Melissa is the author of peluda, Dreaming of You, and Candelaria, which was named one of the best books of 2023 by USA TODAY and VOGUE. Her work has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, NPR, and BBC Mundo. She is the co-host of the podcast Say More and runs a substack called READING SUCKS. She earned her MFA from NYU in 2020 and she lives in Brooklyn.

José Olivarez is the son of Mexican immigrants, and the author of two collections of poems, including, most recently, Promises of Gold—which was long listed for the 2023 National Book Awards. His debut book of poems, Citizen Illegal, was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize. Along with Felicia Rose Chavez and Willie Perdomo, he co-edited the poetry anthology, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT.

Brandie Blaze is a hip hop artist from Boston, Massachusetts. Heavily inspired by Lil Kim, Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliot, Blaze spreads her message of “trap feminism” through her hard hitting bars and dynamic stage presence. Performing since the age of 3, she started writing poetry in middle school and transitioned to rapping in high school. Blaze has had the pleasure of opening for such artists as GZA of Wu Tang, JPEGMAFIA, STL GLD, Bbymutha and Trina. She has also been featured in publications such as NPR, Vanyaland, Allston Pudding, Dig Boston, Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe, Elle Italia, Madame Rap and grammy.com. Brandie is a 3x Boston Music Award Nominee, was a part of the 2023 line up of Boston Calling and a 2024 Celtics halftime performer. 

Tim Hall is an award winning Educator, Artist, and Entrepreneur, from Detroit, MI, who now resides in Boston, MA. He began playing alto saxophone at the age of 10. In college, Hall found poetry and used this form of creative expression to share his thoughts on paper. Tim Hall draws inspiration from his lived experiences – charting the nuances of blackness, masculinity, and the beauties of life. As a musician, Hall has shared stages with world-renowned recording artists such as The Nappy Roots, Carolyn Malachi, Bilal, Chris Turner, and Aloe Blacc. His poetry has been heard at Boston’s Hub Week, The Museum of Fine Arts, Berklee College of Music, Outside the Box Festival, Bridgin’ Gaps Festival, and many other venues and poetry slam communities around the Boston/Greater Boston area.

Amina Adeyola is a poet, playwright, and filmmaker. She creates, teaches, and curates spaces for live music and the arts, and was the first Youth Poet Laureate of Richmond, Virginia. Amina explores how art can be used to protect and uplift the youth of her communities by working to sustain spaces of resistance through art.