Do you personally know any published authors?

Yes, many, many moons ago.  He gave me a signed copy of his book which has been lost to time and I don't recall his name at this time.  Very sweet, intelligent old man at the time. 

 

 Yes, my mother had an anthology of her poetry published by her alma mater back in the 1970s.
 ~

Yes, I have a cousin who published a book about medieval dragons etc. I do not remember the title. 

Mem Fox, Ron O West, John Christopher, Teddy Tayles and me - I did a few children's books in the 80s under another pseudonym, now out of print.
My daughter and I have both had poems published as part of larger anthologies. My daughter was eleven when she wrote the following:

There once was a goat
Who went for a float 
In a boat that was quite rotten.
It sank like a stone
Down it went in the foam
And that nautical goat was forgotten. 

Though the goat was quite drowned
He just wouldn't stay down
He came to the top all in pieces.
Now we've whiskers on waves
And I rant and I rave
For the fish that I see all have fleeces.