Who we are
Johanna Haas
Hello, I’m Johanna (Dr. Johanna Haas), publisher here at Cicada Song Press. In addition to writing speculative prose and poetry, I play a mean game of Go.
How did this happen? My friend, Mona, brought an opportunity to me when a poetry collaboration we were both in collapsed. She wanted it to see the light of day enough to say she’d pick it up and edit it. I said, “I’ve always wanted to be a publisher.” And that’s how Cicada Song Press got started.
After that, it’s been a whirl of business documents, creative writing, and learning how to build a website. But we’re moving ahead with a vision of smallness, family, and helping those who need it.
More about me: When I have time I read a lot. I crochet. I garden. I like to just hang out and talk or do nothing. I also like playing with my cats, or other people’s animals. My inner TV star is Beavis. My favorite movie is “Tremors”. My favorite book is “Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. My favorite song is Harry Belafonte’s “Turn the World Around.” My favorite band is Rush.
You can contact me at johanna@cicadasongpress.com.
Mona Mehas
Mona Mehas (she/her) writes poetry and prose from the perspective of a retired disabled teacher in Indiana USA. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared in over 70 journals, anthologies, and online museums including Paddler Press Trip Log and IHRAM Literary magazine. Her poetry chapbooks, Questions I Didn’t Know I’d Asked and Hand-Me-Downs are available on Amazon. Two of Mona’s poems received first place honors in the 2023 Poetry Society of Indiana Fall contest. Mona is Editor-in-Chief of Cicada Song Press and 2nd VP for Poetry Society of Indiana. She is searching for a home for her first novel and working on a novel in verse.
Mona has been writing poetry since she was five years old. Some of her favorite poets are Emily Dickinson and Ursula K Le Guin. Her favorite fiction authors are Margaret Atwood and Le Guin. Mona loves almost all music, but her absolute favorite is Queen – there will never be another voice like Freddy Mercury. Mona enjoys watching the Law & Order, FBI, and Chicago shows but she doesn’t like to view true crime documentaries. She prefers her crime fictionalized. Ultimately her favorite show is Star Trek in all its iterations. She would prefer to live in that philosophical future than at any other time. She loves animals and has a rescued pit bull named Jose’.
Editor in Chief, and Main Poetry Editor
Nancy Simmonds
Nancy Simmonds writes from northeastern Indiana. She is a member of the Poetry Society of Indiana and NIPoets of Fort Wayne, and three book discussion groups. When a pen isn’t in her hand or her head in a book, Nancy designs paper collage art, sews scrap quilts, and runs in local running club events and virtual races for bling and bragging rights. She and her husband recently welcomed a Shi-poo into their family. Her Royal Highness accompanies them on many miles of trails in her very own bike buggy.
Poetry Editor
Adrienne Stevenson
Adrienne Stevenson, a retired forensic toxicologist, lives in Ottawa,
Canada. Her poetry and prose have appeared in over sixty print and
online journals and anthologies worldwide. Adrienne is an avid gardener, voracious reader, amateur genealogist and sometime folk musician. Her historical novel "Mirrors & Smoke" was published in 2023, and her poetry chapbook "Skipping Stones", in collaboration with Marie-Andrée Auclair, in 2024. Adrienne is an active member of the Canadian Authors Association and several other Canadian and offshore writers organizations. https://adriennestevenson.ca
Poetry Editor
Jessica Bradshaw
Jessica Bradshaw (she/her) has always loved books and literature. She worked as a writing tutor in college, where she learned how to help her peers with their writing. Her senior thesis project was on the first atomic bomb, Trinity, exploring the narratives of those who witnessed it.
Jessica currently works for The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. Her background includes work in nonprofits, health care, higher education, and local government. Jessica was elected to serve as a City Councilmember for 8 years in Carbondale, Illinois. Jessica has an MPA from Southern Illinois University and a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic. She has lived in California, Illinois, Maine, and Montana.
Jessica enjoys reading, playing games, listening to podcasts, and petting any animals that she can. She has a hard time picking favorites, but among many others, her favorite author is Barbara Kingsolver, favorite TV show is Late Night Tonight with John Oliver, favorite place is Acadia National Park, and favorite animals are her own pets (and mountain lions).
Prose Editor
Jacqui Paul
Jacqui Paul is a South African born writer and editor based in Los Angeles, California. With a Masters in Literature and a keen eye, Jacqui has edited fiction, dissertations, and grant proposals. When not wordsmithing Jacqui can be found at the gym, walking the dog or running after her two kids.
Prose and Developmental Editor
