If you are a dues paid member, and would like your photo and brief bio added here, contact Denise K. Spencer (contact info is on your membership list).
Elizabeth Robin, retired teacher and award-winning poet, has three Finishing Line Press books: To My Dreamcatcher (2022), Where Green Meets Blue (2018) and Silk Purses and Lemonade (2017). She partnered with the Office of Cultural Affairs to establish the Hilton Head Poetry Trail, a 26-station route of local poets. http://www.elizabethrobin.com
Eric D. Johnson holds a BS in English from Carnegie Mellon University and an MS in Technical Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He relocated to Bluffton, SC in 2018 with his wife Gwen, and works for Siemens Healthineers as a Senior Technical Writer. Run to Win is Johnson’s first novel: https://www.amazon.com/Run-Win-Eric-Johnson/dp/1499021828. He appears in the anthology Journey into My Brother’s Soul. Both pieces draw from his childhood experiences in Philadelphia, PA.
Denise K. Spencer’s writing experience includes speeches, copywriting, blogging, white papers, policy-development, columns and editorial work. She wrote for Hilton Head/Bluffton Monthly before the pandemic struck. She re-joined IWN in 2020, and two of her poems have appeared in the Local Life lifestyle magazine. Three other poems, along with a “memoir short,” are published in IWN’s “Ripples” anthology. She is currently developing a collection of poetry and micro-memoirs for publication.
Barry Dickson is a retired Creative Director. His poetry has appeared in journals including North American Review, PEARL, and HazMat Literary Review. He’s been a Hearst Poetry Prize finalist and received a Pushcart Prize “Special Mention.” http://barry-dickson.com
Susan Diamond Riley, freelance copyeditor and former journalist, is currently writing a series of historical mystery novels for middle-grade readers. The first installment, The Sea Island’s Secret, will be published by Young Palmetto Books (2019).
James A. Mallory, a Detroit native, moved to Hilton Head in 2015 from Atlanta. James, a retired newspaper editor, is a freelance editor and writer shopping his first novel.
Award-winning author Debby Grahl writes contemporary romance with elements of suspense including ghosts or witches. She lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with her husband, David. Besides writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the beach, and a glass of wine at sunset. Her favorite places to visit are New Orleans, New York City, Captiva Island in Florida, the Cotswolds of England, and her home state of Michigan. She is a history buff who also enjoys reading murder mysteries, time travel, and, of course, romance.
John “Mac” MacIlroy is a retired attorney, CEO and adjunct professor. His co-authored collection of short stories, “Not Exactly Rocket Scientists and Other Stories,” has just been released. Available in bookstores, and Amazon on-line.
Kerry Peresta is the author of the Olivia Callahan Suspense series by Level Best Books. Her new standalone suspense novel, Back Before Dawn,
released May, 2023. Kerry is represented by Birch Literary, and her new standalone suspense,
The Cost of the Crown, is in the process of submission. Her magazine articles have been
published in Local Life Magazine, The Bluffton Breeze, Lady Lowcountry, and Island Events
Magazine. Kerry spent twenty-five years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, editor, and copywriter. https://www.kerryperesta.com
Phil Lindsey graduated from Illinois State University with an accounting degree. In 2016, he retired and moved to Bluffton, SC where he is active in the Island Writers Network. Lindsey also enjoys travel, golf, pickleball, and bridge. https://philipwlindsey.com/
Edwina Hoyle earned a degree in Journalism and Political Science from Marquette University. She’s had both poetry and essays published with literary review. She is a copy editor at Lydia Inglett Publishing, and a freelance writer for the Bluffton/Hilton Head Sun newspaper, Local Life magazine and Pink Magazine. She has extensive experience writing, editing and designing publications such as newsletters, brochures, marketing materials, obituaries, and grants. She is a proud member of IWN and is writing an historical fiction novel. Edwina lives in Bluffton, SC with her husband, Renny and her dog-kid Gizmo.
https://www.edwinahoyleauthor.com
Jim Riggs first novel, Freedom Run, follows four escaped prisoners attempting to establish new identities. Jim is crafting a variety of short stories, several new novels, and even a bit of poetry.
Gloria Krolak, a jazz journalist and radio host, led “Good Vibes” on JazzOn2 for 14 years and now hosts “Mornin’ Glory,” focusing on the vibraphone in jazz, pioneered by Red Norvo and Lionel Hampton. She wrote for Jersey Jazz and allaboutjazz.com, and is a member of vibesworkshop.com. She co-created “Jazz Lines” poetry and produced an album with Steve Yeager. In 2020, she co-produced the Jazz Vibes Showcase, featuring top vibraphonists and workshops. http://www.gloriajazz.com
Raju is a Wall Street executive-turned-entrepreneur. He is an author, speaker, podcaster and Leadership Coach. He occasionally helps companies access growth capital and loves creating upscale culinary experiences. A survivor of six near-death experiences, including a Tsunami, Raju has two sons from his first marriage and raised two others as a single father after his second wife died of cancer. He has five grandchildren. After 43 years in NYC, he made the Lowcountry his home. https://rajupanjwani.com/book/
Miho Kinnas was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Her book of poems: Today, Fish Only (Math Paper Press, 2015). Most recently published in Cha: An Asian Literary Journal (2017).
Richard L. Wright moved to Hilton Head from Atlanta during the Great Plague of 2020. His writing gravitates toward science fiction with strong romance elements as evidenced in his first published series, The Starforce Saga (Burden of Solace, Solace Rising, Shards of Solace).
http://www.wrightstuff.info/
Ann Lilly, a Kentucky native, moved to Hilton Head in 2001. Her children’s book Scoot’s New Home, is an illustrated story about a little boat who lives on Hilton Head Island. http://www.ScootAroundHiltonHead.com
Brian Thiem retired as an Army Lt. Colonel and Police Lieutenant (detective) to Bluffton. He has an MFA (Creative Writing), and his published crime thriller novels include RED LINE, THRILL KILL, and SHALLOW GRAVE. http://www.brianthiem.com
Bill Newby’s poetry and short stories have appeared in Whiskey Island, Ohio Teachers Write, Bluffton Breeze, Sixfold, Palm Beach Poetry Festival Fish Tales Contest, and IWN’s Time and Tide.
Island Writers Network 