JUDGES
Matthew Arnold Stern is a Southern California native who grew up in Reseda and lives in Orange County. He earned awards for his writing and public speaking, including Distinguished Toastmaster and an Award of Excellence from the International Online Communications Competition. His published books include Mastering Table Topics (2012) and the novel Amiga (2019).
Lianne Bennett received her BA from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia and her M. Ed. From University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. She has taught middle school and high school reading for 33 years and currently works with ESE students and their parents. Lianne is also an archaeology educator, writing and editing curriculum and teaching workshops for Project Archaeology. In her down time, Lianne likes to spend time at the beach, bird watch, and read at the beach.
Teresa Ammons Crew is a lifelong educator who holds a Ph.D. in Creative Writing. She resides in upstate South Carolina with her family.
Amy Sampson-Cutler, author of “A Shadow of Love” and upcoming “To Have and to Hold, To Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls,” is a writer who earned her master’s degree in creative writing from Goddard College. Her work can be found in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work, Tales to Terrify, wow-women on writing, the Pitkin Review and more. She is the Executive Manager at Mount Peter Ski Area, where she grew up skiing in the winter and dreaming up stories in the summer. Her favorite days are spent knocking around story ideas with her husband. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, and a ridiculous amount of furry family members. She can be contacted through AmysHippieHut.com.
Gary P. Jones was a police officer in Florida for thirty-six plus years. He was employed with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department from 1967 until 1993, when he retired with the rank of Captain. While he was with Fort Lauderdale P.D he was twice named Police Officer of the year, by two different civilian organizations. He also earned a B.A. Degree in Criminal Justice (1981) at Biscayne College (Miami Gardens, Florida). Biscayne College eventually changed its name to St. Thomas University (STU). He also was employed with the Florida Department of Insurance/Division of Insurance Fraud from 1993 until 2003, when he also retired with the rank of Captain. After he retired from the law enforcement profession Captain Jones devoted his time and efforts to doing volunteer work mostly in his community, but also in Washington D.C. In Washington D.C. he was a law enforcement Ambassador with the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). He helped them get the word out about the Memorial itself, and about the new Law Enforcement Museum that they were building, and which is now a reality. He also was a volunteer at his local 211, which is the nationwide hotline for individuals needing help and/or referrals (for services). In addition to handling calls via 211, he also was responsible for taking calls on the Suicide Hotline too. He volunteered with 211 for a number of years, and in 2008 the local 211 named him their Volunteer of he Year. He also volunteered with his local Guardian ad Litem Program. These volunteers, including Captain Jones, advocate for children who have been abused, neglected and/or abandoned. Captain Jones is also a published author and he has written two non-fiction (true crime) books. www.badge149.com
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