Committed to the idea of storytelling
Line of Advance is a non-profit literary journal created by three veterans who served together in Afghanistan. After getting home, they recognized the need for fellow veterans to tell their stories and for the public to read them. LOA is committed to the idea that times of war are transformative for a nation, and that the act of telling stories allows for a community to truly see itself.
Christopher Lyke is a writer and teacher living in Chicago. He served in Afghanistan and Africa as an enlisted infantryman in the U.S. Army. Chris co-founded and edits Line of Advance. He can usually be found running with his dog in Bucktown or watching the Buckeyes at Vaughn’s Pub. Lyke’s work has been featured in such venues as Blaze Vox, Military Experience and the Arts’ literary journal As You Were, Heart of a Veteran, Why We Write from Middle West Press, and he won the short story award in Proud To Be: Writing by American Warriors Vol. 4. His first book of short stories, The Chicago East India Company, was just published through Double Dagger Press.
Matt Marcus served in the U.S. Army from 2005-2012 as an enlisted infantryman. He has a degree from Northwestern University in political science, works in the Chicago advertising community, and has graduated from the Medill IMC program at Northwestern University.
Ryan Quinn is currently a commissioned officer in the Illinois Army National Guard. He has a degree in history from the University of Illinois and is a Chicago Firefighter.