J River Helms (they/them) is a queer writer, educator, advocate, and psychiatric survivor. J has published poetry and prose in Copper Nickel, DIAGRAM, Fairy Tale Review, New England Review, Phoebe, Redivider, and Sonora Review, among others. Machines Like Us, their first collection of poetry, was published by Dzanc Books in 2016. J earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama in 2013. They currently live in Houston, TX with their partner.