Rilla Askew is the author of five novels, a book of stories, and a collection of creative nonfiction. She's the recipient of the American Book Award, Western Heritage Award, and the Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She teaches at the University of Oklahoma.

Whitney Terrell cohosts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast at Literary Hub. He is the author of The Good Lieutenant, The King of Kings County, and The Huntsman. His nonfiction appears in the New York Times, Harper's, and The New Republic. He teaches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Desi is currently editing her sequel to her debut novel, Bindle Punk Bruja, which explores the topics of identity and the Latinx experience in the Kansas City Mexican boxcar community during the 1920s. This novel tackles many issues we see repeated today, including classism, sexism, and racism.

Glenn North is a community-based poet. He is the director of inclusive learning and creative impact at the Kansas City Museum. He is a Cave Canem fellow, a Callaloo creative writing fellow, and an adjunct professor at Rockhurst University.

Quraysh Ali Lansana is author of fourteen books in poetry, nonfiction, and children’s literature, and is editor of nine literary anthologies. An Emmy and duPont-Columbia Award winning journalist, Lansana is executive Producer of KOSU/NPR’s "Focus: Black Oklahoma," a monthly radio program.