Joan Spilman holds a MFA in Creative Writing from Wichita State where she won the fellowship. Her short novella, "The Establishing Witness," with both the George Garrett Price for Best Prose and the Mikrokosmos Award judged by Janet Peery. She has published short stories in The Laurel Review, the Carriage House Review, The Southern Review, Short Story International, Willow Springs and many others. She has received a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award judged by Jayne Anne Phillips and the John Maier Award at Marshall University. Kirkus Review gave her YA fantasy, "Sansablatt Head" five stars and called it a "masterfully woven adventure." She's also written books for young readers about zombie ducks, under the general title of The Waddling Dead.