This is Us

Joshua Davies

Joshua Davies has written poetry diligently and critically for over 30 years, beginning the work of publishing over the past year since his kids left home and graduated college. His website www.shukipoet.com and accompanying social media should be up and running by early 2021. He also works FT in the produce and sustainable foods and restaurant supplier industry, serving on the Board at TC Food Justice.   

Joshua has what he supposes is called an “eclectic” background, ranging from Antioch College through professional dance and theatre to martial arts, qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Also a singer and lyricist, he’s performed at charitable functions as part of a gospel music group and currently collaborates with other roots-oriented musicians. With parents who were astrologers and professional psychics, he continues the family business in his own fashion, facilitating occasional astrology sessions or lectures, as well as teaching qigong and TCM theory, and doing energy work sessions. He lives in Minnesota’s Saint Croix River Valley with his wife Melissa and their veritable menagerie of animals. 

Katie Vagnino

Katie Vagnino is a poet, educator, and writer currently based in Minneapolis, MN. She earned her M.F.A. from Emerson College and has taught creative writing at UW-Eau Claire, the Loft Literary Center, and many other places. Katie has written everything from essays and criticism to opera librettos and museum exhibition catalogs. Her poetry has appeared in more than a dozen literary journals and been featured on public transit. Her first book of poems, Imitation Crab, is forthcoming in 2021 from Finishing Line Press. Katie currently teaches Gris Literatura’s monthly poetry series, Masters of Poetry, and also serves as Chair of the Marketing Committee on the Board of the Directors for the Saint Paul Almanac. To learn more, please visit katievagnino.com.

David Bayliss

David Bayliss is a poet, musician, and freelance writer who resides in South Minneapolis. He has curated several regular monthly poetry readings throughout the Twin Cities, and is the founder and original host of Cracked Walnut’s popular Poets&Pints series. In March 2020 he founded the literary nonprofit Gris Literatura, which sponsors classes, workshops, readings, and events for both poets & lovers of poetry.

He is currently working on two manuscripts. His work can be found in Nice Cage, Autoanatta, Red Bird Chapbooks online publication, and the Martin Lake Review. He works exclusively in the medium of poetry as he has a very short attention span, even for his own work. In his free time he likes to discover new ways to make his guitar sound like barking animals.