Helen Harlan is a Sac native and former Los Angeles actor, writer and Hollywood-y showbiz assistant. She holds a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a dues-paid-up SAG card. For four semesters from 2022-2023, she was a staff writer and then the News Editor at The Cosumnes River College Connection She is a lifelong Seinfeld enthusiast and lives in Oak Park with her two cats, Bob Sacamano and The Boy Named Sue.

Marie-Elena Schembri is an award-winning journalist reporting on education, art, culture and community-facing issues. She lives in the Sierra foothills and is associate editor for the weekly Calaveras Enterprise Newspaper.

Gabriel Teague is a multi-disciplinary creative dedicated to visual storytelling. Most recently as art director for Sacramento Magazine, he thrives in transforming concepts and themes into visually captivating stories. He holds a BS in graphic design and a BA in photography from Sacramento State University. He also completed an MA in visual communication from the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. When not globe-trotting or adventure-seeking, he can be found living and working in Northern California.

Sasha Abramsky is a Sacramento-based freelance journalist. He is the Western correspondent for The Nation Magazine and has written nine books, the latest being “Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar.”

Marybeth Bizjak is a writer who specializes in dining, restaurants, chefs and all things food-related. Before moving to Sacramento in 1990, she lived and worked in Washington, D.C., London and San Francisco and wrote for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, TV Guide, Women’s Wear Daily, W and Premiere. She’s also the author of a book, “Coffee Crazy: A Guide to the 100 Best Coffeehouses in America.”

Ashley Tongol is currently the social media coordinator for UC Davis Student Affairs and Communications where she manages their social media platforms and collaborates on all aspects of content creation. She graduated from UC Davis in summer of 2021 where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema & Digital Media, as well as a minor in English and a minor in Global Studies with an emphasis in “Asian Culture Portrayed Through Artistic Mediums.” Following graduation, she worked with UC Davis Athletics as a Digital Media Fellow for two years. 

Margaret Shakespeare writes about archaeology, agriculture, design, hospitality, baseball, music, wildlife, the environment, cultural history, remote destinations and more — often entwining several of her interests to tell compelling stories. Her work has been published by The New York Times, Wine and Spirits, Discover, Wildlife Conservation, Opera News, leading university alumni magazines and many other national consumer and trade publications. She is a long-time contributor to Landscape Architecture Magazine and the author of several books. Her passport has been stamped at over a hundred foreign borders. She lives in New York City and on the North Fork of Long Island in a quirky 200-year-old farmhouse.

Melissa LuVisi is a writer, entrepreneur and advocate. She is the recipient of the 2022 Sacramento Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business award and is highlighted in Crunchbase’s 2023 list of Influential Women in Sales Melissa regularly writes and is quoted as an expert in top publications, contributing to conversations around the arts, business, women, and healthcare tech. Her strategic contributions helped secure the receipt of the Inc. 5000 2022 & 2023 awards. She helped develop the Sustainable Life Project, a nonprofit for transitioning foster youth, and sits on the board of De Colores Art, a nonprofit serving neurodiverse artists and students. 

Andrew Rose is a writer and educator who lives in Natomas with his wife Cecy. His work has appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, Modesto Bee, Citrus Heights Messenger and other publications. In addition he has written “Where does a clown go?” a book on his experiences as a circus performer.

James Stout is a journalist and former bike racer whose work has appeared in The Nation, National Geographic, and Mother Jones.