Mandie Hines

Mandie Hines is an award-winning, bestselling author who explores themes of grief, hope, and healing in her writing. Her poetry collections, Arms Against the Sea (2026) and Origami Stars and Hot Air Moon (2020), offer poignant reflections, while her thriller/horror novel, The Lost Always Take Off Their Shoes (2022), delves into the supernatural. 

Beyond her own writing, Mandie is deeply committed to nurturing a thriving literary community. She connects writers and champions artists' voices, serving on the board of WyoPoets (Wyoming's State Poetry Society) from 2019-2023 and 2025-2027. She's been actively involved in Poetry Out Loud for nearly a decade, serving in many roles over the years, including judge, state finalist coach, assistant POL coordinator, and poetry workshop leader. She's given talks about writing to elementary school classrooms and given poetry workshops in elementary schools, high schools, and retirement homes, in a manner that breaks people's expectations and makes poetry more accessible to read and write.

Mandie also created and hosted an in-person poetry open mic in her community for six-and-a-half years. And in 2020, she started a virtual poetry open mic that she hosted for five years to help connect poets in her rural state, although participation over the years included poets from coast to coast and even a poet who joined from India. You can learn more or contact Mandie through her website at www.mandiehines.com.