Joan Wickersham’s new book is No Ship Sets Out To Be A Shipwreck. She is also the author of The Suicide Index, a National Book Award finalist, and The News from Spain. Her work has been published in Best American Short Stories and Best American Nonrequired Reading, as well as many magazines. She writes a regular op-ed column for the Boston Globe.

*photo by Jay Wickersham

Boston based indie-folk duo, Joanne the Band is composed of Anna VanValkenburgh and Jocelyn Bailey. The pair started off as coworkers and never truly left that title. They spent two years writing with each other leading to their debut project, Neither All or In Between. The EP deals with themes of rejection, grief, and the acceptance of inevitable change while serving as an introduction to the band's sound. Joanne's hope is to serve as a New England artist collective, acting as a landing pad for their community's creative humans, always expanding and evolving. 

*photo by Cait Baril

Abbott Kahler, formerly writing as Karen Abbott, is the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City; American Rose; Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy; and The Ghosts of Eden Park. She is also the host of Remus: The Mad Bootleg King, a podcast about legendary Jazz Age bootlegger, George Remus. A native of Philadelphia, she lives in New York City and in Greenport, New York.

*photo by Gilbert King

A beloved fixture in the Boston music scene for over 25 years, Tim Gearan has become a bonafide local music hero. His warm and raspy baritone, jaw-dropping guitar skills, and wry songwriting have created his loyal, cult-like following. Gearan, a New York native, spent ten years touring the globe as a sideman for the great Toni Lynn Washington, as well as collaborating with Grammy-winning singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. Finding his own artistic voice, Gearan has crafted an intoxicating blend of Americana, folk and blues with shades of Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and Leon Russell. Gearan is especially excited about his eighth album released June 2024, entitled "Hammer And A Bell."

*photo by Mike Spencer