General Nonfiction

I relocated to Woodland Park from the Parker, Colorado area in 2010, and then moved again to Cripple Creek in 2017. I have written several outdoor photography books, including a large body of work from the Pikes Peak area.

I am a science journalist and author of a book about the history of humanity's relationship with the Moon. I grew up in Denver, graduated from Colorado State University, and am raising my family in Colorado Springs. I write for national magazines and my book is being published in multiple languages. I would love to be able to share it with my own neighbors and to see it in my own public library!

I am author of Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are, publishing Jan. 16, 2024, from Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random House International.

I also write articles for Scientific American magazine, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Atlas Obscura, and many others.

Chris Janssen, MA, BCC, is a board-certified life coach with a master's in counseling psychology, whose unique style has energized hundreds of clients to close the gap between where they are and where they want to be.

A California native, Chris lives with her husband since 1995, Scott. They currently live in Castle Rock, Colorado, where they love to ski, golf, be with their horses, and adventure outside. Together they raised three children, now thriving young adults. Chris and her husband moved to the Castle Rock area to be near their oldest son who settled in Colorado Springs upon completely active duty with the US Army, 82nd Airborne Division.

Chris excels in working with high performers, understands the character traits of driven achievers, and helps people thrive doing what they love. Chris says her clients are experts at what they do, and she’s an expert at the psychology of what they do. Together they achieve outstanding, sustainable results!

Dr. Hicks is the author of Incongruent: Travel, Trauma, Transformation. Writing her first book at 10 years old, she has now been published in numerous magazines and websites including Forbes.com, Humanity Wine Co., The District, Doctor’s Life, Journal for Research Administration, and Moc Ideja (a grassroots policy manual for lawmakers in Bosnia funded by the US Department of State).

Dr. Hicks is an empathy-driven leader with more than two decades of experience in workforce, education, and nonprofits. Focused on the areas of human-centered leadership, strategic planning, employee engagement, and organizational culture, Dr. Hicks has worked with hundreds of clients over the course of her career including small to midsized companies, education institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Hicks formerly served as the Vice President, Education Solutions Group at MGT Consulting where she leads business development for PK12, Higher Education and Education Transformation Practice areas. Prior to joining MGT, Dr. Hicks served as Assistant Provost at the University of Tampa where she created UT’s first Office of Sponsored Programs and oversaw the University’s 52 department budgets, and all grants and contracts. She also taught courses in Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Policy, and Public-Private Partnerships, among others.

Prior to joining the University of Tampa team, she served as the Director of Research for the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, an advocacy organization, and concurrently as the Managing Director of the Florida Independent College Fund, a 501c(3) foundation. While at ICUF/FICF, she implemented a four‐prong system for federal and state grant funding applications resulting in enhanced collaborative partnerships and led ICUF’s governmental affairs research for advocacy in Tallahassee and Washington, DC.

Dr. Hicks began her career as the Aide to Mayor of Tallahassee, a special projects coordinator with the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, and as an adjunct professor of Public Administration for Florida State University and Barry University.

Outside of her professional activities, she is a Colorado girl at heart. Her hobbies include paddle boarding, biking, hiking, and is a certified yoga instructor. She also enjoys spending time with her husband Randy, stepdaughter Lauren, and her fur babies Eva and Molly.

I was employed for twenty-five years doing research and evaluation with the New Jersey Department of Human Services and another seven years with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, NJ. I also taught Sociology as an adjunct instructor at several NJ and NY colleges. Currently retired, I write short stories and book reviews. I live in Colorado Springs with my wife Kate.

I am a God-fearing woman, a mother, family member, and friend. I love with all of my heart and leave a smile on the hearts of those that I encounter. I am always full of joy and positive energy. I always keep it real. I have lived in Colorado Springs for 30 years.

Four-Time Olympian in the sport of luge. First four-decade Winter Olympian. Spoken for over 100 Fortune 500 companies since 2002. Sold over 300,000 books in 10 languages. TED talk, "The Power of Following the Leader" has over one million views. Ruben moved to Colorado Springs in 2010 and visits the Monument Library at least a couple times a week.

Pamela Brinker, LCSW, is a Colorado native, living in Colorado Springs. An integrative psychotherapist for 31 years, Pamela has treated thousands of clients while developing tools and practices to teach conscious bravery. She is a committed mental health advocate, helping others transform difficulties into foundations for strength and compassion as they find gratitude, hope, and freedom in everyday living.

Author of the new book released May 20, 2022, Conscious Bravery: Caring for Someone with Addiction, she teaches and speaks about radical self-care, knowing who we truly are, and “whole-being awareness,” along with other tools and practices she designed or refined to cultivate and embed conscious bravery. Her diligent personal yoga, meditation, and dreamtending practices have informed her life and her work for three decades. A mother of two sons and a step-son, Pamela is married and is a lifelong competitive athlete. She divides her time between the mountains and the ocean, and has lived in Colorado Springs for over 30 years.

Dr. MelindaJoy Mingo has lived in the Pikes Peak Region for over 20 years. She is a professor at Pikes Peak State College. She is a global leadership trainer and cross cultural communications specialist. She is a visiting business lecturer at Hanoi University in Vietnam and a sought out speaker around the world. She is the founder of Significant Life Change which is a coaching initiative with a unique emphasis on leadership presence along with skills. She is featured in many podcasts, printed magazine interviews and in person speaking engagements around the topic of cross cultural and international business relationships. She is a Tedx speaker and her talk "Shame Off You" has been featured nationally and internationally.