Windward Review Vol. 20 (2022): Beginnings and Endings

Azrael Montoya: “I was born in
Corpus Christi, Texas on February
6, 1990. I love city life and
everything it brings. My poetry
collection, The Trial (A Collection
of Poems On Existence and God),
was published in the 2020
anthology of Corpus Christi Writers.
I would like to pose a thank you
to my inspirations Bob Dylan and
Townes Van Zandt. With time and
space I will get a little better.”
Jesus Fernando Ochoa Arreola
is a bilingual poet and fiction
writer from the borderland area
of Juarez and El Paso, Texas,
and a cum laude graduate with
a Bachelor’s degree in Creative
Writing from the University of
Texas at El Paso. As an introvert
and an admirer of the spices
of human emotion, he writes
to be remembered. Besides his
interest in the literary arts, he
also enjoys listening to the music
of X Japan and Sonata Arctica.
Daniel Rodrigues-Martin is an author and
editor. His non-professional works have been
published by The St. Petersburg Times, Scribophile.
com, Area of Effect Magazine, GeeksUnderGrace.
com, and others. He has earned accolades from
The League of Utah Writers and The Writers
of the Future Contest. His serialized short, The
Quantum Fall of Thaddeus Archibald DuBois, is
available on Amazon and he is currently seeking
representation for his fourth completed novel.
Before the pandemic, he frequently presented at
writers’ conferences and workshops in northern
Utah. He and NB are still friends.
Liz Torres Shannon is a memoirist and graduate
student at the University of Texas at El Paso. She
is the author of The Bear and the Penis: in ordinary
lives, live extraordinary stories. In addition, Liz has
had a six-word memoir published in Six Words
Fresh Off the Boat Stories of Immigration, Identity,
and Coming to America, from the New York Times
bestselling six-word memoir series in 2017.
Liz enjoys reading, writing, Mexican food, and
spending time with her three grandsons, Roon,
Bubby, and Leo.
Elizabeth Motes studies English and Creative
Writing at Trinity University. Her story “When a Door
Closes” is featured in the Venus Rising anthology,
which is now available to purchase on Amazon.
Additionally, her story “Perfect Memory” was
published in the Outrageous Fortune Magazine, and
the Trinity Review has published her pieces “Haunted,”
“Home for Christmas,” and “Ghost Girl.” In her free
time, she writes fantasy novels. Follow her Instagram
@emotes.writes for writing tips and updates.
Ron Pullins is a fiction writer, playwright, and poet
working in Tucson AZ. His works in fiction, poetry
and drama have been published in numerous journals
including Typishly, Southwest Review, Shenandoah, etc. A
list can be found at www.pullins.com.
Rod Carlos Rodriguez has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing
from the University of Texas at El Paso. He is also an
award-winning poet who has been writing for over
40 years. He has 3 books of poetry published and is
founder/chair of the Sun Poet’s Society, South Texas’s
longest running weekly open-mic poetry reading
(1995-2022). He was nominated for the San Antonio
Poet Laureate in April 2012, April 2014, April 2016,
and April 2018. He was the poetry editor for Ocotillo
Review, a literary journal/periodical and he is the editor
of the Texas Poetry Calendar 2023 (Kallisto Gaia Press).
Swapna Sanchita is a poet, a
writer, and an educator who studied
engineering in college and went on
to obtain a degree in management.
Her collection of poems, Des Vu, was
published in June 21 (2021) and was
a bestseller on Amazon India. She has
contributed to a number of anthologies
and journals. She lives in Ranchi, India
with her husband and two sons and
loves chocolate, coffee, and books, not
necessarily in that order.
M. Alis Spencer is an avid trierof-new-things
and nomad who has
visited all 50 states and lived in
seven. Currently she can be found
most days in New Jersey where
she spends time pursuing an MFA
in creative writing, painting, hiking,
and catering to the every whim of
two sweet, old Great Danes.
175 Windward Review Volume 20