Writer Bios

Ada Limón is the author of, most recently, The Carrying, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, and Bright Dead Things, which was named a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Kingsley Tufts Award, and was named one of the Top Ten Poetry Books of 2015 by The New York Times. Her previous collections include Sharks in the Rivers, Lucky Wreck, and This Big Fake World. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and American Poetry Review, among others. She serves on the faculty of the Queens University of Charlotte Low Residency MFA program, and the 24Pearl Street online program for the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center. She also works as a freelance writer and lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Susan L. Maros (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is an affiliate assistant professor of Christian leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary, where she has also served as a doctoral supervisor, and an adjunct professor at the King's University, Southlake, Texas. She is a past president of the Academy of Religious Leadership.

Karen Wright Marsh is executive director and cofounder of Theological Horizons, a university ministry that has advanced theological scholarship at the intersection of faith, thought, and life since 1991. Karen directs daily programs, writes resources and curriculum, teaches weekly classes, mentors students, leads the staff, and speaks at retreats, churches, and campus ministries. She holds degrees in philosophy and linguistics from Wheaton College and the University of Virginia. Karen lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, Charles Marsh.

Melodie Marske has served on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship since 1988, beginning as a part-time administrator and part-time Campus Staff Minister. After serving undergrad students at the University of Michigan for several years, she began working with graduate students at the University of Michigan. She received her MA in Biblical Studies at Trinity School for Ministry in Pittsburgh in 2003. Melodie became a Team Leader for Graduate & Faculty Ministries in 2005, then an Area Ministry Director in 2007. In July 2014, she began serving as the GFM Midwest Regional Director. 

Melodie is an avid runner, usually running half marathons each spring and fall. She enjoys time outdoors, visiting campus coffee shops, and reading both fiction and theology. Legolas & Gimli, her two cats, keep her entertained at home and are always glad to welcome guests.

D.L. Mayfield lives and writes on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon with her husband and two small children. Her first book of essays, Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith was released by HarperOne in 2016. Her second book, The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power will be released in April 2020. Her writing has appeared in a variety of places, including McSweeneys, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Washington Post, Image Journal, Vox, and The Rumpus, among many others. She is trying very hard to be a good neighbor.

Jenny McGill (PhD, King's College London) is a dean at Indiana Wesleyan University and adjunct faculty member at Dallas Theological Seminary. A Fulbright recipient, she has worked as an international educator and intercultural consultant with clients and students from over sixty nations. Connect with her at jennymcgill.com and @drjennymcgill.