Tyler Brouwer grew up in Minneapolis, graduated from the University of Minnesota, and now lives in Los Angeles. He works as a product marketing manager for a tech company in the 3D printing space.

Kasey Carlton is a screenwriter born and raised in a suburban pocket of Central Florida. She writes to take an honest look at human relationships and behavior while making herself laugh. She received her BA in English from Fordham University in 2020; professionally, she’s had stints in the administrative and production sides of entertainment, and most recently as a subtitle editor. When she's not reading or writing comedy screenplays that critique society’s past, present, and future screwiness, she's psychoanalyzing Nathan Fielder and devotedly parenting an orange tabby in possession of three-and-a-half brain cells. Or hiking! Kasey is incredibly grateful to join this year’s cohort, even if she’s slightly uncomfortable with writing about herself in the third person.

Fran DiMeo is a screenwriter, novelist, sunshine-lover, and daydreamer. She previously donned navy pantsuits with pointy-heeled shoes and used her MBA to do lots of important-sounding things in the corporate tech and science worlds by day, while writing fantasy dramedies and sci-fi action adventures at night. Fran now writes full time, wears flip flops, and couldn't be happier. Fran is the author of the serialized novel GIFTED STRANGERS which was consistently ranked a “Top 40 Most Faved” story on the Kindle Vella charts, reaching #2 in the Mystery category and #3 in Action/Adventure. Fran loves to create new worlds, and her work often contains speculative elements and a dash of humor. Although Fran identifies as Bi-Coastal, her geography at birth was Midwestern and her current home is in the greater Boston area. She loves to laugh, has a passion for meditation, and has a weakness for aesthetically pleasing spas with koi ponds.

Jonathan Gardner is a writer living in Philadelphia, PA, by way of Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Austin. By day, he works in sports marketing and writes stories. By night, he collects records, roots for the 76ers, raises a dog named Berman, and writes more stories. In the next couple of years, he hopes to write his first novel and perfect his technique for smoking a brisket.

Carolyn Guido Clifford is a playwright, director, and arts educator living and working in Cincinnati, OH. Carolyn grew up in New Orleans, LA, and is a proud graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA.) She received her BA from Northern Illinois University in Theatre Studies with an emphasis in playwriting and directing. After an injury ended her ballet dream, Carolyn dedicated her career to bringing the performing arts to those who don’t feel welcome in a theatre seat or rehearsal room. By day, she serves as the Director of Education at Cincinnati Ballet where she runs adaptive dance and in-school residency programs. In the evenings, she is an active member of the Cincinnati theatre community. While she loves being an artist, her favorite thing in the world is being an audience member, and frequently travels the country to see plays and musicals. Carolyn is a lover of coffee, crafting, Disney, and dogs, especially her own, Linus and Chuck.

Matt Harrison began writing books and film stories at a young age, making his first short films while attending P.S. 41 in New York City. Feature films he co-wrote and directed include Rhythm Thief, which won a Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and Kicked in the Head, distributed by Universal. He directed the television show Sex and the City for HBO. Matt is raising this 11-year-old son in Santa Monica and hoping to complete his first novel.

Nahuel Ossa-Jaén is a queer, trans Latino born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Redlands, majoring in Physics and Computer Science with an emphasis in Observational Astronomy. He hopes to take his undergraduate knowledge to a new level by focusing on science communication through storytelling. Additionally, he hopes to use his lived experiences of intersecting identities to integrate diverse characters into his stories and emphasize the importance of representation. He has designed and published his own video game (Rosemary National Park 2022) and accompanying website and is currently the Co-CEO of the independent podcasting studio Red String Studios. When not writing, he enjoys watching Star Trek, looking at the stars, and daydreaming.

Sean Parado is a first-generation Filipino-American writer from San Jose, California. Growing up in a low-income, broken family; he stumbled through life until he realized his passion for using his imagination to create strange new worlds and develop complex characters as a means of escape from reality. Since graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2018, Sean has worked with various after-school programs with hopes to inspire the youth, specifically those who grew up in rough neighborhoods as he did. Never wanting to be put in a box, Sean lets his stories dictate their genres. With messages like challenging social norms and racial prejudice hidden between the lines, Sean writes coming-of-age stories that sometimes reflect the rigorous lessons he learned during his own imperfect upbringing. When he is not jotting down new ideas, Sean enjoys spending time with loved ones, playing basketball, immersing himself in video games, stargazing, and going on new adventures.

Ivo Raza is a storyteller at heart. An award-winning filmmaker, his most recent film Reboot Camp (with David Koechner, Ed Begley Jr., Chaz Bono, and Lindsey Shaw) recently won best comedy awards at several festivals including the Austin Film Festival and Cinequest. His films and music videos have been screened and won awards at various festivals. He has produced and directed spots and content for domestic and International brands. Ivo started as a copywriter in New York, working on brands such as Gevalia and Sam Adams. He believes that great films entertain while exploring and examining deeper issues. 

Jackelin Shoji is a non-fiction writer currently focusing on divorce and relationships. Her work was recently published in the LA times. She also writes about divorce and the hazards of life and dating on her blog jackelins4amflex.com. Jackelin is originally from Los Angeles and completed her BA in Psychology from the University of Redlands in 2002. She holds a Masters's Degree in Higher Education, has worked in the field of education for over ten years, and is currently an Academic Advisor at the UCR School of Business. Her hobbies include hiking, reading, and oil painting. She has been known to eat an entire share-sized bag of gummy bears in one sitting.

Dr. Travis K Svensson is a late-career psychiatrist and early-career filmmaker specializing in LGBTQ stories. He joins UC Riverside following the completion of an MA in Cinema Studies at San Francisco State University (2021) and an MLA in Digital Media Design at Harvard (2018). His MFA focus is on screenwriting with a cross-genre interest in fiction narrative. His experimental short film titled Trans Lives Matter (2019) was a winner at the CSU Media Arts Festival, a finalist at the Humboldt International Film Festival, a semi-finalist at the SF Queer Film Festival, and selected for the North Dakota Human Rights Film and See it This Way Film festivals. Recently retired from UC Berkeley, he splits his time between Palm Springs, San Francisco, and St. Maarten (Dutch West Indies).

Kelly Tseng studied both science and fiction writing at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently a chemistry teacher in Houston. Through her experiences, she discovered that the best stories are born when different fields, different people, and different visions come together. Now, through her writing, she hopes to spread messages of inclusion and camaraderie in order to inspire a breath of fantasy and serenity into the real world.