Maria McLeod publishes poetry, fiction, monologues and plays, three of which have been performed on stage. She has performed as part of the following reading series and/or at these venues,: Orcas Island Lit Fest in Washington state; Public Pool, Hamtramck, Mich.; Poet as Art, Lucia Douglass Gallery, Bellingham, Wash.; Poetry Night, Bellingham, Wash.; Parkplace Books, Kirkland; Pittsburgh City Theatre; the Ceres Gallery in New York City; and the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. She received her MFA in poetry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995. Originally from the Detroit area, she lives in Bellingham, Washington, where she serves as an associate professor of journalism for Western Washington University. (photo credit - Cheryl Crooks)