. She has won local, statewide, and national awards for her writing. She keeps busy driving around her nine children, gardening in her attached greenhouse, collecting and raising butterflies, singing in all the local musicals, and cleaning up all the messes those things entail. She is preparing to launch two novel series independently in the summer of 2017. 

Sarah Jean Carter is a lover of sunshine, sandstone, honeybees and babies. Before writing as a career, she worked as a midwife and technical editor. She also teaches midwifery students online and in person. Ogden, Utah is her home, where she enjoys dark chocolate, returning to her local library, her Labrador retriever, and her husband, John. Her poems have previously appeared in Bristlecone Firesides, Inscape & StartLit.

Sarah Plummer is the youngest of ten children, has five of her own, and has been an aunt since she was four. She knows things about mothering, and being mothered. But also, she knows about writing and art. She studied journalism and creative writing at the University of Utah, and graduated in 2004. She belongs to a remarkable writing group, a rowdy book club, and is a volunteer art teacher for 2nd and 5th graders. She’s married to Sam. They dated in high school and are still good at kissing.

My husband Marty and I live in Kaysville, Utah. We enjoy seeing our family often – for small and great occasions. Beautiful writing lifts me in a way nothing else can.

Stephanie Wright grew up on the East Coast and maintains that it’s the obvious location of the Garden of Eden. She loves to write prose and hates writing poetry (but does it anyway). But, above all, she likes to eat chocolate cake and pretend to meditate while ignoring unwanted responsibilities. She recently graduated from Brigham Young University – Idaho with a degree in Creative Writing.

For a historical sketch of Jane’s life, read Becky Cardon Smith’s article, Remembering Jane Manning James, published online in Meridian Magazine.

Susan Elizabeth Howe’s second poetry collection, Salt, was published by Signature Books in 2013. Her first collection, Stone Spirits, won the publication award of the Redd Center for Western Studies. Her poems have recently appeared in Poetry, Pleiades, Atlanta Review, Western Humanities Review, and other journals. She received the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award of the Association for Mormon Letters. She is a reviewer and contributing editor of Tar River Poetry, and a member of the arts and sciences editorial board of BYU Studies. In the past she has served as poetry editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought; poetry editor of Literature and Belief; managing editor of the Denver Quarterly; the editor of Exponent II, and a board member of the Utah Humanities Council. She recently retired from the Brigham Young University English Department and lives with her husband Cless Young in Ephraim, Utah.

Susan Stock Thomas runs a household of four children (in three schools) in Turlock, California. She reads and writes poetry in the car (but not while driving). Her work can be found in Penumbra, Song of the San Joaquin, publications of the California Federation of Chaparral Poets, and elsewhere. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Brigham Young University.

Sylvia Newman has been a mom for 30 years, a teacher for 24 years, a wife for 11 years (well, 22 if you count both marriages), an empty-nester for five years, and a lover of all things literary since her parents began reading her books as a child. It is a thrill and a privilege to be included in the Segullah community.

Tarasine Buck gave birth to her first child just weeks after defending her master’s thesis, but she’s still not sure which process was more grueling. She spends most of her time waging war on the lord of entropy, trying to scrape together nutritious meals both temporal and spiritual, dancing on the edge of sanity, and explaining how to spell and/or pronounce her first name. (Hint: it rhymes with ballerina and hyena). She takes pleasure in homeschooling her children, creating beautiful and enduring things with both yarn and words, and owning far too many books for the available shelf space in her home. She currently resides in Caldwell, Idaho, with her husband and soon-to-be four children.

Tessa Hauglid is a secretary at BYU by day and a wanna-be creative writer by night. Her youngest two daughters are serving missions and the nest is empty, so of course she decided to go back to school to pursue a master’s degree. She is currently exploring the limits of her sanity.

Tessa Joy McMillan married her sweetheart, Glenn, in the Nauvoo Temple last December. Both are attending Brigham Young University. Tessa is obtaining her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in editing. She loves being a wife and a homemaker. Even though life isn’t pain-free, she is incredibly happy developing her own ordinary world with someone who is willing to make it with her. Her goals for the future include being a mother, an editor, a children’s author, and returning to Kansas to raise her kids.

Tessa Meyer Santiago is Kevin’s wife and Julia, Christian, Seth, and Adam’s mother. She is a native of Cape Town, South Africa, and is still surprised her children speak with American accents. In previous lives, she has practiced law, taught English and legal writing, edited magazines, and ghostwritten books and articles. She coaches soccer in the fall and spring. She prefers zinnias to pansies, white chocolate to milk.

Thalia is a Houstonian attending Brigham Young University, where she studies English, Design, and Digital Humanities & Technology. She loves jiu jitsu, jigsaw puzzles, jangly ear cuffs, and feeding oatmeal to the local ducks. Thalia will be certified after graduation as an international ESL instructor.

Trisha Kc Buel Wheeldon is a west coast native, and currently living in Eglin AFB, Florida with her husband, son, and daughter. She studied creative writing at BYU-Idaho. She writes both poetry and creative nonfiction. Her other love is yoga, and she usually gets poetic inspiration when she should be clearing her mind and focusing on her breath.

Trisha Coffman writes for print and web publications and lives in Phoenix with her husband and two daughters. She doesn’t think she will ever call Phoenix “home,” but she has been pleased to notice that the plants do indeed change, however subtly, with the seasons. If she ever does have the opportunity to move, she will definitely miss the hiking.

Valerie inherited her love of writing form her father, who could write a poem on the spur of the moment for a sacrament meeting talk. Valerie holds a BS in secondary education and a BA in English with a theater minor from Indiana University South Bend. Her hobbies include family history, gardening, traveling and camping. She lives in Mishawaka, Indiana with her two sons, Philip and Christopher. She was widowed in 2002 when her sweetheart, Thomas Dean Williams, died unexpectedly.

Valerie Owens is a native of St. George, Utah. She graduated summa cum laude from Southern Utah University with a degree in English, emphasizing in Creative Writing. Valerie is currently pursuing a master’s degree, also in Creative Writing. She enjoys exploring the back roads of Southern Utah, drinking chocolate milk, and reading memoirs.

Veronica Kingston is a mother of four, but sometimes she feels like she has twice that many. In addition to her favorite job—her work at home—Veronica works part time in communications and volunteers when she can in her community. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing, but not so much arithmetic.

Victoria Holt lives with her husband and four children in South Bend, Indiana. She loves to read, write, and scrapbook, but loves playing Mommy Monster with the kids the best. Tessa walks unaided now, and is learning to pedal a tricycle. Though hearing, she uses sign language to communicate with her family, and is also beginning to say many multi-syllable words out loud.

Wendy Ulrich, PhD, is the founder of Sixteen Stones Center for Growth in Alpine, Utah (sixteenstones.net), which offers seminar-retreats on topics such as forgiveness, abundant life, spirituality, and loss. A psychologist for twenty years, she is the author of Forgiving Ourselves: Getting Back Up When We Let Ourselves Down.