Renee Beauregard Lute’s essays, poems, short stories, literary reviews, and interviews have appeared in a variety of literary journals and magazines, as well as two Chicken Soup for the Soul essay collections (Chicken Soup for the Soul: From Lemons to Lemonade, and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive for Kids). She is the author of the chapbook Five Stories (Red Bird), and holds an MFA in creative writing from Hamline University. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two cats in Issaquah, Washington, and is eagerly awaiting the birth of her second child, due in January. If Renee could have coffee with any writer, living or deceased, she would probably pick Erma Bombeck.