Vocal Expressions

Author Bio: Jaclyn Paul writes fiction under the name of Lena George, where she slyly weaves queer and neurodivergent characters into your next book club favorites. Jaclyn is the author of the bestselling book Order from Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD. Her writing has appeared in ADDResources, ADHD Roller Coaster with Gina Pera, and Houston Family Magazine, as well as her popular blog The ADHD Homestead.   As founder of Baltimore-based writers group Red Pen Addicts Anonymous, Jaclyn led the group’s monthly critiques from 2014 – 2023 and remains an active member. Member authors have received prestigious awards and publishing deals and Jaclyn’s first novel, She’s Not Home, published in 2023.  A native of rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jaclyn has lived in her adopted hometown of Baltimore, Maryland since 2008. She shares a home with her husband and son and escapes to the Jersey Shore to write and surf as often as possible.   Deliah La...

Author’s Bio: Jean Dudek, a cum laude graduate of Smith College, received her Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law, practiced intellectual property law in New York City and Washington, D.C., and is a past president of The Patent Lawyers’ Club of Washington.  Then, she changed direction and received her Master of Theological Studies degree, with honors with a concentration in Biblical Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. Since 2011, she has served as a Teaching Assistant in the introductory Hebrew Bible and New Testament courses at Wesley.    Jean and her husband have been married for 37 years. They have two adult children and an incomprehensible Himalayan cat.   The Scent of Bright Light is Jean’s first novel. It won the 2026 Gold Medal for Religious Fiction from the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards, among other awards.   Deliah Lawrence: Which author or book has influenced you the most and why?...

Author Bio: Bill Holst was born in Port Jefferson, New York, in 1952 and raised in Smithtown, where his early interest in politics led him to engage in student government and even speak with Robert F. Kennedy during a 1964 campaign visit.  He attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy before earning a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from New York University. Bill later graduated from St. John’s University School of Law.  From 1975 to 1978, he served in the United States Army as a reporter and photojournalist, earning both the Thomas Jefferson Award and an Army Commendation Medal for his work. Following his military service, Bill worked as a litigator and broadcast counsel for CBS in Manhattan and later held several governmental positions on Long Island, including serving two terms in the Suffolk County Legislature.  He and his wife, Laura, have been married for forty-seven years and have two children and three grandsons. Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you...

Poet’ s Bio: Cherrie Amour aka Cherrie Woods is a Baltimore-based, award-winning poet known for her candid, narrative verse exploring love, identity, relationships, and the layered complexities of belonging. Her work is featured in her poetry collection, Free to Be Me: Poems on Love, Life and Relationships.   She is the creator of the Words, Wine & Wings Poetry and Open Mic Show and has been featured by FOX45 News, The Baltimore Beacon , and Baltimore City Paper . Her poetry has appeared in Paterson Literary Review , Understorey Magazine , Poet’s Ink , The Pen Woman , The Fire Inside: Collected Poems and Stories from Zora’s Den , America’s Future Anthology , Yellow Arrow Journal , and Maryland in Poetry .   She is currently submitting her new poetry chapbook manuscript, Sit Comfortably Elsewhere , to publishers—a deeply personal collection exploring her life and perspective as a double immigrant.   Deliah Lawrence: When did you first realize poetry was a p...