Marianne (she/her) is the author of twelve books for children and adults with an emphasis on women's history. Her book Frontier Grit, released in 2016, was nominated for an Amelia Bloomer award by the American Library Association. Marianne holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has taught writing at a number of colleges and universities. When she moved to Astoria with her two teenage children in 2017, she felt for the first time she was truly home.

Deb (also writing as Vanessa Lind) began publishing in 1997 and now has over 25 books with traditional and independent presses. During her 36 years in Alaska, she co-founded 49 Writers, a statewide writing center. She enjoys writing about strong women from the past, especially those who’ve got a secret or two, and she likes to keep readers turning pages with characters who aren’t easily forgotten. She has a serious book-buying problem, never turns down a cup of tea, and gets her best ideas while walking her boxer dog at the beach.

Ren McKeon is a small business CFO, helping female entrepreneurs grow into a deeper relationship with their numbers. Through her client work, coaching, classes and writing, she encourages a holistic view around finances, with a focus on values and people first. Her career has included classic corporate accounting as well as entrepreneurial ventures in copywriting and metalsmithing. New to Astoria in 2022, Ren is originally from New York and her favorite things currently include houseplants, this wild coastal weather, learning and writing.

Asher Finch is a student of poetry and literature at Oregon State University, pursuing a BA in Creative Writing. Asher’s writing can be found in Rain Magazine, and their poem “The First Year Without” received an honorable mention for the 2025 Neahkanie Mountain Poetry Prize. When not in class or writing, Asher can be echo-located via their laugh to the nearest used bookstore or lost at the beach with her two Chihuahuas.

Bunny Keterman Peterson served on The Writers Guild Board in 2022 and 2023 as the Treasurer and is now back as a member-at-large. Bunny is a retired social worker (with other interesting jobs being a firefighter and a high school history teacher). After 55 years in California, where she had an “interesting” life, and a two-year stint in Cathlamet, Washington, Bunny has been living a life of gratitude in Astoria since 2023. Some of Bunny’s journey has been chronicled in her blog, The Absurdess. Bunny is involved in the Pagan community, and her goal in life now is to spread mirth, love, and kindness.

Joanna Rose transplanted to Seaside in 2021 after forty years in Portland. Her time there was spent working at Powell’s Books as Director of Community Outreach and Events, and with the Writers in the Schools Program of Literary Arts and Community of Writers where she worked with students from kindergarten through high school.  She worked with adults writers as part of Dangerous Writers, The Pinewood Table, and The Attic Institute. She has published short fiction, narrative nonfiction, and poetry as well as two novels, A Small Crowd of Strangers and Little Miss Strange (winner of the Pacific Northwest Bookseller Fiction Prize and finalist for the Oregon Book Award.)  She has a passion for building community through storytelling and for walking along the Necanicum River estuary trying to identify the ducks. So many ducks!es here

Nizina Cook is an Astoria High School Senior, passionate about creative writing and community development. She has been writing and making art for much of her life, taking part in poetry competitions and involving herself directly in opportunities within the high school. Beyond writing; her art has been hung in various local galleries and published in Rain Magazine, building her connection to the creative community in Astoria. When she isn’t in school or working on projects, she can be found playing soccer, going on hikes, or hanging out with friends downtown.