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 28 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.
A philosopher by training, Tom wrote training manuals for Xerox before retiring to Decorah, Iowa. For several years he has been researching the thought of the physicist-philosopher Peter Putnam and preparing a collection of Putnam’s papers for publication. Tom is also an accomplished landscape painter. He wears many hats at Free River Press: treasurer, webmaster, proof-reader, and all around problem solver.
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.