Melissa Moore France, of Rives, Tennessee, is a native Obion Countian. She has owned and managed France Printing, the publisher of Hometown magazine since January 2004. She has been writing for several years and her work has appeared in various publications including Birds & Blooms, Progressive Farmer, The Tennessee Magazine, The Fulton Leader and the Union City Messenger. She began writing her humor column Are We There Yet?! in May 1995 for Our Town Magazine, which later became Hometown. She earned a degree in Communications at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She and her husband Michael have a son Jonathan France, and a daughter and son-in-law, Rebekah and Lee Simmons. Running, gardening and reading are her favorite leisure time activities.  Her email is hometownkytn@gmail.com.

Elizabeth M. McWhirt (Beth) is a Washington D.C. area native, and a resident of Fulton, Kentucky, since 1993. She began writing for Hometown magazine in 1999, specializing in local history and other researched work. Her Vacation in a Day column highlights interesting day trips for local residents. Beth received a degree in History from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She also holds a degree in Publications from George Washington University and received her education certification from Murray State University. She is active in the community, serving on the Fulton Election Commission, the Fulton Electric Board, the Kentucky Heritage Council, and the Fulton Airport Board. During the school year, you can find Beth teaching Middle School Social Studies and Reading at Fulton County Elementary/Middle School. Beth is married to Edward B. McWhirt M.D. The McWhirts have four children: Elizabeth, Gillian, Colin, and Alexander. Her email is emmcwhirt1@hotmail.com.

Emily Akin is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Country, Advisor Today, The Upper Room, Mature Living, Mature Years, and numerous other Christian publications. Specializing in content for and about seniors, she has written for Hometown magazine since 2001. Akin grew up in Somerville, Tennessee, moving to Obion County in 1980. "I'm not a native Obion Countian, but I got here as soon as I could," she says. She and her husband Ron have two grown children, Molly Akin of St. Augustine, Fl, and Scott Akin of Monticello, AR, and two grandchildren. Visit her Web site at www.writingontarget.com, or e-mail her at akinemily@gmail.com.

Mike Johnson was born and raised in Martin, Tennessee, and continues to live on his grandfather’s farm with his family. He began writing an outdoor column for Hometown magazine in 2006, having first written for Our Town Magazine (which later became Hometown magazine) several years prior to that. He also writes writes a regular outdoor column for West Tennessee Outdoors. Mike is a graduate of Westview High School and also received a BS degree in Agricultural Business from UT-Martin. He has been employed with Farm Credit Services of Mid-America for 20 years. He is active in the community, serving as the President of the Weakley County Forestry Association, Vice-President of the Brian Brown Greenway Foundation and Member and Board of Director for the Martin Rotary Club. He helps organize the West Tennessee Youth Outdoor Jamboree and the Martin Soybean Festival events every year. He is involved in Hunters for the Hungry, the Boy Scouts and has coached youth league baseball and football for many years. He is also active in the First Methodist Church in Martin. Besides hunting and fishing, Mike also enjoys martial arts. Send emails for Mike to hometownkytn@gmail.com..

Tommy York was born and raised in Union City, Tennessee, and he attended the county schools and eventually graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a bachelor’s degree in education. During college he began working at Reelfoot Bank and continues his part-time employment there. He taught English classes at Obion County Central High School, his alma mater, during the 2006-07 school year. He returned to UTM in the fall of 2007 to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree. When he’s not writing articles for Hometown or studying for a class, Tommy is probably listening to music or talking on the phone to his two-year-old niece Leah, who likes to call him out of the blue. If you would like to contact him, his email address is thojyork@gmail.com.

Nelda Rachels and her husband Jerry have been married for 34 years and are the parents of two children. They have a vegetable and flower garden (both weed-infested by July) and are active in the Church of Christ in their community. Nelda is also a board member of the Palmersville Historical Society, Weakley County Library, Weakley County Habitat for Humanity, and the Weakley County Arts and Humanities Council. She writes everything from letters to poetry and has published articles in The Weakley County Press, Dresden Enterprise, Quick and Easy Crafts, Country Handcrafts, Extra Income, The Draft Horse Journal, Back Home in Kentucky, etc; a poem in Purdue’s “The Writing Lab Newsletter” (April, 2003); an essay and a poem in the anthology Muscadine Lines (2006); family columns in The Jackson Sun; and will have 3 poems published in 2008 in various journals, including the National Council of English Teacher’s English Journal. In her spare time, she likes to read biographies, memoirs, poetry, fiction, and essays (being especially partial to the My Turn essays in Newsweek); make cornhusk dolls; and collect cardboard fans like women used in church before air conditioning. In a former life, when she had even more spare time, she liked to cook, quilt, sew, and cross-stitch. Currently, she is getting her Master’s in education at UTM where she also tutors part time in the Hortense Parrish Writing Center. Send emails for Nelda to njrachels@yahoo.com.

Jared Barnes, an avid Master Gardener, is a senior at UTM majoring in environmental Sciences. Because Jared was inspired by his late great-grandfather E.E. Conley to become a steward of the land, he has spent the last 10 years educating himself in the field of horticulture. Jared's true joy is Mr. Conley's old garden where he now raises numerous organic vegetables and herbs. If you have any questions, comments, or wish to join his newsletter, email him at esculentus@gmail.com or call him at 731.536.0165

Teresa Vinson is a resident of Union City, Tennessee. She works at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City as  Chief Quality Officer. She is married to Dale Vinson, and they have a son and daughter-in-law Jonathan and Paige Vinson. Her interests include cooking, trying new recipes, decorating and helping others. The Vinsons attend Calvary Baptist Church, where Teresa serves as a first grade Sunday School Teacher and Chairman of the Decorating Committee. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Obion County Cancer Agency. Her email is teresavinson@charter.net.

Donald Dugger, of Troy, Tennessee, often contributes to the House Unique column, which appears in the Where The Heart Is (home & garden) section of Hometown. He has years of experience in home decor and restoration. Occasionally he writes features for other sections of the magazine. He is employed by Dyersburg State Community College as a case worker for the Workforce Investment Act in Obion County. He and his wife Katrina have three grown children and three grandsons. His hobbies include flower gardening and water color painting. Some of his paintings are for sell at Penelope's in downtown Union City, Tennessee. Send emails for Donald to hometownkytn@gmail.com..

Beth Dugger Brown, of Hornbeak, Tennessee, began writing feature stories for Hometown in 2007. She is employed with CBK in Union City, Tennessee, as an accounts specialist and is a part-time college student. She and her husband Stevie have two young sons. She is a graduate of Union City High School. Her email address is StevieandBeth2@wmconnect.com.

Rebekah France Simmons and her husband Lee reside in Mason Hall, Tennessee. She has been the part-time office assistant at France Printing since 2005, wearing many hats under this job title. She also works independently providing child-care and housekeeping services. She is a graduate of Obion County Central High School. She enjoys cooking and collecting dogs. Her colleciton is FULL! Send emails for Rebekah to hometownkytn@gmail.com..