Issue Twelve Contributors

Issue 12: Seeing in the Dark

Meredith Ackroyd (How to Gather Light poem) is a poet who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. She loves to read books that are full of magic, make pottery, garden, and spend time in nature with her husband and daughter. 

Cara Judea Alhadeff (Zazu) has exhibited her photographs and performance videos in museums and private collections all over the world.

Micaela Amateau Amato (Zazu) is a multi-disciplinary artist who has exhibited her work across the globe.

Tanya Brauer (Helen Keller activity) lives in the Central Valley in California with her husband and two sons. She teaches ESL classes at the local community college.

Jeremy Charbonneau (Hello/Goodbye) is a graphic designer and songwriter from Seattle, Washington. He enjoys cutting paper snowflakes on the weekends.

James Covert (Astronomer art) is an artist currently living on a mountainside with noisy animals and screeching insects. He lives in a house made of sticks. Old sticks. 

Heather Feinberg (Ammi) is a mother, counselor, writer, educator, and the founder of Mindful Kids, a nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas, whose purpose is to help children (and the child inside us all) discover their voices, access their power, and, most importantly, connect to their inner knowing. 

David Gregal Jr. (Ask Arden art) lives in Washington, DC. At the end of the day, he loves reading books with his wife and two kids before bedtime.

Erika Hess (Root & Star Farm) is an artist and mama of two in Boston. She enjoys spending her time painting flowers and other interesting objects she finds while exploring with her little ones. 

Lida Larina (Root & Star comic, Shine a Light) lives in Russia. Every day, Lida walks her best friend—her black dog named Babai. After their walk, Lida draws the sleeping Babai.

Sabrina Lee (Home Portrait) lives in New York City with her husband and two rescue cats. Most days, you’ll find her creating in the kitchen, dreaming of country living, playing feline entertainer to Miu Miu and Misha, or simply living life one drawing at a time.

Carolyn Long (Nightlight) lives in Barboursville, Virginia with Alan and their cat, Maggie.

Courtney Mandryk is one of the makers of this magazine. As all humans are bioluminescent—they glow in the dark—her children glow as they wake her in the night.

Sarah McRae Morton (covers) is a painter who was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She was surrounded by Amish people and inspired by their homes, the glow of their kerosene lanterns, and the bright colors of their clothing. Her paintings often explore the deep history of her family.

Bethann Garramon Merkle (Magpie) lives in Wyoming, where she cooks, gardens, hunts, hikes with her dog Brio, and hangs out with scientists like her husband. As a writer and illustrator, Bethann best enjoys telling stories about nature and the scientists who study it.

Charis Raine (Nightlight art) lives in York, England where she spends her time painting starry skies and nature. She loves stargazing, dreaming, and playing with her cat. Autumn is her favorite time of year. 

Rachel Richardson (Astronomer poem) was born and raised in California. She is interested in folklore, the traditional stories people pass down to each other through time. She is the author of two books of poems.

Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (mission page art) lived from about 1764 to 1820 in Japan. He made his art by carving delicate lines into wood, then using the wood to stamp the design onto paper.

Barbara Campbell Thomas (Visual Encyclopedia) is an artist and teacher who lives in North Carolina. She is married to an artist, and she and her husband are lucky to be able to make paintings and drawings on their two acres of lovely land in the country. They have two crazy wonderful boys and one black cat.

Marian Davies Toth (Thai fable) was once a teacher in Thailand, where she collected as many legends and folktales as she could.

Christine Hartzler Woodruff is a writer, editor, painter, and full-time mother of two young boys. She and her husband enjoy watching the big, beautiful skies of northern New Mexico as day turns into night, and night turns into day.

Kanjana Yotjan (How to Gather Light art) grew up in Thailand. She moved to New York City where she grew her artistic skill, and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. She loves mountain hikes, morning lakes to swim, summers on the farm, and telling stories of speaking animals to little kids.