Richard Bell, the author of Life Seemed Good, But…, is a versatile writer with a penchant for surreal and hilarious storytelling, describing himself as an eccentric recluse. Born in Chicago, he navigated a diverse array of jobs, including warehousing, delivery driving, social services, and office work. However, it was during a dark period in his life that he turned to writing as therapy to combat depression when the love of his life battled death (and won). Laughter is good medicine. The author has a morbid penchant for promoting his book at every opportunity, a book that is a captivating anthology of over ninety short, quirky stories which display clever wit and mastery of the surreal on a rollercoaster ride of unexpected twists and turns. He was a staff writer for the Lake County, IL monthly edition of Wassup Local Magazine for ten years doing a column entitled Modern Fables. https://www.amazon.com/Life-Seemed-Good-But-collection-ebook/dp/B004VGXVG4.
Darleen Coleman is a writer, artist, and junker—not necessarily in that order. Her short fiction has been published in Great Lakes Review; Bird’s Thumb; and Undertow, the Guild’s 2017 anthology. One of her stories was in the top 25 of Glimmer Train’s 2009 short fiction contest. Her poetry has been published in orangepeel literary magazine where her poem, “Every Place Has Its Sorrows” received a contributors choice award. Her characters tend toward the bruised and broken, those seeking a sense of family and struggling to find their place in the world. She writes without a plan, letting her characters dictate where the story goes. Born and raised in Chicago, she did time in the suburbs before fleeing north across the cheddar border nearly three decades ago. A member of the Guild since 2009, she now lives in a vintage bungalow in Kenosha with the two lovely dogs who rescued her.
Chris DeGuire has been a member of the Kenosha Writers Guild since 2008. He teaches writing and rhetoric at Triton College in River Grove, IL and fiction workshops at Columbia College Chicago. He has been published in Hair Trigger and F-Magazine. He still makes the meetings in spirit from Oak Park, IL.
Joe Engel flits between poetry and fiction, a moth between two porch lights. He has been lucky enough to have his work appear in “Harpur Palate“, “Cold Mountain Review“, “Other Poetry” and some others. He has made many new friends and colleagues in the KWG who have offered valuable insight into his writing. You should join if you haven’t already. If you would like to read one of Joe’s poems try “A Sense of Truth” at PrickoftheSpindle.com
Dave Gourdoux suffers from angoraphobia (the abnormal fear of leaving one’s house while wearing a wool sweater). He has had his work published in the Midwest Prairie Review and Left of the Lake magazine. He is searching for a publisher for his first novel, Ojibway Valley, and is about 70% complete with the first draft of a second novel. He is a staff contributor to 2nd First Look, (2ndfirstlook.com), an arts oriented web site, writing articles celebrating films, music and literature. He also hosts his own website, “Drivel by Dave“ (djgourdoux.wordpress.com). He leads a local Parkinson’s disease support group and volunteers as a tutor for adult literacy. His goal is that someday, after he dies, someone will hire him as a ghost writer.
Sarah Freeborn was born and raised in Kenosha, WI, where she still resides in a quaint and colorful apartment along the shores of Lake Michigan. While known for her hearty laugh and contagious joy, writing is where she finds solace as it bastions her against the hardships life throws. From autobiographical essays on mental health, child loss, the everyday beauty of life, and faith, to poems through the depths of grief and the heights of joy, she writes on what she knows. She’s battled her way through life, yet like a buoy she always pops back up. With the courage of the indomitable human spirit as her guide, she writes.
TJ Morris is a talented artist, who graduated from Columbia College of Chicago. She has a love for painting, photography, writing, storytelling and genealogy. TJ loves a good tale, short or tall. She spends as much of her time as possible, writing historical fiction stories for performing arts, poetry and publications. TJ Morris has published two books The True Heart (Poetry) and Blood is Thicker Than Color (Novella). She currently has two more books in the mix. She loves to talk about African American History, whether it’s by the way of performing arts, writing or round table discussion. For more information on TJ Morris, please visit http://www.tjmorris.info
Jim Payne has written six short stories about the tangled motives in his characters as they engage in their private battle between avoidance of fears and taking responsibility for themselves. Each short story is a person’s experience, is itself a novel, with frightening surprises, overwhelming tragedies, frustrating failures, passionate urges for power, striving for success, engaging in fun and frolicking — changing. His characters go from denial to awareness, from trickles to waves of compassion.
Jim is a retired psychotherapist who happily continues to facilitate support groups and counsel individuals.
Jim welcomes and needs so much help that he is a member of two writer’s guilds including KWG’s Steering Committee. He gets support, guidance, and critiquing from fellow members — friends who share their writing to help him become a writer. His mantra is: We create alone, we learn sharing.
Robert M. Katzman, 74 is a writer & poet born on the South Side of Chicago. His first poem was written in 1958 and has had no formal education in writing (which may be evident). Self-employed since 12 in 1962, he opened Bob’s Newsstand (1965-1985) in Hyde Park, an international emporium with 3,000 diff. mags. He opened a kosher deli in 1969, Gulliver’s Periodicals which after a 6-year distribution war in Chicago broke the national barrier against gay (queer) magazine getting distribution (1975-1980). Grand Tour, (1988-1994) a world travel foreign language store with 100 languages, then finally Magazine Memories, (1985-2016) a 5,000 sq. ft store with 150,000 periodicals going back to 1576, for 31 years. His publishing company is Don’t Go Quietly Press.com or dgqpress.com. First, he published 4 volumes between 2004 to 2008. Then two more in 2018, as his wife Joyce of 42 years lay dying. Together, those books sold about 6,000 copies with no publicity. After remarrying in 2022, Bob and his wife Nancy, organized his 600 stories and poem into 24 books of about 250 pages each. The first ones published in February 2024 were his autobiography. As the books sell, they will release new volumes periodically. No fiction. Four children, five grandchildren – my family is everything.
Robert M. Katzman sat for a two-hour interview Wednesday in Hyde Park, Chicago, for an upcoming book, “A Grittier Hyde Park History”. https://www.hpherald.com/ First writing interview in a long time. Both print and online edition to appear on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Mr. Katzman was also interviewed by Greg Berg at WGTD in Kenosha: https://wgtd.org/playlist/morning-show/ms-lost-boy
Christy Hoff leads a small local writer’s workshop, sits on the Kenosha Writer’s Guild steering committee. and recently retired from teaching elementary students how to use technology. She is pleased to have received an honorable mention in the 2021 WWA Jade Ring contest, has work in KWG’s anthology, Undertow, has a poem to be published in the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP) 2025 calendar, and numerous pieces of art and writing published in Moss Piglet.
M.P. McDonald is the author of reluctant hero thrillers with a psychic twist, as well as post-apocalyptic fiction. She is dipping her toe into historical fiction as well. During the day, she works as a respiratory therapist. Her first-hand experience with treating those with life-threatening illnesses and injuries gives her stories a realistic touch. Her cat, Tigerheart, a strict taskmaster, keeps one paw resting (restraining?) on her shoulder to ensure writing gets done in a timely fashion. She does allow a few breaks, but only if M.P. shares her chips. When not writing, M.P. can usually be found with her nose buried in a book, swimming in the pool, if it’s not too cold (but since she lives in SE Wisconsin, it’s too cold most of the time!), or hanging out with family.
Website: http://www.mpmcdonald.com Social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPMcDonaldAuthor Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mpmcdonaldauthor
Barbara Tylla is a 1960 graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and pursued a theater career until her marriage when she returned to her first love, writing. For forty years her work was seen in Christian and Inspirational magazines including Guideposts, American Education, and The Saint Anthony Messenger. Her short fiction has won three Catholic Press Awards and a radio play won a Wisconsin Public Radio Award in 2015 for Best Community Impact Production. Her memoir Exit Laughing was just released on the Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites.
Barbara Tylla
Haley Valenta is a poet from Kenosha whose works cover topics such as mental health, self-discovery, and relationships. She hopes to tear down the stigma surrounding mental illness using her poetry by allowing readers to have a place to either relate to or understand this subject matter. She has been writing non-stop since the first grade when she first started dreaming about being an author, and she will probably never stop. She is currently taking the route of self-publishing in order to achieve that author dream.
Kenosha Writers Guild 
