The Fiction Sessions

E.M. Tran is the author of the novel, Daughters of the New Year. Her stories, essays, and reviews can be found in Oxford American, Literary Hub, Joyland Magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. Her essay for Prairie Schooner won a Nonfiction Prize, a Glenna Luschei Award, and was listed as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2018. She completed an MFA at the University of Mississippi and a PhD in English and Creative Writing at Ohio University. She was born, raised, and currently lives in New Orleans, Louisiana with her family.

Barbara Lynn Cantone is a NYS-licensed massage therapist and aesthetician, a nationally certified clinical aromatherapist, private end-of-life doula, and ordained minister. She has founded and operated two wellness companies during her career, Body & Soul Restorations and Sojourner Wellness. She is currently working on completing her first novel and major work of fiction, The Trials of St. Christina, while continuing to teach, research, and publish wellness-based articles and presentations under the umbrella of her latest endeavor, Salty Oyster Media.

Daphne Armbruster is an emerging writer native to New Orleans. Her work revolves around girlhood and gayhood—the glamour, grit, guilt, and joy of queer life. Along with writing, she is an actress involved in the local theatre and film scenes. She is currently working on her debut novel. Find her on Instagram @dapheyduck.

Amber Sanchez is a fiction writer from the "Witch City" of Salem, Massachusetts. When she's not doing preservation work, she loves reading ghost stories and learning about lesser known historic events.

Elizabeth Prats is a Cuban-American writer, illustrator, and marketing pro. A former literary agency reader and book publicist turned Senior Account Director at an award-winning communications agency, she writes middle grade and young adult fiction featuring epic adventures and fierce Latina heroines. Based in New Orleans with her two cats, Elizabeth finds inspiration strolling the French Quarter with an iced latte or savoring jamón ibérico on Spain’s coast. Find her at @artlizified on Instagram, @lizified on BlueSky, and www.elizabethprats.com.

Fritz Westenberger was born and raised in New Orleans. His first and only published book was a monograph for a noted designer, but as a ghost writer, so he can’t say who she/he/they is/are.  With his new work, The St Charles Bible, Fritz is again a ghost writer, but this time it’s about a ghost, so he can use his own name. Fritz Westenberger can be found on Instagram at @fritz44.

John R. Greene was born and raised in New Orleans. He attended the University of New Orleans and worked as a professional archaeologist for nearly 20 years before changing careers and becoming a professional geologist. He has an abiding love for the archaeology, history, culture, geology, and geography of New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana matched by a passion for music and travel. He lives on a small farm on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain with his wife, Patti, their dog, Elly, and two horses.