Saira Khan is a downtown Issaquah resident, mother, lawyer, writer, and Voice Mentor at the Issaquah Middle School. Her prose appears in Pleiades, Identity Theory, WITNESS magazine, The Guardian and elsewhere. Her short fiction chapbook, Late Stage is available from DeRailleur Press in Brooklyn NY. She is a recipient of an Open Door Career Advancement Grant from Poets & Writers Magazine, funded by Reese Witherspoon. She has studied at Hedgebrook, One Story Summer Conference, Tin House Summer Conference and Writers in Paradise at Eckerd College. Her work was shortlisted for the 2023 Coppice Prize in short fiction. She was a 2023 Periplus Fellow and is a 2024 candidate at CUNY’s Writer’s Institute. Her novel in stories is a finalist for the Black Lawrence Press 2025 Immigrant Writing Series.

Christi brings to Literary Nights her love of literature along with an extensive background in fundraising, event planning and non-profit experience.   Her multifaceted career - having worked with New World Symphony, Florida Grand Opera, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Lyon + Lyon Catering, and Green Monkey Yoga - reflects a deep commitment to fostering creativity and community.

Christi is the founder of CK Inspired Lifestyle, a Miami-based company dedicated to holistic lifestyle coaching with a focus on movement, meditation, and nutrition. With extensive training and certifications in Kundalini Yoga, Pilates, 305 Spiritual Gangsters, Transcendental Meditation, Zero Point Meditation, Primordial Sound Meditation, Ziva Meditation, Integrative Nutrition, Plant-Based Nutrition, and Positive Psychology Christi brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her practice. For over a decade, she has been inspiring clients in diverse settings, including hotels, residences, corporate environments, studios, and private sessions.

Christi also co-founded Poets Democracy with poet Russell Streur, aiming to bring his poetic works to a broader audience.

Currently residing in Miami, Christi works to uplift and enrich the lives of everyone she meets with a holistic approach to well-being.

Reading has been a life-long passion for Liz, her addiction to the written word frequently getting her into trouble as a child (and an adult). She could usually be found reading in a corner when she was supposed to be doing homework, and her teachers soon became wise to her trick of hiding her novel behind a textbook.

Liz is a retired technical writer and editor who worked for many years in the software industry, including running her own technical communication consulting company, The HyperMedia Group. She is proud to be a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest. Born and raised in Everett WA, she has lived in Bellevue since 1999.

Liz has been involved with various local charities over the last 25 years. In addition to being a board member of Literary Nights, Liz volunteers with Bellevue LifeSpring, a human services organization whose aim is to break the cycle of poverty for children in our community; AARP Tax-Aide, which provides free tax preparation for seniors and those with low to moderate income; and most recently with Eat Happy Now, a food-rescue nonprofit on the Eastside. Liz is very excited to be a part of Literary Nights. She hopes to meet you at the next Literary Nights event.

Carly Larsson is a software engineer, writer, poet, essayist and California transplant who lives on Squak Mountain in Issaquah with her partner.

Formerly at Microsoft, Carly is currently working on a second world fantasy novel about a woman’s quest to uncover her lost memories and reunite with her estranged family.

After attending a salon in June where she shared a part of her novel in progress to warm reception, she was inspired to bring her passion for storytelling, executional excellence and tech savvy to Literary Nights. She also brings her analytics, relationship building and optimizations skills.

Chincha Holm has lived in downtown Issaquah since 2022, delighting in all her neighbors and friends. She loves bully sticks, playing piano and chicken hearts. Her kind and playful nature has inspired local poets to wax poetic. Chincha can often be seen lurking in the halls of Literary Nights, as the Train Depot technically doesn’t allow dogs. She prefers stories with canine-centered POVs, even though she considers herself partially human. Chincha is responsible for unconditional love and responding to all emails at Lit Nights.