Cody (W.C.) Banning is a SAG-eligible actor, writer, director and artist from Fort Smith, Ark. He is heavily influenced by the comics and books of his childhood and the fantastic places they took him. Banning lives in Fort Smith with his wife, two children and a cadre of dogs and cats where he is the Co-Executive Director of the River Valley Literary Society.

Sara Putman is an educator turned small business owner when she retired from the classroom full time in 2018 to open Bookish: An Indie Shop For Folks Who Read in Downtown Fort Smith, AR. When Sara isn't reading, teaching, or running the shop, she enjoys art museums, music, and a good road trip. 

Tina Alvey Dale is an award-winning journalist, currently writing for Talk Business & Politics and the Business Journal. Her former nationally syndicated column "Treasures" won several awards for humor and lifestyle column writing, but she now satisfies her need to enlighten and inform by covering government and education through basic and investigative journalism.
Dale is also very active at the Fort Smith Little Theatre, where she has spent the last 12 years acting in many productions and volunteering wherever needed. She has performed in more than 20 plays on stage at FSLT, and served two terms on the board of directors. She is the 2024 president of the FSLT board. Three years ago, she added directing to her resume and has directed three full-length plays at the theater. She will be directing a political satire, "The Outsider," in the fall.
Because her daughter is living in Leeds, UK, while working towards her doctorate in history at the University of Leeds, Dale has dreams of spending time in a cozy English cottage while writing the next best-selling thriller and letting her daughter show her the sights. She has some storylines and thoughts jotted down. We'll just have to see what happens next.

Carol Sikes is a native of Fort Smith and is excited to contribute to her community through the River
Valley Literary Society. She currently works as a planning specialist at ArcBest after a ten-year career as a
band director in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Carol has been an active writer and musician
throughout her life, from composing short stories in grade school to an original film score in college. Her
varied “writing” skills include marching arts choreography and drill as well as music of all kinds.
Journaling continues to be her preferred therapy and self-care medium. Carol is a staff pianist at
Greenwood First Baptist Church, an active board member of the Fort Smith Chorale, a supplemental
board member of the Fort Smith Little Theater, and participates in the River Valley Community Band.

Ciara is a Fort Smith native married to her elementary school sweetheart, Brandon. Together they have two boys, Clark and Oliver; and Brutus, the Craigslist wonderdog. Ciara began her career in banking when she was 19 as a switchboard operator. She’s worn many hats throughout her career including manager, trainer, licensed life insurance agent, operational compliance, and most recently program governance over BSA/ Anti-Money Laundering at Arvest Bank. 

Ciara enjoys escaping the serious nature of her job by writing and storytelling. Poetry is her favorite because it is delightfully lawless. Her writing captures the beauty of ordinary things and the joy of human existence. Her goal is to aid in building programs to strengthen literacy in and around the River Valley and create spaces that encourage others to be authentically themselves.
 

Paris based writer and artist, LaKay Dailey, started her professional career as a surgical
technologist, then, worked in education while earning a degree in Professional Studies
in Public Relations.
She first discovered her love for writing poetry during her adolescent years. Her
writing skills have evolved through college courses and a personal blog. It wasn’t until
later in life when she committed to her passion for writing. She is currently pursuing
her first non-fiction book.
She is also a self-taught artist who paints in oils, watercolors. and pastels. Her art has
been on exhibit in local venues and juried into the Artist of Northwest Arkansas
Members Exhibit at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center, University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville, and Stage 18 Winter Small Works Exhibit, in downtown Fayetteville.
Through her compassion for others, particularly the underserved, LaKay has fostered
women’s nonprofits, literary & visual arts, children’s education and wellbeing. Her
civic outreach has included establishing a women’s group that focused on community
service for women; founding an Art Walk: Art At The Springs where she was
spotlighted on KUAF – Ozarks At Large; presenting an online cooking
demonstration for Kingdom Women Global Hub, and a variety of volunteer work for
women’s groups; art centers and churches.
She enjoys spending time with her family; reading; writing; art collaborations;
hiking/walking; exploring nature; gardening; photography and sharing her gifts with
others.