We are Midwest Women Who Write.

President & Treasurer

Jessica Vaughn Martin is a writer, food journalist, and gastronomic enthusiast. Her writing centers around foodways, forgotten histories, and other mostly Midwestern motifs. She is a co-founder of Midwest Women Who Write, and Leftovers Community, a food media platform. She lives in Jefferson City, Missouri, with her young family in an old bungalow, where she’s running out of space for her growing collection of vintage Missouri cookbooks.

Vice President

Steph Nagl loves a good story. She's been creating, sharing, and devouring stories since she was a little girl. Today, she uses her love of language and storytelling both professionally in the marketing and communications space and personally as a writer of fiction and literary nonfiction. Steph earned a B.S. in Creative Writing and Secondary English Education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and an M.S in Curriculum and Instruction from Northwest Missouri State University. Her greatest accomplishments include hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (while 12 weeks pregnant), crossing the finish line of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., being a mother to two beautiful sons, and learning to live just for today.

Secretary

Candace Robison Hulsizer is a passionate lover of words. A mutli-genre writer (mostly because she can’t stick to just one), she enjoys poetry, creative nonfiction and cozy tales, using these avenues to bring diverse perspectives to the page. A strong advocate of representation in literature, Candace is also the owner of Black Tea Bookshop, a pop-up and online bookstore carefully curated to celebrate the joys of Black life through the work of Black authors and illustrators. Before she was a board member, Candace was a loyal supporter of Midwest Women Who Write and is thrilled to be part of this amazing group of women. 

By day, Candace serves on the staff of City of Refuge, a local nonprofit that serves and empowers the refugee community. By night she’s reading, writing, finding ways to be outside and trying her hand at embroidery, all with a steaming cup of tea or a yummy meal nearby. A native of St. Louis, Candace is now at home in Columbia, MO where she lives with her husband and favorite football companion, Brian. She’s the proud mom of two incredible grown daughters, Mildred and Grace, and the adoring Gigi of one wildly curious and hilarious grandson.

Advisory member

Nina Mukerjee Furstenau is an award-wining author and journalist. Her awards include the MFK Fisher Book Award and the Grand Prize Award for Culture/Culinary Writing from Les Dames d'Escoffier International, a Kansas Notable Book award, Edward R. Murrow Awards for the NPR podcast, Canned Peaches, and more. She has taught food journalism at the University of Missouri, and numerous writing workshops for narrative work. Her books include Biting Through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America’s Heartland, Green Chili & Other Impostors, Food and Culture 8th Editon, The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook, Savor Missouri, and the low-literacy book, Tasty! Mozambique. Her essays have appeared in anthologies such as Pie & Whiskey: Writers Under the Influence of Butter and Booze, and in media and journals such as the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ploughshares, and Brink. Her upcoming books include: Peaches! (2026), and 72 Microseasons: One Year of Heartland Change (2027).