Maggie Bloomfield is a psychotherapist and published, award-winning writer from the South Fork. Maggie happily co-hosts Poetry Street, a monthly poetry venue, at The Riverhead Library, with Chip Williford. Maggie has been part of Poetry Street since 2014 when Susan Dingle and Robert “Bubbie” Brown developed it. Chip and Maggie stepped up after Susan relocated to The Pacific Northwestin 2020.
Maggie won an Emmy for contributions to Sesame Street. Poems and essays have appeared in journals and anthologies, locally and internationally, and two chapbooks, Trains of Thought (Local Gems, 2016) and Sleepless Nights (Finishing Line Press, 2020) are published.
Maggie graduated the MFA Program at Stony Brook, Southampton (SBSH) in 2014. Her one-act play,The Dispatchment Society, was chosen by New York City’sNew Works Emerging Artists Festival, 2019 and The Corchaug One-act Play festival in 2024. BREAK OUT! a one-act play in poetry and prose, was created with writing partner, Susan Dingle. It sold out at The Southampton Cultural Center in 2016, and was chosen for The Long Island Fringe Festival in 2017. The play is focused on two women’s journey from addiction to decades of joyful recovery.
Berkley Wendell Semple was born in Guyana. He has published four collections of poetry, Lamplight Teller, awarded a 2004 Guyana Prize for Poetry, The Solo Flyer, The Central Station, and Flight and Other Poems, awarded the 2023 Guyana Prize for Literature, and has edited a book of student poems. His debut novel, Kipling Plass, was awarded the 2024 Guyana Prize for Literature for first novel. His poetry and fiction have appeared in Callaloo, The Hampden-Sydney Review, The Caribbean Writer, for which he was awarded a Daily News Prize for poetry, and many other publications. He is a veteran of the US armed forces and a graduate of the Naval School of Health Sciences. He holds an MA and MLS degrees from Queens College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and an MPhil from Long Island University (LIU) where he is a current Ph.D. candidate. From 2010 to 2022 he wrote audiobook reviews for Sound Commentary Journal. He is on the Editorial Board of The Caribbean Writer, and an editor and book reviewer for Caribbean Voice. He writes a weekly column on literature for the Guyana Chronicles. Berkley Wendell Semple is a librarian and currently works for the Queens Public Library system in New York City.
Gregory Cioffi (SAG-AFTRA, AEA) is a professional actor, an award-winning director, professor, published author, and the current Nassau County Poet Laureate (2026-2028). He is particularly proud of his first full volume of poetry – Poetic Anarchy. His most recent chapbook, Summer Heat: Poems of Passion, was published in 2025 by Wyld Syde Press. His debut novel The Devil in the Diamond was released in 2023 by Henry Gray Publishing. Other works have been published in The Feral Press, Mystery Weekly Magazine, The Red Penguin Collection, The Golden Lion, New Generation Beat Publications, The Scene, Queen Mob’s Tea House, The Nassau County Poet Laureate Society Review, Little Old Lady (LOL) Comedy, The RavensPerch, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, Fleas on the Dog, The Five-Two, Aphelion, Local Gems Press, Long Island Sounds, FDQ Review, Post University’s Pop-Up Mag, Bindle, Allegory Ridge, and various anthologies. Many of his stories have been archived in numerous libraries including Yale University’s Beinecke Collection (Rare Books and Manuscript Library).
Greg recently won Best Director for his horror film A Pandemic Presence at the 2024 Scared For Your LIIFE Film Festival. His film The Museum of Lost Things won awards at The Long Island International Film Expo, Global Shorts, and The Madrid International Film Festival. His next film, The Concertgoer, premiered at the New York City Short Comedy Film Festival and went on to be nominated for Best Art Direction at LIIFE. Look out for his upcoming film A Mother’s Voice on the festival circuit! You may have also caught Beyond the Silent Night, a tribute to the remembrance of 9/11 released in 2026 for the tragedy’s 25th anniversary. You might have noticed him on the stage or screen in The Irishman, Transit: A New York City Fairytale, The Godfather of Harlem, AMC’s The Making of the Mob, or in Tony n Tina’s Wedding where, for the last decade, he has been married hundreds of times nationally and internationally. Greg is an Adjunct Professor of English at Long Island University, an Associate Professor of Literature & Composition at Post University, and he also teaches Creative Writing, Poetry, and Basic Acting at Nassau Community College.
Jay Vegas, Award-Winning Poet, Actor, and Photographer who serves as the President of the Poem Stars, a premier spoken word poetry collective dedicated to changing the world "one poem at a time.”
With over a decade of experience on stage and behind the lens, Jay Vegas has mastered the art of storytelling as a tool for social change. His passionate and authentic performances go beyond entertainment; they are a call to action. By daring to speak about the unspoken with a unique blend of courage, love, and compassion, Jay captivates diverse audiences and challenges them to confront the most pressing issues of our time.
Whether through a photograph or a verse, his work seeks to bridge the gap between our societal masks and our truest selves.
Patricia McCue is a retired science teacher. Her poems have appeared in various journals and anthologies such as the Suffolk County Poetry Review 2026. She often writes about music and the natural world. She studies and plays Traditional Irish Music on the fiddle and ukulele with
the Good Ground Players Ukulele Club in her current town, Hampton Bays. Her first chapbook, entitled Chatter in the Wind was recently published by Pennyfield Press.
Tony Iovino is the author of the collection of poems, "from the Land of Sidewalks and Lawns (Words with Wings, 2025) and the novel Notary Public Enemy (Diversion Press, 2011). His poems and essays have appeared in numerous publications. He is the founder and host of the Summer Gazebo Readings, an acclaimed outdoor series, now in its 20th year, featuring readings by distinguished poets and authors each Monday in June, July & August in Oceanside, NY. He also founded and hosts the international online series Poetry: Near and Afar featuring local NY poets and poets from around the United States and the world. He resides in Rockville Centre with his wife Angela.