
Andy Birkey
Andy Birkey has written for a number of Minnesota and national publications. He founded Eleventh Avenue South which ran from 2002-2011, wrote for the Minnesota Independent from 2006-2011, the American Independent from 2010-2013. His writing has appeared in The Advocate, The Star Tribune, The Huffington Post, Salon, Cagle News Service, Twin Cities Daily Planet, TheUptake, Vita.mn and much more. His writing on LGBT issues, the religious right and social justice has won awards including Best Beat Reporting by the Online News Association, Best Series by the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and an honorable mention by the Sex-Positive Journalism awards.
Claire-Renee Kohner
I am a trans woman who in 2014 came out as trans to my family and friends. I’ve started a blog to provide an insight to what I’m going through and what I’m about to experience. The journey should be fun, so keep your arms and legs inside the cart, it’s going to be a wild ride.
Sally Jo Sorensen
Bluestem Prairie is a hip (but not cynical) rural magazine for those who prefer to take their corn with a progressive chaser and tongue planted firmly in cheek. The site is owned and edited by Sally Jo Sorensen, who lives in Maynard, Minnesota, a small town of 266 people in Chippewa County.
Cassandra Snow
Cassandra is a queer writer, activist, and artist working out of Minneapolis, MN. She is a professional tarot card reader, and runs Gadfly Theatre Productions, a queer and feminist theatre company. Her life’s work is on creating safe spaces and transformative experiences for marginalized people from all walks of life. To find out more about her as a tarot reader, check out cassandra-snow.com. For more information on Gadfly, visit gadflytheatre.org.

Jonah Sandy
Jonah Sandy joined The Column in the summer of 2014 after graduating from The Blake School in Minneapolis. He worked on the school’s Spectrum Newspaper for four years, as a staff writer, page editor, and Editor-in-Chief. He also founded and wrote for Kaleidoscope Magazine, a still-developing online publication written by and for LGBTQIA/queer-identified youth. In addition to covering the arts and social justice for The Column, Jonah is TheColumn’s youth liaison. Contact him on Facebook (facebook.com/jonah.sandy) with any story ideas!