Trudy Hale, diarist, poet, and teacher, wears many literary hats. She runs Porches Writing Retreat in Nelson County, Va. Born in Memphis, she lived a somewhat chaotic and semi-glamorous life in Hollywood, married to a director and raising their two children. She moved to Virginia (long story still in rewrites), and opened Porches, a retreat that supports and encourages writers of all stripes, regardless of age or checkered past. You can find out more about her on www.porcheswritingretreat.com.

Emily Littlewood lives with her dog, Animal, and husband Jason in Raphine, Va. After getting a degree to teach English, Speech and Theater, she began working in banks. She is currently copy editing for Streetlight and working back toward her passions.

Deborah Kelly is Associate Editor of Streetlight. She spent the first twenty years of her career as a reporter and writer for daily newspapers, primarily with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Indulging her love of poetry and art, she moved on to magazine editing at 64, a nationally recognized regional arts magazine. She has freelanced for NPR and a variety of national and regional health magazines published by Time Inc. Content Solutions. She lives in Richmond with her near-constant companion, Suzie, a sweet but headstrong rescue with separation issues.

Susan Shafarzek lives in Charlottesville, Va. Besides editing essays for Streetlight, she is a poet and photographer, blogging occasionally at Whaddyameanrosebuds.com.

Elizabeth Howard is Streetlight Magazine‘s Art Editor, and author of Aging Famously: Follow Those You Admire to Living Long and Well (winner of the 2019 International Book Awards, health 50+). A former lecturer at the University of Virginia, Howard is a member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. She has also made documentary films which have aired on Virginia PBS.

Erika Raskin, Streetlight’s fiction editor, is the author of Allegiance, Best Intentions and Close. Her non-fiction work has run in a variety of publications and on public radio. Her wry world view can be found at erikaraskin.com and @erikaraskin on twitter.

Sharon Ackerman is an Appalachian poet residing in central Virginia. Her poems have appeared in the Southern Humanities Review, Atlanta Review, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Roanoke Review, Appalachian Places, Kestrel, Blue Mountain Review, and several others. Her second poetry collection A Legacy of Birds (Kelsay Books, 2025) is available on Amazon or New Dominion Books, Charlottesville

Fred Wilbur has written in varied genres including essays and blogs, historical research, newspaper columns, magazine articles, book reviews, and book introductions. He has also published three volumes of poetry, and three how-to woodcarving instruction books. His most recent poetry collection is The Heft of Promise (Pine Row Press, 2025). The Nelson County Garden Club: The First Fifty Years, 1935-1985 was underwritten by the Nelson County Historical Society (2023).

Paula Boyland is a writer, artist, herbalist, amateur chef, and small business owner. She lives and laughs in Louisa, Va. with her husband and their three incorrigible dogs.

Megan Den Bleyker is a transplant from New Jersey to Lynchburg, Va. She has a BA in English literature to pursue a passion for books and editing. She enjoys contributing to Streetlight, hoping to pursue a career as an editor for a publishing company one day. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and traveling as often as she can.

Jennifer Sims is an actor and voice over artist who has voiced hundreds of projects across all genres. After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts she wandered into a career in advertising. She worked as an ad agency producer for ten years before she found her way back to her creative path as an actor/improvisor and storyteller. Jennifer lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a very handsome dog named Dexter. Check out Jennifer’s recent shenanigans along with pictures of Dexter on Instagram, @thejennsims.

Joe Guay has been a professional voice actor for over fifteen years, providing voice for companies like LG, Intel, Deloitte, Novartis, EY, PG&E, Infiniti Motors, Fairmont Hotels and others. A sometimes-theatre-actor and avid reader, Joe savors the return to storytelling and creativity involved in voice acting for Streetlight Magazine—it’s a nice break from the corporate stuff. Check out www.JoeGuayVoiceover.com.