Sam Sussman is the author of the debut novel Boy From the North Country (Penguin Press). The novel was reviewed by Kirkus as “the most beautiful and moving mother-son story in recent memory,” became an instant USA Today Bestseller, and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in Fiction. Sam previously won the BAFTA New Writing Award and wrote the Harper’s memoir, “The Silent Type: On (Possibly) Being Bob Dylan’s Son.” He has written on Proust for the Washington Post, on Jalen Brunson for Vogue, and received a Yaddo residency to work on his second novel. Sam holds a B.A from Swarthmore and M.Phil from Oxford.

Kionna Walker LeMalle is an award-winning Southern novelist, poet, and educator. Raised in New Orleans and based in Houston, her work captures the complex history and rich culture of the American South. Her acclaimed debut novel, Behind the Waterline, won the prestigious Lee Smith Novel Prize and was named a Black Caucus ALA Fiction Honor Book. LeMalle earned her MFA from Houston Christian University, where she now teaches creative writing. She lives in Texas with her husband and best friend, Averri. Together, they have four children and two grandchildren, to whom she hopes to leave the lasting legacy of story.

Kerry Neville is the author of the memoir Momma May Be Mad, which won the Georgia Author of the Year Award in Memoir in 2026 and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, and two collections of stories, Necessary Lies and Remember to Forget Me. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Gettysburg Review, Epoch, TriQuarterly, Brevity, The Washington Post, The Irish Times, and elsewhere. She is an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing and Chair at Georgia College and State University.