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Matt Ussia is director of Duquesne University’s First Year Writing Program in spite of getting a C- in freshman writing and being rejected from Duquesne’s MA program. He is also an editor, podcaster, post-doom theremist, softcore punk, postpunk backup singer, social media burnout, and sentient organic matter. His first book, The Red Glass Cat, was published by Alien Buddha Press (2025). His writings have appeared in Mister Rogers and Philosophy, Future Humans in Fiction and Film, North of Oxford, MadSwirl, Trailer Park Quarterly, The Chiron Review, and Pittsburgh Quarterly, among others.

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Janette Schafer is a poet, playwright, photographer, and performance artist based in Pittsburgh. Her work explores themes of the human body, resilience, and transformation. She is the author of multiple poetry collections and her writing has appeared in regional journals, performances, and collaborative art projects. A heart attack survivor, she writes at the intersection of medical crisis and creative rebirth, using poetry as a pathway to reclaim the self and rewrite personal narrative. She was named one of Allegheny County’s “40 Most Influential Women Leaders” by Pittsburgh Professional Women and frequently facilitates workshops that empower writers to turn challenging experiences into art.

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Professor Ira Abdullah is the Head of the Accounting and Taxation Department in the Rockwell School of Business at Robert Morris University. In her role, she focuses on building relationships with industry leaders to provide students with professional experiences, internships, and job opportunities.