Stephen (also Steph or Stephanie) Burt, professor of English at Harvard, is the author of several books of poetry and criticism, most recently Advice from the LIghts and The Poem Is You: 60 Contemporary American Poems and How to Read Them.

Monica Youn is the author of Blackacre, which won the William Carlos Williams Award, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. Her previous book, Ignatz, was a finalist for the National Book Award. She teaches at Princeton.

Kazim Ali is a poet, translator, essayist, and fiction writer. His books include Sky Ward, Bright Felon, and Orange Alert: Essays on Poetry, Art and the Architecture of Silence. He is associate professor of creative writing and comparative literature at Oberlin College.

Sandra Beasley is the author of four books, including Count the Waves, I Was the Jukebox (Barnard Women Poets Prize), and Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life, a memoir. She was a 2015 NEA fellow in poetry. She teaches with the University of Tampa low-residency MFA program.