ASBR Contributors

Jessica Luther is a freelance writer and editor, as well as a Toledo, Ohio native. She attended the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and graduated cum laude with a degree in print journalism in 2005. Since then, she has written for the Toledo City Paper and the Toledo Business Journal, as well as working as writer and managing editor for the Toledo edition of Abec’s Small Business Review.

In 2008, she won the Press Club of Toledo Touchstone Award for Excellence in Journalism for her story “Toledo’s Red Light Special” in the Toledo City Paper, about the use of red light cameras in the area.

For Jessica, the best part of compiling this book and working for Abec’s Small Business Review in general is meeting new and interesting people, and giving them a chance to share their stories. She hopes to continue creating stories that honor and encourage small business ownership.

Karen Seelenbinder has had over 50 human interest stories published with Abec’s Small Business Review. She has a passion for the small business owner and digging deep to find out who this entrepreneur is. With this personal touch, each story holds an element of surprise and offers life changing solutions to personal battles.

In addition to being an editor for Abec’s Small Business Review, Karen is an avid writer for God specializing in children’s picture books, storybooks and middle grade novels. The common denominator in each story is the focus on one or two Bible verses and manifesting them within the lives of the characters.

Karen had her first picture book, The Wall They Could Not See, published in 2007. She lives in Columbus, Ohio and plays clarinet in the church’s orchestra.

Currently, Karen has three illustrated storybooks under review for publication and a children’s picture book and middle grade novel in the works.

Karen is a popular speaker in schools, churches and small community groups. She can be reached at karenseelenbinder@sbcglobal.net

Joyce Lancaster is a lifelong resident of the greater Ann Arbor area, a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, and has been with Abec’s Small Business Review since March 2009. She is a substitute teacher for Washtenaw and Lenawee schools. In her free time she enjoys writing and performing original songs, singing with the TCA Big Band, acting with the Tecumseh Players, and spending time with her husband, four children, family and friends.

Originally born in Canton, Ohio, Mary Runser earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Kent State University. She moved to Ypsilanti Michigan to work on her Master’s in Women’s Studies, with concentrations in African-American Literature and Political Science, at Eastern Michigan University. She liked the area and decided to stay, living in Ann Arbor. In addition to writing for Abec’s Small Business Review, Mary also writes for the Crazy Wisdom Community Journal. Writing has always been a part of her life, whether journaling or writing creatively. She is currently working on a novel. Her other interests are in photography and music. She manages a local Ann Arbor band called Stolen Moments. With her father, two sisters, niece, great-niece, and great-nephews still in Ohio, she travels frequently to visit. When not writing or booking gigs for her band in local venues, Mary likes to spend time in the water, either swimming or sailing.

Patricia Morrison is a freelance journalist, poet and editor. Besides appearing in Abec’s Small Business Review, her work has recently been published in The Chimes, a weekly college newspaper, and The ReCap, an annual national literary magazine. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of the Arts degree with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies emphasizing design, marketing and journalism at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. In addition to writing for ASBR, writing for and editing The Chimes and attending her classes at Capital, Patricia competes on Capital’s interscholastic CEDA debate team, is a member in good standing of Beta Beta Beta Xi Tau Chapter Biological and Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha Forensic national honorary societies and enjoys creating amateur art especially paintings, photographs and jewelry. One of Patricia’s favorite ways to spend her free time is working with and showing her beloved American Paint Horse, TC In It To Win It.

Katie Milewski is new to Abec’s Small Business Review, but not new to the field of journalism. She loves feature writing and getting to know more about the people behind a business and a story. After editing her high school publications and contributing to them with writing, photography and design, she plans on taking journalism even further. She’s majoring in both journalism and theater and minoring in psychology at Eastern Michigan University where she is a junior. At Eastern, she writes, takes photos and is the design chief for their independent newspaper, The Eastern Echo, as well as a competitor for the school’s nationally ranked Forensics Team.

In addition to working, competing and studying, Katie loves reading and writing creatively, cheering for her favorite soccer teams, shopping and is overly obsessed with film. She loves watching her favorites, both old and new, with her roommate Dannielle, boyfriend Jordan or her parents.

Gia Reynolds graduated from Ohio University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in English. In college, she served as managing editor of Sphere, OU’s undergraduate literary magazine. Having completed an internship at W. W. Norton & Company, a publishing house in New York City, Gia has recently moved back to her hometown of Dublin, Ohio. As a writer for Abec’s Small Business Review and a freelance writer and editor, Gia is establishing herself in the Columbus publishing scene. She has been honored for her writing with the Virginia Knecht Memorial Scholarship for English Majors and is a member of the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa.

In addition to her passion for writing, Gia is also passionate about education and loves helping others achieve their personal and professional goals through education. She worked as a writing tutor at OU and is certified as an ESOL tutor by the Columbus Literacy Council. When she isn’t writing or tutoring, Gia enjoys spending time with her family and her fiancé, Mike, an English teacher.