Luivette Resto is a CantoMundo fellow. Her first book of poetry, Unfinished Portrait, was a finalist for the 2009 Paterson Poetry Prize. Her new collection Ascension was published in April 2013.

Patricia Smith's six books of poetry include Blood Dazzler, a National Book Award finalist, and Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah. She is featured in Best American Poetry, Best American Essays, and Best American Mystery Stories. She teaches at the College of Staten Island and Sierra Nevada College.

Chiwan Choi is the author of two books, The Flood and Abductions. He is also a founding editor of Writ Large Press. His writing has also appeared in ONTHEBUS, Esquire, The Nervous Breakdown, and Cultural Weekly.

Diane Glancy is a professor at Azusa Pacific University.

Michael Warr’s most recent book of poems is The Armageddon of Funk. His literary awards include the Gwendolyn Brooks Significant Illinois Poets Award, NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, PEN Oakland Award for Excellence in Literature, and Black Caucus of the American Library Association Honor Award.