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Presenters

2025 Speaker Bios 

 

Close-up of Bob Balmer smiling in a blue shirt.Bob Balmer

Bob Balmer’s work has appeared in the Smithsonian, Golf Illustrated, the Seattle Times, ZYZZYVA, Oregon Coast Magazine, and other publications. His stories have aired on MarketPlace, The Savvy Traveler, and Oregon Public Broadcasting. He has led writing workshops across the West Coast for nine years and continues to study comedy writing at Second City (Chicago), Kickstand Comedy, and Curious Comedy (Portland). Bob meets monthly with a writing mentor, belongs to a writing group, and enjoys collaborating with fellow writers.

 

Rick Bleiweiss in a black wide-brimmed hat and black t-shirt standing outdoors with green trees in the background.Rick Bleiweiss

Rick Bleiweiss is an award-winning novelist and Head of New Business Development at Blackstone Publishing. His books, including Pignon Scorbion & The Barbershop Detectives and Murder in Haxford, have earned multiple national and international honors and reached #1 on Amazon. He’s contributed to Psychology Today, Writer’s Digest, Strand Mystery Magazine, and more, and his short stories appear in every volume of the Music, Murder & Mystery anthology series. Rick also hosts the YouTube series Chapter & Verse, interviewing authors, agents, and celebrities. In 2025, he received the Career Changers Award and was a finalist for International Impact’s Author of the Year.

At Blackstone for over 17 years, Rick helped launch their book, eBook, film/TV, and foreign rights divisions, acquiring works from renowned authors and celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Rex Pickett, Robert Downey Jr., and Gabriel García Márquez. He’s been featured in NPR, Yahoo Finance, Publishers Weekly, and more, and has served on boards for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland Independent Film Festival, and Southern Oregon University. Rick holds degrees from NYU, attended Harvard’s executive business program, co-founded Baruch College’s Sports & Entertainment Marketing program, and frequently lectures at universities, libraries, and conferences. 

 

Mary Boone with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing glasses and a black shirt, standing against a white wall.Mary Boone

Mary Boone has written over 70 nonfiction books for young readers, including Unfathomable (Penguin Random House), Flying Feminist (Andersen Press), Pedal Pusher (Henry Holt), School of Fish (Albert Whitman), and Bugs for Breakfast (Chicago Review Press). Her writing spans books, magazine articles, park placards, and even eulogies.

A former creative writing instructor at Tacoma School of the Arts, Mary frequently presents at writing and library conferences. She works from her home office, which she shares with a stubborn Airedale terrier named Ruthie Bader.

 

Tara Campbell with long hair in a red shirt and silver jewelry, seated at a turquoise table; gray wall and orange structure in the background.Tara Campbell

Tara Campbell is an award-winning writer, teacher, and Kimbilio Fellow, with an MFA in Creative Writing from American University. She’s the fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse, and her work has appeared in Masters Review, Electric Literature, CRAFT Literary, Strange Horizons, Escape Pod, and more. She’s the author of six books, including the eco sci-fi novel TreeVolution, hybrid poetry-prose collections, and short story collections from Aqueduct Press. Her latest, City of Dancing Gargoyles (SFWP), was a finalist for the 2025 Philip K. Dick Award and featured in Reactor Magazine’s Best Books of 2024.

Tara teaches creative writing at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Clarion West, The Writer’s Center, and Hugo House. Learn more at www.taracampbell.com or connect with her on Bluesky (@TaraCampbell.bsky.social), X/Twitter (@TaraCampbellCom), Instagram & Threads (@thetreevolution), Facebook (@CampbellTaraP), and Mastodon (@TaraCampbell@writing.exchange).

 

Denise Frisino with hair hair pulled back, wearing a green jacket and scarf, and pearl earrings; dark backgroundDenise Frisino

Denise Frisino began her entertainment career at age five, performing on stage and on camera. Her live credits include The Comedy Store (L.A.), A.C.T. (San Francisco), and Seattle theaters. With years in film and TV production, she also served on the AFTRA & SAG Northwest Chapter board. An award-winning teacher, author, screenwriter, director, and actor, Denise brings a performer’s insight to storytelling—mastering character development, pacing, dialogue, and visual detail.

A Seattle native, Denise has written for stage, film, commercials, blogs, and books. Her historical fiction novel Storms From A Clear Sky won First Place in the Hemingway 20th Century Wartime Fiction Awards. 

 

Photo of Alle Hall.Alle C. Hall

Since 1995, Alle C. Hall has helped writers navigate the publishing world through the lens of their evolving career goals. Her debut novel, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back, has received 16 honors, including a nomination for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and recognition from Harborview Sexual Assault Center and The Meadows.

You can connect with her on Facebook. 

 

 

Leslie Hall with shoulder-length blonde hair in a navy blazer and white shirt, standing with arms crossed in a warmly lit library.Leslie Hall

Leslie J. Hall is the author of the Kaitlyn Willis Road Signs Mysteries, a humorous, PG-rated amateur sleuth series featuring a Northwest code enforcement officer. Her short story A Strange Rain will appear in the upcoming anthology Better Off Dead: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin (December 2025). She also writes women’s fiction and enjoys sharing her passion for writing through speaking and teaching.

Leslie teaches beginning writing at community colleges, leads Write Night—a weekly virtual critique group—and volunteers at writer-focused events. When not writing, she’s likely reading at the beach in Bremerton, WA, where she lives with her husband and rescue cat, Mia. Learn more at www.lesliejhall.com.

 

HR Heghauer in a dark jacket and plaid shirt standing outdoors with driftwood and a cloudy sky in the background.HR Hegnauer

HR Hegnauer is a designer, writer, and creative professional specializing in book and web design for authors, artists, and independent publishers. As owner of a design studio, she has designed over 350 books, including award-winning covers and interiors for both print and digital formats. A top-ranked website designer and Squarespace Circle Gold Level Member, HR is in the top 8% of over 100,000 professional Squarespace designers worldwide. With over a decade of experience, she builds intuitive websites that help authors grow their digital presence.

She is the author of When the Bird is Not a Human (Subito Press) and Sir (Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs), and holds an MFA in Writing & Poetics from Naropa University and an MBA from the University of Denver. HR’s collaborative approach ensures each project amplifies the creator’s unique voice. Learn more at hrhegnauer.com, or connect via LinkedIn.

 

Valerie Ishan with red hair wearing a sleeveless black and white patterned top, circular pendant necklace, and green earrings, sitting on outdoor steps.Valerie Ihsan

Valerie Ihsan is a book coach for mission-driven entrepreneurs, coaches, and creatives who are ready to share their message through the written word. With over a decade of experience in developmental editing and story analysis, she helps first-time authors transform their expertise into clear, compelling, soul-aligned books. Valerie blends intuitive practices with actionable strategy to support the full writing journey—from creative spark to published work. She’s also an author, editor, podcaster, and a certified life coach who believes in the power of storytelling to heal, connect, and lead. 

 

Photo of Bronwyn ScottBronwyn Scott

Bronwyn Scott is celebrating 16 years as a writer for Harlequin and Mills & Boon, with her 75th release, How to Tempt an Earl, out in June 2025. Her latest novel, How to Seduce a Viscount, arrives in October. Her novella Dancing with the Duke’s Heir—featured in the Christmas anthologies 'The Grinch Who Stole Her Heart' and 'Scandal at the Christmas Ball'—was a RITA finalist, and Unwrapping His Festive Temptation was a Bookseller’s Best finalist.

Bronwyn enjoys history, travel, and learning languages. The New York Times praised her novel Liaison with the Champagne Count as “an elemental little masterpiece.” She does her best brainstorming while walking her two dogs, Benjamin the A-Ben-Jer and Steve Rogers.

 

Photo of Shama Shams with short gray hair in a dark red blazer and black shirt, standing against a plain gray background.Shama Shams

Shama Shams is a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and nonprofit advocate with an MA from Florida State University. Her memoir, She Called Me Throwaway (2024), received Honorable Mention at NBR’s writing contest and explores her journey from a difficult childhood to healing. Her next book, Dreamers: The Search for the American Dream, is under contract for release in 2026.

Shama hosts the podcast From Passion to Purpose and teaches courses on nonprofit fundamentals, writing, and storytelling.

 

Photo of Star Wuerdemann with shoulder-length hair wearing a light jacket, dark top, and necklace, standing indoors with greenery visible through a window.Star Wuerdemann

Star Wuerdemann is a writer and an educator who resides in the hinterland between Tacoma and Olympia, Washington. She is a longtime student of Natalie Goldberg, a graduate of The Loft Literary Center’s Year-Long Novel Project, and a Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference alum. She has published several articles on Jane Friedman’s blog. Star has taught in a variety of capacities for over twenty years, including graduate classes at Maryland University of Integrative Health. Star currently leads Book Studies and the (Nearly) Silent Writers’ Club at Browsers Bookshop in Olympia, WA. Find her at www.starwuerdemann.com.