Derrick Brown is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Strange Light. He is a founding member of the Poetry Revival touring group and the the founder of Write Bloody Publishing.

Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz is the author of six books of poetry, most recently The Year of No Mistakes. Recent awards include the ArtEdge Residency at the University of Pennsylvania, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and the Amy Clampitt Residency.

Jon Sands is the author of The New Clean. He is an adjunct with the City University of New York, a Blue Mountain Center resident, co-founder of Poets in Unexpected Places, and a member of the live literature tours, The Whirlwind Company and The SpillJoy Ensemble.

Mindy Nettifee is an award-winning writer, performance poet, and event curator. She has authored two poetry collections, Sleepyhead Assassins and Rise of the Trust Fall, and a book of essays on writing, Glitter In The Blood. She is the executive director of the nonprofit Write Now Poetry Society.

Taylor Mali is one of the original poets to appear on the HBO series "Def Poetry Jam." A four-time National Poetry Slam champion, he is the founder of the Page Meets Stage reading series in New York City.