Naruto – Write on the World

Olivia J. Bennett (she/they) is the award-winning author of the novel, Casually Homicidal. In 2018, her flash fiction “Clutching Roses” was awarded a National Gold Medal from Scholastic Art & Writing, and her creative nonfiction and short stories have been published in literary journals such as Euphemism and Outrageous Fortune.

Their writing has been described as “visceral, honest, and evocative” and “gritty, yet poetic,” and their work often explores themes of mental health, being an eldest daughter, and overcoming past trauma. She loves to include morally-gray female heroines, atmospheric settings, and genre-bending horror in her contemporary, fantasy, and science fiction works.

When not creating, Olivia is most likely baking cookies, binge-watching Naruto or Lost with their partner, or cuddling their two cats, Baloo and Bagheera. She can be found somewhere between the corn and the big blue sky in Illinois.

Continue reading →

Akil O. Smith is a Florida-based writer of sci-fi, poetry, and drama. He is the author of ALAM Beginnings, an award-winning science fiction novel set in the mid-80s.

ALAM Beginnings is the story of a young boy who has already weathered unimaginable loss as he wrestles with the sudden return of his mother, previously believed dead but now alive under mysterious circumstances. It is set in the far reaches of the Andromeda galaxy where a relentless conflict rages between the ruthless Rigions and the courageous Zorians. Get your copy today!

Q: When did you first catch the writing bug? What drove you to persist?
A: I think the verdict is still out to say I’ve caught the writing bug. Mainly because I do have stories I feel will work better as film and all. However, all praise goes to my mom as I had dreams of the characters I am writing now. Tiyshio, Shawn, Nighcos were all people who showed up in my dreams and ever since I told her about those dreams, and her telling me to put it in a journal I have only continued to do such even so now. With any projects that come to mind.

Continue reading →