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...