T. Marie Vandelly has wanted to write her entire life but due to a career change has only recently been granted the freedom to pursue her dream full time. She lives on Gwynn’s Island, off the Chesapeake Bay, with her husband and their two dogs. THEME MUSIC is her first novel.

Bert Ashe is Professor of English and American Studies at the University of Richmond, where he teaches and writes about African-American literature and culture, black hair, jazz, and post-blackness. His book Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles was a finalist for a Virginia Literary Award, and he’s currently working on a book on the varieties of black hair statements in the U.S. and beyond.

Valley Haggard is a writer, teacher, mother, coffee drinker and the founder of Life in 10 Minutes’ journal, podcast and press. She co-edited Nine Lives: a Life in 10 Minutes Anthology and wrote The Halfway House for Writers and Surrender Your Weapons: Writing to Heal and feels like each class she teaches turns into a stunning work of performance art. You can find her writing and writing from people around the world at lifein10minutes.com.