Dion Mayes-Burnett has published newspaper articles, poetry, and an extensive chapter in Pharmacology for Nurses through Jones and Bartlett Learning. She has also developed some new and quirky characters for her story in the I Didn’t Quite Make It To Oz anthology by Yard Dog Press. As Alex Summers, she writes mysteries, thrillers, and suspense, including the Bone Carver thriller series with Detective James Dakota.

Dion has served as a judge in many writing contests, is one of the charter members of Rose Rock wRiters, and belongs to many other organizations. An OWFI member of over 26 years, she coordinated last year’s “The Writing Universe” conference, and is excited to be “Conjuring the Mysteries of Writing” alongside President vck in 2025.

Writing and creating art since the young age of five, Dion found that living all over the country fueled her love of ALL things creative. Now, she describes herself as author, professional artist, and retired RN living happily in Norman Oklahoma, with her husband, Bird (aka Chris) and her fur-children: four cats and two dogs.

Nick is a father, husband, teacher, woodturner, musician, and writer.

He discovered his love for writing in college during a creative writing class in taught by the incendiary Dr. Jim Yates. Since then, he's completed three novels and multiple short stories and won several awards in the OWFI writing contest, including first place in the Historical Novel for his most recent novel.

Currently, he teaches high school English in Crescent, Oklahoma, volunteers as a photographer and graphic designer at Life Church, and serves as the past president and first vice president for Oklahoma Writer's Federation, Inc.

He lives in Guthrie, OK, with his wife, two boys, two dogs, and one cat.

A native of Altus, Oklahoma, LMG Swain’s three passions are riding, writing, and enlightening: riding the elsewhither roads on his 2008 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail; writing stories of the macabre, murder, mayhem, and mirth in the fictional town of Junebug, Oklahoma, 74666; and, for the past 41 years, enlightening high school and college students on the joys of ancient and classical literature and speculative fiction.

Mike’s the creator and author of Universal Studio’s Universal Monsters series. He helped develop the RollerCoaster Tycoon series and ghost-authored several Hardy Boys CaseFiles mysteries.

His recent endeavors include Feary Tales, an anthology series not so much of the supernatural but the unnatural, and Popinjay, his 14th novel about a dystopian society in which all children are born without gender and are transformed into their True Gender when they turn sixteen.

He writes a newsletter/blog called Deadman Writing, tries to keep his website, LMGSwain.com updated, and talks to “the Ladies” (his dozens of sunflowers) each day.

Although most call him Mike, he is also known as TaleRider (because he writes tales and rides a Harley) and as Edwin A. Dark, author of many of the Feary Tales stories.

He has been a member of OWFI for twenty years and is excited about serving as an officer in one of the premier writer’s organizations.

Dani is a member of Rose Rock wRiters, an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, a professional editor, a total science nerd, and a big fan of taking notes.

When she isn’t taking notes and sending emails for OWFI, she is running Glidewell Edits, copyediting both science and fiction. (And when she isn’t doing that, she is probably catching Pokémon.)

Dani completed her BA in professional writing and her MS in biology at the University of Oklahoma. She lives in Norman with her three dogs, four lizards, one turtle, and eleven adorable tarantulas.

Since January 2015, Vinita officially wrangles numbers for OWFI. Horrifying the majority of the OWFI members when asked, she says she prefers preparing tax returns to writing. When she finishes doing the monthly financial reports for OWFI, she says she reaches a state of euphoria even a glass of wine and a box of dark chocolate doesn’t bring her. That is one major addiction she has going on there.

In her spare time, Vinita writes romantic fanfiction for the Supernatural and Star Trek fandoms. She is published on archiveofourown.org and fanfiction.net. She blogs at eastindianinoklahoma.blogspot.com.

Vinita is active in the following writer’s groups:

• Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc.

  • Treasurer, since January 2015

  • Assistant Treasurer, May 2014 – December 2014

  • Member, since 2011

• Green Country Ruff Riters, an affiliate of OWFI

  • President, since October 2015

  • Reporter to OWFI, October 2013 – September 2018

  • Delegate to OWFI, since October 2013

• Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild, an affiliate of OWFI

  • Treasurer, since May 2019

  • Member and co-founder since May 2019

• Oklahoma Romance Writers of America

  • Treasurer, since January 2019

  • International Digital Awards, Inspirational Category Coordinator, since 2019

  • National Reader’s Choice Awards, Inspirational Category Coordinator, since 2016

  • Member, since November 2011

• Romance Writers of America

  • Member, since November 2011

• American Christian Writers

  • Member, since April 2011

Dianna has been telling herself stories all her life.

She has published ten short stories in various anthologies, in genres ranging from horror to historical fiction. “Making of a Monster” won SNM Horror Magazine’s Story of the Year in 2005. Later, her historical fiction piece, “Chi Pisa La Chike: An Irishman’s Promise,” claimed a spot in Touch My Tears: Tales from the Trail of Tears. “Chi Pisa La Chike,” edited by Elizabeth Sawyer, now resides in a permanent collection in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Many stories have crossed Dianna’s desk at 4RV Publishing, where she works as an acquisitions editor. Here, she finds exciting opportunities to nurture new authors, helping them hone stories into cherished children’s books. These experiences led her to judge writing contests for OWFI and Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild (The Heart Awards), where her critiques help fellow writers improve their work.

After taking her first creative writing class in 2003, she became one of the charter members of the OWFI affiliate group Word Warriors, eventually taking on the role of president. She went on to serve as second vice president and conference coordinator for OWFI. As a new mother, Dianna contributed repeatedly to the conference in a variety of chair positions. She brought these leadership skills to another affiliate, Pen & Keyboard Writers, first as vice president, then moving up to the presidential seat.

Currently, Dianna has immersed herself in the study of herbalism at the Herbal Academy. While conducting research for her latest novel, she found Rosemary Gladstar’s course, The Science and Art of Herbalism, and a thriving community of Oklahoma herbalists.

Myloe received her BA in Psychology and Philosophy at The University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. She then went on to get an MSW at the University of Texas at Austin. She worked as a social worker for the State of Oklahoma Department of Human Services for ten years. She also worked with mentally ill inmates at the Mabel Basset Correctional Center for Women. She had to retire early due to health problems, but what looked like a tragedy at the time allowed her to follow her childhood dream of being an author. Before turning to fiction, she published in several professional psychological journals, including the Journal of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Research Consortium and the Southwestern Psychological Association. She tutors college and graduate school students on the side as a way to continue to help people.

For OWFI, Myloe has tried on several hats. She previously helped OWFI as an assistant to the grant director, shepherd chair, and 2nd VP. Currently, she serves as the scholarship chair in addition to Public Relations Director.

Wayne is an astronomer by training. After 40 years working with children as the director of the planetarium in Science Museum Oklahoma, he decided to focus his energies in a new direction. He retired from the museum to become a full-time writer, concentrating mostly on books for children. He has five published books and three more in the works, to be released soon. He is the Non-Fiction Imprint editor and the Tweens & Teens for 4RV Publishing and the Proof-Copy editor for the company.

Wayne writes a monthly astronomy column for the Oklahoman, continuously published since 1984, and has also published a dozen astronomy and science articles and science fiction short stories in various national publications. He has published five children’s books with three more being illustrated by the publisher. Wayne offers editing services to novice authors.

Wayne has been involved with the creation of three organizations, including creating the Bylaws of the organizations.

Wayne also hunts ghosts with a paranormal investigation team, Insight Paranormal. This team is the Oklahoma affiliate of The Atlantic Paranormal Society, better known as TAPS.

Has passion, will travel.

Originally a Texas girl, Aleasha thrives on adventure. She’s lived in two countries, visited six others, and can’t wait to use her passport again! Adventure at home looks like rooms overflowing with fur babies and boys, nightly Dishwasher Tetris tournaments, and the occasional “What’s That Smell” championship that occurs when the laundry baskets are overflowing. She currently provides creative and administrative services through her company, Studio Promessa, offering mentoring, business management, event planning, graphic and web design, technology, crafty creations, photography, writing, and editing solutions. 

Aleasha first stepped into OWFI through the side door, volunteering as a contest category chair before becoming a member-at-large. The next year, she took on the role of second vice president, then moved up to first vp/contest coordinator. For the next three years, she collaborated with her fellow officers to streamline and modernize the annual writing contest, breathing new life into tradition. Next, she took up the reigns of conference coordinator, applying her love for event planning to the annual gathering of writers, agents, editors and other industry professionals. When Covid brought challenges to public meet-ups, she introduced OWFI’s first virtual conference, accepting the presidential gavel on livestream. She served double duty acting as technology director during her reign as president, and again as past president. In 2023, she went down in history for finally being at a loss for words when presented with the Honorary Lifetime Member award. Sorry if you missed it; that may never be repeated. Now, with technology director as her sole focus, she hopes to be able to channel her energies on taming the tech needs of our organization.

When she’s not chasing chaos at home, or speakers, volunteers, & technical errors for OWFI, Aleasha is still running after adventure—occasionally by plane, train or automobile— but most often between the covers of a great story. Visit her at The Nutthouse Diaries, and inspire her to share her stories more often!