Jody Bolz is a Washington-area poet whose books include A Lesson in Narrative Time and Shadow Play. She taught for more than twenty years at George Washington University and has edited Poet Lore since 2002.

Kwame Dawes is author of eighteen collections of poetry, two novels, several anthologies, and plays. He has won a Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an Emmy. At the University of Nebraska, he is a Chancellor's Professor of English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner.

E. Ethelbert Miller is a literary activist and the board chair of the Institute for Policy Studies. He was inducted into the Washington, DC Hall of Fame in 2015.

Jeremy Schraffenberger is editor of the North American Review and an associate professor at the University of Northern Iowa. He is the author of Saint Joe's Passion and The Waxen Poor. His other work has appeared in Best Creative Nonfiction, Brevity, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere.

Don Share is the editor of Poetry, and author, editor, or translator of twelve books. His work at Poetry has been recognized with three National Magazine Awards for editorial excellence, a VIDA "VIDO" Award for his contributions to American literature and literary community, and a CLMP Firecracker Award.