What We DoPublication
Back Roads Literary Review is a twice a year publication of vetted short stories. The Review is a product created by the Marion County Writers Workshop. Who we are Mike and Joann are writers who also own a commercial winery in Iowa, Nearwood Winery & Vineyards. The winery serves as home base for writers and their books. We host free, weekly meetings (in-person or online) of the Marion County Writers Workshop. Wine and writing just seem to go together. |
Story SubmissionsShort Story Submissions for the Spring 2025 Literary Review Now Closed. Check back in August 2025 for Autumn Submissions
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Michael Van Natta
Michael Van Natta is the Founder of Back Roads Literary Review. He has been writing fiction since 1996 and is the author of seven novels, including Leo’s Birds, and many short stories. He founded Scrivener’s Online Writing Workshop in 1998 to expand the workshop experience he received at the University of Iowa. He founded (2003) the Marion County Writers Workshop, has taught fiction courses at several Iowa Colleges and has been editor of several collegiate newspapers. He is a retired physician, owns and operates a winery, loves to cook, play golf, and fly fish. He is married and has three grown children. |
Joann Schissel
Joann turned to fiction writing in 2017 after retiring from her employment years working in marketing and graphic design. After years of crafting marketing copy, blogs, and website content, her husband, Michael, suggested writing to the weekly exercises of the Marion County Writers Workshop. She discovered the passion of storytelling and released her first novel, Before It’s Too Late, in May 2024, a work that started with a writing exercise. She enjoys writing women’s fiction and illustrating book covers. She uses the pen name of Joann Van Schiz. |
Stephen L. Brayton
Stephen started writing as a child and worked as an editor and reporter during his academic years. He wrote his first book in his early twenties. His specialty is crime stories and he has completed five books in the Mallory Petersen series; a stand-alone private investigator novel, New Year Gone; and works published in numerous anthologies as well as poems in Lyrical Iowa. Steve is a Sixth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor in the American Taekwondo Association. He is a long-time member of the Marion County Writers Workshop. Find more at www.stephenbrayton.wordpress.com |
Teresa Tallman
Teresa is a retired Engineer and has written both fiction and non-fiction. A proponent of STEM learning, Teresa has published articles for educators and children’s books introducing math concepts. She is the author of What Mean Means? And What Vary Means? She has published short stories and novels with genres of historical paranormal, futuristic science fiction, and currently writes cozy mystery series featuring a lovable protagonist named Myrtle Glubber. Teresa uses the pen name of Phillipa Wozniak. She and her husband live in Arizona, and both are members of the Marion County Writers Workshop. |
Mary Walker
Mary has experience in writing and publishing several healthcare related articles and books. She has been a participant in the Marion County Writer’s Workshop for over 10 years where she has critiqued poems, short stories, and novels. Her experience also includes contributing to and editing a group project novel set in Marion County Iowa. Mary has written numerous short stories and is currently working on a cozy mystery. |
Elin Babcock
Elin holds an MFA and has been an educator, associate editor, mentor, and artist. Elin believes creativity is a birthright. She has built artistic bridges from one discipline to another: painting with sculpting. Sculptures with poems; poetry with play writing; art with psychology; teaching with lifetime learning. She was on a team that published A Pocketful of Dreams, Five volumes of Storytellers around the World and a children’s book Campfires Tales. Elin lives in Oregon, and is a member of the Marion County Writers Workshop. |