Judith Nichols began writing poems about Costa Rica and Nicaragua in 1987 while living in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Returning to Central American many times in the years that followed, she published Blood Moon, Bright Stars in 2016 after becoming Executive Director of Artists for Soup, a non-profit organization that partners with Nicaraguan women who use agroecology and art to help communities strengthen food security, nutrition, care for the earth, and the local economy.                              William Nichols first visited Nicaragua in 1987, after visiting Judith in Costa Rica. His published essays focus on autobiography, poverty, violence, criminal justice, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, African American literature, Native American oral traditions, nuclear technology, ecology, and college social life. His most recent book is Finding Fox Creek: An Oregon Pilgrimage (2015)