STEVEN RAY SIBRA was born in Havre, Montana, seven years before the death of John F. Kennedy. From early on, he took to making up stories and writing them down; creating his own set of encyclopedias in fourth grade and winning the praise of his teacher, Helen Hashley, for a comic book he created in art class that same year. As a senior in high school Steve was co-editor of the school newspaper and also the school literary magazine, Sidelights '74.
After graduating from the University of Montana with a B.A. in History, Steve attended law school for one year before deciding that it did not suit his temperament. He eventually started a business buying and selling old comic books, a career which he has pursued successfully for over 30 years. Steve's short stories and poetry have appeared in numerous literary journals including Hollow Magazine, Near to the Knuckle, Matador Review, Shattered Wig, Trigger Warnings, Blue Mountain Review, and others. Through 3 Frogs Swimming Press, he has created a poetry chapbook (The Turtle is Not a Metaphor, 2016) and a booklet of short stories (The Hillbilly Virus, 2017), both featuring paintings and illustrations by Roberta Hahn Edwards of Big Sandy.
Steve lives in Seattle with his wife Stacey. He met Christian Downes in 2015 when both were readers at the "Works In Progress" program at Hugo House on Capitol Hill, downtown Seattle.
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL DOWNES was born in Florida, one month after the death of Elvis Presley and one year before the death of John Lennon , and coincidentally moved to Amish country within that year . This dramatically influenced his opinions on bananas, tinted glasses, and horse-drawn carriages. He has traveled extensively here and abroad, teaching and writing as he goes.
Christian holds an MFA in Poetry from Seattle Pacific University. He received Allegheny College's poem of the year in 2013, and a Reynolds Award from Nota Bene in 2011. His work appears in various print journals and online media. His stageplay "Loving Fire" was featured at Lee University's Fringe Fest.
But mostly he just works on his cabin in the woods. He is often found followed by a little red dog and a murder of crows.
