Robert Wolf is a writer and visual artist. In 1990 he co-founded Free River Press with Steven Meinbresse. Since then the press has published 29 titles with stories culled from writing workshops that Wolf has conducted across the country. Prior to Free River Press, Wolf was a columnist and feature writer for the Chicago Tribune. He was playwright-in-residence for the San Quentin Drama Workshop in Chicago and dramaturg for Chicago’s legendary Organic Theatre. In 1997, the Commonweal Theater of Minnesota commissioned his play, Heartland Portrait. His non-fiction works include The Triumph of Technique and Building the Agricultural City.
Bonnie was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. She moved to Chicago in 1968, where she very soon developed a large, enthusiastic following for her versatile voice. Bonnie’s style is a blend of folk, jazz, and blues. In 1973 Bonnie received the Illinois Governor’s Award for Best Singer. She has recorded 8 albums and 5 CDs. In the 1980s she starred in The Human Comedy, first produced Off Broadway, then on Broadway, by Joseph Papp’s Public Theater. She is an active printmaker, painter, and ceramicist. In the last eleven years she has exhibited in numerous shows, including a one-woman show at the Elmhurst Art Museum in Elmhurst, Illinois. In 1996 she composed in A Bestiary, capturing 13 beasts of the farm in a collection of linocuts, poetry, and song. In 2022, the songs were arranged for string quartet.In 1997 Bonnie was commissioned to write and perform a one-woman musical for the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Tom grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Motivated more by curiousity than good sense, he majored in Philosophy and went on to a Masters degree in that subject at the University of Iowa. After establishing and managing a small business in Waterloo Iowa, Tom went back to grad school at the University of Iowa for an M.A. in instructional technology. This led to a 20-year career with Xerox at its international training center in the Washington D.C. area. In that role, he helped pioneer the use of computer-based training and distance learning. Tom has a deep appreciation for the work of Robert Wolf in bringing otherwise unheard voices and stories to public notice. He is pleased to be able to apply his own technical skills in various ways to that good purpose.
As a teacher at Luther College, Cathy taught Public Speaking, Oral Interpretation, Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication Studies. Over the years she adapted, compiled, scripted and directed several performances including “The Laureates Speak,” “Of Writing, Bookmaking and Storying” and “Our Stories of Miscarriage: Healing with Words.” In 1999 Cathy researched, scripted and presented a one-woman reader’s theatre performance on Katharina von Bora, the wife of Martin Luther for church assemblies in the U.S. and Germany. In 2016 Cathy adapted and scripted River Days, a Free River Press anthology. She directed and performed in the production that toured northeast Iowa. Later she directed and performed in Robert Wolf’s drama, “Ragnarok: Doom of the Gods” for two summers at Decorah, Iowa’s “Nordic Fest.” As director of the Bridge Reader’s Theater company, Cathy has directed and performed in Driftless Dreams, Spring Garland, and Song of the Plains. Cathy says that “To adapt, script, direct and perform in adaptations of Free River Press works has allowed me to give a voice to those often unheard or ignored.”
Michael Lopez is a member of the Pueblo of Pojoaque. After working for several years in politics, including a stint in the United States Congress, Michael went to work for the Golden Spread Council Boy Scouts of America where he serves as the Golden Eagle Senior District Executive. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and was the 2009 New Mexico TRiO Acheiver of the Year award recipient. His autobiographical story, “Thinking Back to When I Was Young,”was published in the Free River Press anthology, Mixed Beans. Michael enjoys hunting, fishing, or anything outdoors. He also enjoys spending time with his three adult children (Athena, Abagale, & Michael); his grandson, Landen; his significant other Shaleigh; and Sasha the dog. In 2022, Michael became a Member of the Board for Free River Press.