Judges

Jim C. Hines

Jim C. Hines is the author of the Magic ex Libris series, the Princess series of fairy tale retellings, the humorous Goblin Quest trilogy, and the Fable Legends tie-in Blood of Heroes. He also won the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. His latest novel is Terminal Peace, book three in the humorous science fiction Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse trilogy. He lives in mid-Michigan with his family.

Kendra R. McNeil

Kendra R. McNeil is an independent bookseller and owner of the bookshop We Are LIT based in Grand Rapids, MI. Her work focuses on creating a culture around books in the community. McNeil served as a returning juror for the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, where she reviewed work submissions from students in the West Central Michigan Region in journalism and novel writing. She is a lifelong reader, lover of books, and avid traveler. In addition to operating We Are LIT, McNeil enjoys outdoor adventures and is a hobbyist nature and wildlife photographer. McNeil holds a degree in legal studies from Davenport University and is a proud member of the American Booksellers Association.

Jay Baron Nicorvo

Jay Baron Nicorvo’s true-crime memoir, Best Copy Available, won the AWP Award selected by Geoff Dyer. His novel, The Standard Grand, landed at #8 on the Indie Next List, and his poetry collection, Deadbeat, debuted on the Poetry Foundation bestseller list. He lives on an old farm outside Battle Creek, Michigan, with his wife, Thisbe Nissen, their son, a couple cats, a dog, and a dozen chickens. Jay’s writing has been featured on NPR and PBS NewsHour. He’s served as an editor at Ploughshares and at PEN America, and he spent years as membership director of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses in NYC. A proud community-college graduate, Jay’s taught at Eckerd College, Emerson College, and Western Michigan University. He’s also stocked the toilet paper aisle of a Winn-Dixie, clerked at a drugstore, solicited donations for the Florida Police Athletic League, and waited tables at a fondue restaurant, a steak house, and a French bistro. He was most recently a guest artist at the Cornell College low-residency program in creative writing. Find Jay at www.nicorvo.net.

Andy Rogers

Andy Rogers is a ghostwriter and editor. He’s the author of eight books and has contributed to numerous others. His story, “Archived,” won the Reader’s Choice Award for the 2013 Write Michigan Short Story contest. He has since published short fiction in Splickety Magazine, Catapult Magazine, DailyScienceFiction.com, and elsewhere. Learn more at www.andyrogersbooks.com.

Erin Hahn

Erin Hahn is the author of the young adult novels You’d Be Mine, More Than Maybe, Never Saw You Coming and Even if it Breaks Your Heart as well as the adult romances Built to Last and Friends Don’t Fall in Love. Romance is her vibe, grunge is her soundtrack and fall is her signature color. She fell for her flannel-clad college sweetheart the very first day of school and together, they have two hilarious kids who keep her humble. She lives outside Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Jane Zwart

Jane Zwart teaches at Calvin University, where she also co-directs the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing. Her poems have appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, and North American Review, as well as other journals and magazines. Along with Timothy Liu, she co-edits book reviews for Plume, and her own reviews have been published in a number of places, including The Los Angeles Review of Books.

Josh Boers

Joshua Boers has published short stories and poetry in Procrastinating Writers United, The MockingOwl Roost, and Infinity Wanderers. He also won the Judge’s Choice award in the 2024 Write Michigan Short Story Contest. By day, he is an editorial assistant at an indie book publisher. By night, he can generally be found reading P. G. Wodehouse novels, playing with his cat Mishka, or doubling the garlic in a fried rice recipe.

Janyre Tromp

Janyre Tromp is a veteran book editor by day and writer of mid-20th century historical novels with a healthy dose of intrigue and myth at night. She’s the award-winning and bestselling author of Darkness Calls the Tiger, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and co-author of both O Little Town and It’s a Wonderful Christmas. And that all happens from her unfinished basement when she’s not hanging out with her family, two troublesome cats, and slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.  

You can find her on social media and her website: www.JanyreTromp.com