Previous Guests

Aliki Barnstone is poet laureate of Missouri. Her books include poetry, translation, literary criticism, and anthologies. Her visual art has appeared in journals and on book covers and interiors.

Her first book of poems, The Real Tin Flower, introduced by Anne Sexton, was published when she was 12 years old. Her mission as poet laureate is to celebrate and promote diversity in Missouri and, since she was child poet herself, to bring poetry to kids, K-12.

Corey Black is a poet, spoken word artist and host of Poetic Justice Open Mic [2017 St. Louis Post-Dispatch GO! Magazine’s favorite open mic night]. He is a military veteran, having served in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He formed his own clothing line, Black Supply Co. in 2013. His anthology, Shoot The Messenger was self-published in 2014.

Always one to collaborate, he has recorded his poetry with artists such as Tef Poe, L-Vis 1990, Black Spade, and Nick Hook. He has opened up for Talib Kweli, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Malcolm London, Nappy Roots and many more.

He has won slams at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City as well as The San Antonio Slam. He’s graced the stage at some of the country’s premier open mics such as Da Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles, The Seattle Poetry Slam, The Boston Poetry Slam and Smoken Words Open Mic in Tampa, FL. In 2017, Black performed at Harvard University’s Ed Portal. His charismatic personality and alluring stage presence gives him the ability to engage with any audience.

As a veteran, Black uses poetry to combat his post-traumatic stress disorder. In his hometown, he uses his poetry as a vehicle to help mentor under privileged middle and high school students and conducts Spoken Wordshops with Freedom Arts & Education Center.

An advocate for mental health, Black also provides motivational speeches for schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

Zac Brewer grew up on a diet of Twilight Zone and books by Stephen King. He chased them down with every drop of horror he could find—in books, movie theaters, on television. The most delicious parts of his banquet, however, he found lurking in the shadowed corners of his dark imagination. When he’s not writing books, he’s skittering down your wall and lurking underneath your bed. Zac doesn’t believe in happy endings . . . unless they involve blood. He lives in Missouri with his husband and two children.

Louis Conphliction isn't an entertainer, he is Entertainment!

Whether ravaging sixteen bars, serenading love interests or igniting our

inner most passions with poetry, you are bound to request Louis

Conphliction's presence inside of your hearts, minds and homes.

A captivating songwriter and musician, Demetrius S. Davis, Jr. better known as Meachy Davis is a passionate, humble, and soulful performer who takes his audience on a journey through his musical world where freedom and joy balance sorrow and injustice. His lyrics and musical cords reflects his happiness and pain through his music. Meachy obtained his BA in Instrumental Performance with a minor in Music Business Management from Columbia College Chicago in May of 2012. He was able to learn and master technical skills, compose and arrange music for instruments and voices in diverse styles; and use analytical tools of music to create expressive coherent performances in a range of styles. Upon graduation Demetrius signed his first contract to perform professionally with multiple music artists. Since then he’s been traveling the world sharing his gift and motivating young musicians with his experience in the music business! Demetrius came from a family full of musicians, so it was only right for him to start at a young age. He has performed in many productions in the Saint Louis area, out of the country and also around the United States, such as MTV awards, Grammys, BET Awards, the list goes on. He serves as the Music Director for Bridge Artist Management Music (Local music record label founded in 2014) and also the Human Resource Manager and Developer. His love for music has taken him and put him in positions he never seen coming.

Outside of music, Meachy has ventured back into school to study Human Resource Management and Cyber security. He will have his second BA and first Masters in December of 2018. He also is a substitute teacher for the Hazelwood School District and using his knowledge to give back to the younger generation.

The Kenny DeShields Experience brings the heart of life, love, and music to the stage with a collection of original songs, penned by the singer/songwriter. With a style that dabbles along the lines of John Legend and John Mayer, Kenny allows listeners to take a look into the heart of a man with an undying zeal and passion.

Kenny is currently showcasing new tunes from the highly anticipated album “The Real Love Project,” slated for a Fall 2017 release including the lead single, “That’s When You Love,” available on all digital outlets.

Kenny is no stranger to taking the “road less traveled.” The Real Love Project is a breath of fresh air to a familiar but overlooked topic. “Love’s not just a four letter word. It’s a day by day, moment by moment, conscious decision. It’s a culture, a way of life.” says Kenny.

The album features production and writing credits from some of the who’s who in the St. Louis music scene, including Grammy Award winning producer/artist – J.R., fellow singer-songwriter, Theresa Payne, and his wife and media personality/fashion stylist/blogger, Christia DeShields.

Kenny was selected as one of the fan favorites in the 2017 #TinyDeskSTL contest hosted by St. Louis Public Radio after submitting an entry in the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. He is also a 2014 and 2012 nominee in the RFT Music Showcase for Best R&B Artist and the 2011 Winner for Best Gospel Artist in the RFT Best of St. Louis category.

Kenny has had the privilege of sharing the stage with music greats such as Grammy nominated and BET J Virtual Award Winner – Eric Roberson, Jeanne Jolly, KJ52, Leon Timbo, Anthony David, Mali Music, Meaghan Williams McNeal, Daniel Eric Groves, and Sunday’s Best Finalists – Jessica Reedy and Durward Davis.

Journalist, author, and editor Daniel Durchholz's books include Rock 'n' Roll Myths: The True Stories Behind the Most Infamous Legends, Neil Young: Long May You Run - The Illustrated History, and MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. He is a former editor at Replay and Request magazines, STLtoday.com, and the Riverfront Times. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to books including Dylan: Disc by Disc, The Ties That Bind: Bruce Springsteen from A to E to Z and various MusicHound Essential Album Guides; newspapers including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Chicago Tribune, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle and the St. Louis Jewish Light; magazines including Rolling Stone, Billboard, Stereophile, Guitar One, Guitar, St. Louis, and St. Louis Cardinals Gameday; and numerous other publications and websites. On the airwaves, he has been heard delivering music news and reviews on radio stations KMOX and KTRS. He has taught a course in the history of rock 'n' roll at Webster University and courses in English at St. Louis Community College - Meramec and East Central College. He lives in Wildwood, MO, with his wife and four children.

Mark Medric George was born and raised in the St. Louis area and currently lives in Lake St. Louis with his wife and son. After receiving a BA in English and MFA in Fiction from the University of Missouri St. Louis, Mark began to publish poetry and short fiction in a number of national literary journals including The MacGuffin, The Beloit Fiction Journal, The Green Mountains Review, River Styx, The GW Review, New Madrid, The Greensboro Review, and The Southeast Review. His short story “Bonham Ferry Road” won the Greensboro Review Literary Award in 2006 and he has been twice nominated for The Pushcart Prize. Mark previously taught undergraduate fiction writing at the University of Missouri St. Louis and spent nearly ten years leading in-class fiction workshops at Lindenwood University’s graduate writing program. He continues to write short fiction and is finishing revisions on a novel manuscript about struggling musicians under the working title The Secret Life of the Love Song.

At seventeen, Cole Gibsen found herself homeless with only a beat-up Volkswagen Jetta and a bag of Goodwill clothing to her name. The only things that got her through the nights she spent parked in truck stops and cornfields were the stacks of books she checked out from the library along with her trusty flashlight. It was because of the escape these books gave her that Cole vowed to become a writer so she could provide the same escape to teens who needed to escape the reality of their lives.

Cole Gibsen has been profiled in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and on St. Louis's KSDK morning news, and was featured in The Telegraph for her debut novel, Katana. She graduated from Southwestern Illinois College with an associate's degree in liberal arts, and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the St. Louis Writers Guild. Gibsen lives with her husband and daughter outside St. Louis in Collinsville, Illinois.

 Antony John was born in England and raised on a balanced diet of fish and chips, obscure British comedies, and ABBA's Greatest Hits. In a fit of teenage rebellion, he decided to pursue a career in classical music, culminating in a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Duke University. Along the way, he worked as an ice cream seller on a freezing English beach, a tour guide in the Netherlands, a chauffeur in Switzerland, a barista in Seattle, and a university professor. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

David Kirkman is a visionary filmmaker and entrepreneur based in St. Louis, Missouri. Raised in Ferguson, Missouri, he has become an icon in the making having had two successful Red Carpet Premieres for his films before the age of 21. He has been featured on Fox News, Channel 9 PBS, KMOV Radio, and many other media and news outlets. It’s his desire to help make St. Louis an epicenter of global entertainment.

For Alexandria LaFaye Family is at the core of who she is, which is why families are at the center of most of her books whether it is families torn apart by injury (Worth) or absence (The Year of the Sawdust Man) or drawn together by tragedy (Water Steps and The Keening) or seeking each other (Walking Home to Rosie Lee).

When she is not joining my family for a board game, a jaunt to the park, or a trip to the zoo, She is usually writing or reading, but she is also an associate professor of English at Greenville College in the academic year and a visiting associate professor in the Hollins University Summer Graduate Program in Children's and Young Adult Literature.

Wiley Price has worked as a photojournalist for Missouri newspapers for more than 20 years at The St. Louis American and 10 years at Suburban Journals of St. Louis. He studied music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 1975-1976; and music and photojournalism at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 1976-1980. Price got his professional start in photography as a freelancer for the Associated Press in 1982 in St. Louis. As a freelancer, he made photos for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The St. Louis American, The Kansas City Star, Detroit Free Press, The Washington Post and Ebony magazine. His mentors were Fred Waters and James Finley, both Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame inductees. Price has received more than 80 awards for outstanding photojournalism, including dozens of first-place awards from the Missouri Press Association, Illinois Press Association, National Newspaper Association, Suburban Newspapers of America and the National Newspaper Publishers’ Association. In 2009, he was named one of the NAACP’s “100 Most Inspiring St. Louisans.” In 2011, he was honored for his iconic photographs documenting St. Louis’ Forest Park during the previous 25 years. In 2000, he received the Missouri Governor’s Humanities Award for his book of photography, Lift Every Voice and Sing, a historical essay that chronicles the lives of 100 St. Louis African-Americans in the 20th century.

Also in 2000, he received the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association’s Contributing Medium Award, only the second time the award had been given to a photojournalist. While Price is known for his ability to capture local, everyday life in memorable ways, he has photographed dozens of recognizable persons: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Janet Jackson, Colin Powell, Joan Rivers, Gordon Parks, and every U.S. President since Jimmy Carter. He’s covered state high school and NCAA sporting events for 30 years, as well as the Super Bowl and two World Series. He is a consummate professional who continuously gives back to the St. Louis community. Whether it’s lecturing to high school or grade school students or leading student tours of the newspaper office, Wiley Price always volunteers.

Curtis Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of five novels: Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, and Eligible. Her first story collection, You Think It, I’ll Say It, will be published in 2018. Her books have been selected by The New York Times, Time, Entertainment Weekly, and People for their “Ten Best Books of the Year” lists, optioned for television and film, and translated into twenty-five languages. Her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Esquire, and her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Slate, and on “This American Life.” A graduate of Stanford University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Curtis has interviewed Michelle Obama for Time; appeared as a guest on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” CBS’s “Early Show,” and PBS’s Newshour; and twice been a strangely easy “Jeopardy!” answer.

Fred Venturini grew up in Patoka, Illinois. In 2014, his story "Gasoline" was featured in Chuck Palahniuk's Burnt Tongues anthology. His short fiction has been published in the Booked Anthology, Noir at the Bar 2, and Surreal South. The Heart Does Not Grow Back, published by Picador in 2014, is his first novel. He lives in Southern Illinois with his wife and daughter.

Gareth Hinds

Gareth Hinds is the creator of critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on literary classics, including Beowulf (which Publisher’s Weekly called a “mixed-media gem”), King Lear (which Booklist named one of the top 10 graphic novels for teens), The Merchant of Venice (which Kirkus called “the standard that all others will strive to meet” for Shakespeare adaptation), The Odyssey (which garnered four starred reviews and a spot on ten “best of 2010” lists), Romeo and Juliet (which Kirkus called “spellbinding”), and Macbeth (which the New York Times called “stellar” and “a remarkably faithful rendering”). Gareth is a recipient of the Boston Public Library’s “Literary Lights for Children” award. His books can be found in bookstores and English classrooms across the country, and his illustrations have appeared in such diverse venues as the Society of Illustrators, the New York Historical Society, and over a dozen published video games.

Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher was raised in Cascade, Idaho, a lumber and cattle ranch town located in the central Idaho Rockies, a two hour drive over treacherous two-lane from the nearest movie theater and a good forty minutes from the nearest bowling alley. In high school he played football, basketball and ran track, not because he was a stellar athlete, but because in a place so isolated, every able bodied male was heavily recruited. “If you didn’t show up on the first day of football practice your freshman year,” he says, “they just came to your house and got you. And your parents let them in.”

Crutcher’s years as teacher, then director, of a K-12 alternative school in Oakland, California through the nineteen-seventies, and his subsequent twenty-odd years as a therapist specializing in child abuse and neglect, inform his thirteen novels and two collections of short stories. “I have forever been intrigued by the extremes of the human condition,” he says, “the remarkable juxtaposition of the ghastly and the glorious. As Eric ‘Moby’ Calhoun tells us at the conclusion of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, ‘Ain’t it a trip where heroes come from’.”

He has also written what he calls an ill-advised autobiography titled King of the Mild Frontier, which was designated by “Publisher’s Weekly” as “the YA book most adults would have read if they knew it existed.”

Chris has received a number of coveted awards, from his high school designation as “Most Likely to Plagiarize” to the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award. His favorites are his two Intellectual Freedom awards, one from the National Council for Teachers of English and the other from the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Five of Crutcher’s books appeared on an American Library Association list of the 100 Best Books for Teens of the Twentieth Century (1999 to 2000). A recent NPR list of the Best 100 YA and Children’s books included none of those titles. Time flies.

Crutcher no longer listens to, nor contributes to, NPR.

Daniel Neman

Daniel Neman has been the food writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for five years. He also wrote about food for the Toledo Blade, but the bulk of his career has been spent as a movie critic and entertainment writer, primarily for the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch and The Richmond News Leader.

Tongo Eisen-Martin

Tongo Eisen-Martin was born in San Francisco and earned his MA at Columbia University. He is the author of someone’s dead already (Bootstrap Press, 2015), nominated for a California Book Award; and Heaven Is All Goodbyes (City Lights, 2017), which received a 2018 American Book Award, a 2018 California Book Award, was named a 2018 National California Booksellers Association Poetry Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Griffin International Poetry Prize. In their citation, the judges for the Griffin Prize wrote that Eisen-Martin’s work “moves between trenchant political critique and dreamlike association, demonstrating how, in the right hands, one mode might energize the other—keeping alternative orders of meaning alive in the face of radical injustice ... His poems are places where discourses and vernaculars collide and recombine into new configurations capable of expressing outrage and sorrow and love.”

Eisen-Martin is also an educator and organizer whose work centers on issues of mass incarceration, extrajudicial killings of Black people, and human rights. He has taught at detention centers around the country and at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University. He lives in San Francisco.

Ashlee Haze

Ashlee Haze is a poet and spoken word artist from Atlanta by way of Chicago. Earning the nickname “Big 30" because of her consistency in getting a perfect score, she is one of the most accomplished poets in the sport of poetry slam. She has been a part of the Atlanta Poetry circuit for over a decade and has been writing over 15 years. Ashlee Haze is a 3- time Queen of the South poetry Slam Champion, 2-time Women of the World Poetry Slam Finalist and 2- time National Poetry Slam semi-finalist. She recently appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk series alongside Blood Orange. Her sophmore book "Smoke" is scheduled for release Summer 2019.

Ashlee began writing at the age of ten, performing her first piece at a church Mother/Daughter Banquet. After that, writing became something she did almost daily. By age 15 she was regularly performing at public competitions and events.

In 2006, she was the Grand Prize Winner of V-103's "Got Word" Youth Poetry Slam and has participated in the art/sport ever since. Her senior year of high school she was co-president of South Gwinnett High’s Writers’ Society Club and had been published in three national publications. In August 2009, she made her first trip to the National Poetry Slam in which Java Monkey placed 5th in the nation.

Ashlee Haze holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Georgia State University, Atlanta. As of September 2016 she is a full time poet and artist.

Brendan Constantine

Brendan Constantine was born in Los Angeles, the second child of two working actors, and named after Irish playwright Brendan Behan. An ardent supporter of Southern California’s poetry communities and one of its most recognized poets, he has served as a teacher of poetry in local schools and colleges since 1995.

His first collection, ‘Letters to Guns,’ was released in February 2009 from Red Hen Press to wide acclaim. This was followed in 2011 by ‘Birthday Girl With Possum,’ under the performance based publisher Write Bloody, and established Mr. Constantine as a poet equally at home on the page and the stage. His work can be found in many of the nation’s standards, including Best American Poetry, Poem-a-Day, Virginia Quarterly, Rattle, Prairie Schooner, Field, and Chautauqua. New work appears or is forthcoming in Reservoir and Tin House. His most recent collection is ‘Dementia, My Darling’ (2016). A long awaited chapbook, ‘Bouncy Bounce,’ has just been released from Blue Horse Press (Fall, 2018).

Mr. Constantine has received grants and commissions from the Getty Museum, James Irvine Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. A popular performer, Brendan has presented his work to audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe, also appearing on NPR’s All Things Considered, KPFK’s Poetry Cafe, numerous podcasts, and YouTube. He currently teaches creative writing at the Windward School.

In addition, he brings poetry workshops to veterans, hospitals, foster care centers, & shelters for the homeless. He is also very proud of his work with the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project. Since 2017, he has been working with speech pathologist Michael Biel to develop the first poetry workshop for people dealing with Aphasia.

Joel Francois

Joel Francois is a Haitian-born, Brooklyn-raised storyteller, who wishes to share his vista as a black writer and tell stories of love, family, and race through that lens. He believes that the artist is the architect of humanity and writes in search of God, love, and community. Joel's writing is an act of personal healing as his ultimate goal is to do good work with little harm. He is the 2015 Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion, the 2016 and 2017 Bowery Grand Slam Champion, was listed as one of New York City’s top poets by Culture Trip, and earned a top 20 ranking in the 2016 Individual World Poetry Slam. Joel has dedicated the past three years to traveling the country and sharing his work.

Kate Barton is a screenwriter and stand-up comedian from St. Louis, Missouri. She wrote and directed her first feature film "Bottle Fed" (about two women who form a stand-up comedy mom band) in the summer of 2015. Since then she has written a collection of feature film scripts and short screenplays, and has transitioned into the world of stand-up comedy. You can see her perform at The Improv Shop, Heavy Anchor, and Helium Comedy Club.

Cheryl Baehr & Mabel Suen:

Mabel Suen is a freelance food writer and photographer, contributing regularly to local publications including Riverfront Times, Feast Magazine and Ladue News. She serves as the St. Louis contributing editor for Feast, reporting on new restaurants in the St. Louis area.

Ann Leckie is the author of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award winning novel Ancillary Justice. She has also published short stories inSubterranean Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Realms of Fantasy. Her story “Hesperia and Glory” was reprinted in Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2007 Edition edited by Rich Horton.

Ann has worked as a waitress, a receptionist, a rodman on a land-surveying crew, and a recording engineer. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Adrienne Draper is an author, educator and poet from St. Louis, MO. For more than fifteen years, she has served at-risk children throughout the country. She received her bachelor’s degree in Public Communication from Missouri Baptist University, her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Lindenwood University and her Teaching Artist Certificate from the Teaching Artist Institute, Regional Arts Commission. Adrienne is the author of three published books, "Missy's Mouthing Off," "Dirty Dishes: Every Woman Has Them," and "Living Legends: Sheroes of the Millennium."

Rob Connoley is a 2014 James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef - Southwest. Arguably the most remote chef ever to receive that honor, Connoley forages, hunts and farms the vast wilderness in search of amazing ingredients, and present them is modern ways to the delight of his guests. Born and raised in St. Louis, Connoley has traveled and dined the world and shares that knowledge in his writings both online and in his book.

Sharon Cameron is the #1 NYT best-selling author of The Dark Unwinding (2012), A Spark Unseen (2013), Rook (2015), The Forgetting (2016), and The Knowing (2017), all from Scholastic Press. Her books have won the Parents’ Choice Gold Award, the Westchester Fiction Award, earned starred reviews from Booklist, SLJ, and Kirkus, and have been chosen for numerous lists, including Indie Next Top Ten, YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, Audible Best Books, and numerous state award nominations. Her newest book is The Light in Hidden Places, coming in 2020. When not writing, Sharon can be found shooting her longbow, thumbing dusty tomes, pondering the past, or continuing her lifelong search for secret passages. She lives with her family in Nashville, TN.

James “Jay Luvve” Watford II began writing in 2008, performing in 2011, and competing in slam poetry in 2012. He placed 6th in the nation at the 2014 National Poetry Slam in Ybor City, FL, and is recognized as the 2012 and 2018 Slam Champion in St. Louis, MO. Currently, Jay is a coach and a member of the 2020 Saint Louis Poetry Slam team, hosted by the Urban Artist Alliance (UrbArts) in Old North Saint Louis, MO.

Corey Black is a poet, spoken word artist and host of Poetic Justice Open Mic [2017 St. Louis Post-Dispatch GO! Magazine’s favorite open mic night]. He is a military veteran, having served in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He formed his own clothing line, Black Supply Co. in 2013. His anthology, Shoot The Messenger was self-published in 2014.

Always one to collaborate, he has recorded his poetry with artists such as Tef Poe, L-Vis 1990, Black Spade, and Nick Hook. He has opened up for Talib Kweli, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Malcolm London, Nappy Roots and many more.

He has won slams at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City as well as The San Antonio Slam. He’s graced the stage at some of the country’s premier open mics such as Da Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles, The Seattle Poetry Slam, The Boston Poetry Slam and Smoken Words Open Mic in Tampa, FL. In 2017, Black performed at Harvard University’s Ed Portal. His charismatic personality and alluring stage presence gives him the ability to engage with any audience.

As a veteran, Black uses poetry to combat his post-traumatic stress disorder. In his hometown, he uses his poetry as a vehicle to help mentor under privileged middle and high school students and conducts Spoken Wordshops with Freedom Arts & Education Center.

An advocate for mental health, Black also provides motivational speeches for schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

"Hello to the hard times, goodbye good times...

I'll see you 'round" is a line from the title track of Nick Gusman's debut Folk/Americana record, "Dear Hard Times". Though desperation is heard on top of the songs blunt and honest lyrics, underneath there is a wave of confidence. Taking note of inspirational artists like Dylan and Prine, Nick's songs are chock-full of imagery, and storytelling. Dear Hard Times will be released November 9, 2018. Nick Gusman is a South Saint Louis native with roots in Southern MO as well.

Ashley August loves a good list! She is an afro-latina actress, author, playwright, activist, teaching artist, touring spoken word artist, 3rd ranked woman poet in the world, hip-hop junkie, ASTEP at Juilliard fellow, NYC's 2013 Youth Poet Laureate and recently named one of The New York Times 30 Under 30 Most Influential people.

Along with multiple stage and screen appearances, her credits include Sundance, Cannes Film Festival, Netflix, Aljazaera America, The GAP, BET, and HBO. She's also written and performed on the behalf of Adidas, Refinery 29, Under Armour, Nike, MTV and more. August is the author of three self-exploratory books, “Love Handles”, “Licorice” and "Say I Won't". She is the former curator and Slam Master of the Legendary Bowery Poetry Club. With Belize and Brooklyn embedded into her (he)art, August is motivated to speak the unsaid truth and push the boundaries of spoken word and performance to realms they've yet to live in.

Her work is forthcoming in the Breakbeat Poetry Collection "LatiNext" and Poetry Magazine. You can catch her in a new Nickelodeon show (she loves the kids) as well as acclaimed Netflix and HBO series’. She currently resides in LA and is trying to figure it all out.

Louis Conphliction isn't an entertainer, he is Entertainment!

Whether ravaging sixteen bars, serenading love interests or igniting our inner most passions with poetry, you are bound to request Louis

Conphliction's presence inside of your hearts, minds and homes.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tony Messenger is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's metro columnist, a position he's held since Sept. 2015. He was previously the editorial page editor at the Post-Dispatch and was hired at the paper in 2008 in the state capital bureau.

He began his career at a small weekly newspaper in Colorado, where he was born and raised. He has worked in Colorado, Arizona, Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri at weeklies, dailies and magazines.

In 2019, Messenger won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary for his series of columns on debtors' prisons in Missouri. In 2016, Messenger was awarded a Missouri Honor Medal, the highest award bestowed by the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. That same year he won a National Headliner for editorial writing. In 2015, Messenger was a Pulitzer finalist for his series of editorials on Ferguson, and won the Sigma Delta Chi award for best editorials of the year, given by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Messenger lives in Wildwood with his wife and two children. He has four grown children and eight grandchildren.

Born in Carthage, MO. Tommy Clark spent most of his life living in small town Lamar, MO, with several years spent living in Joplin and Neosho.

Tommy began his writing career in college, choosing to write a one act play for a student showcase for the theater department. The desire to tell stories stents from his early days of playing Dungeons and Dragons® with his friends. He wrote Rogue’s Phoenix, based loosely on some of the adventures he had during those days. Not knowing what he wanted to be when he grew up, writing was initially a simple hobby that took a great deal of time.

After marrying Helen Crites and the death of his father, he returned to Lamar to be near family. When his son, Dylen, was born he and Helen decided to do something better for their family. They moved north so that Tommy could return to school. He grew ill at the age of twenty-two. Not knowing how to deal with the struggles of his illness, Tommy wrote Mental Health Day, a modern story telling of a young man dealing with frustrations with his life. Overcoming his illness, Tommy finally earned an Associate’s in Web development from State Fair Community College in Sedalia, MO.

Tommy spent several years working as a facilities director and Emergency Management Manager. The skills he learned there were the catalyst that began the structure of The Divide, a post collapse story taking place in the after math of an economic crisis.

Tommy enjoys Fantasy Fiction, Survival, Steam-punk and Science Fiction and writes in all of these genres. With the help of his co-author Robert Jennings and the support and input from family and friends, Tommy continues to write from his home in central Missouri. When Tommy is not writing, he spends time with his family at the lake, fishing, wood-working and playing board games.

Mike Bizelli grew up with photography. His parents operated Bizelli Studio in St. Charles for almost 45 years.

Mike graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism majoring in photojournalism. His 48-year photography career has included an 18-year stint as a staff photographer at the Ralston Purina Company (now Nestle Purina).

In 1995 Mike started his own business, Bizelli Photography, Inc., where his client list included Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and non-profits.

He started documenting animal rescues for the Humane Society of Missouri in the fall of 1999 and the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in the spring of 2009. To date Mike has documented 106 companion animal rescues. Ten of those rescues have been for victims of dog fighting. He followed many of these rescued fight dogs into rehabilitation and on to forever homes. This inspired him to publish Last Day on a Chain, Stories of Compassion, Salvation and Misperceptions.

Established in 2008, WU-SLam is the premier and only slam poetry team at Washington University in St. Louis. Their performance crew hosts weekly writing workshops and monthly poetry slams for the WashU community in order to give students a chance to share their stories through poetry and performance. In 2017, WU-SLam ranked 10th in the nation at the College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI). WU-SLam also makes an effort to reach outside of the "WashU Bubble" and bring poetry to the Greater St. Louis area, telling their stories and inspiring others to do the same.

Ben Frederickson

Sports Columnist at St. Louis Post-Dispatch and @stltoday. Radio talker at @550KTRS. Instagram: benfredpd. Living one word to the next, one line at a time.

SAMPLE WORK: BenFred: Nogowski left it all on the field, and that earns him spot on Cardinals' opening-day roster

I know in my inner ear that W.C. Fields would have found Fedora AMIS to be a sublimely “euphonious appellation.” I revel in the sound of it. What’s more, I can’t resist the irony. Strange twists of karma have warped the meaning of a Russian lady’s name into unisex headwear. In a thousand ways, the legacy--the historic roots--the epic melodrama in the word “Fedora” transport me to my favorite era in history--the Mauve Decade of the 1890s.

If I asked you to think of a person in a fedora, whom would you picture? Scarface Al Capone? Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade--wearing his Private Eye uniform of trench coat and fedora?

The fedora looks as though it was born to adorn the dome of a tough guy--a gangster in a pin-striped suit knocking on the door of a speakeasy or the skull of a storekeeper who wouldn’t stand still for extortion. But it was, in fact, created by a theatrical costumer for the head of a high-born lady--a fictional high born lady--the widow Fedora Romazoff, heroine of the play that bears her name. A woman made the part and the hat famous—the divine actress madame Sarah Bernhardt.

SAMPLE WORK: "To Build A Better Coffin"

Adrienne Draper is an author, educator and poet from St. Louis, MO.  For more than fifteen years, she has served at-risk children throughout the country.   She received her bachelor’s degree in Public Communication from Missouri Baptist University, her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Lindenwood University and her Teaching Artist Certificate from the Teaching Artist Institute, Regional Arts Commission. Adrienne is the author of three published books, "Missy's Mouthing Off," "Dirty Dishes: Every Woman Has Them," and "Living Legends: Sheroes of the Millennium.

Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Andrew Noles has been a storyteller – and Halloween fanatic! - since before he could even write, dictating stories to his parents when he was just a few years old and planning out costumes well over a year in advance. 

Over the years, he followed this passion for storytelling across various media and industries before launching the Halloween blog Your Best Halloween Ever with his partner, Devin, in 2018. Featuring daily posts in the fall with tips, tricks, and treats for your best Halloween ever, the blog is viewable year-round at yourbesthalloweenever.com.

Andrew continues to reside in the suburbs of St. Louis where he is often to be found working on projects of the writing, baking, or crafting variety… and is likely already decorating for Halloween.

His first novel, Cityscape, was released in 2014.

At seventeen Cole Gibsenfound herself homeless with only a beat-up Volkswagen Jetta and a bag of Goodwill clothing to her name. The only things that got her through the nights she spent parked in truck stops and cornfields were the stacks of books she checked out from the library along with her trusty flashlight. Because of the reprieve these books gave her from her troubles, Cole vowed to become a writer so she could provide the same escape to readers who needed a break from the reality of their own lives.

Jill Orr is the author of HOW NOT TO BE OLD (EVEN IF YOU ARE), which hit #1 on the Amazon Bestseller list in the categories of Internet & Social Media humor, Aging Parents, and Cultural, Ethnic & Regional humor in its first week after publication. She also writes the Riley Ellison mystery series, which has been called “delightfully comic” and “highly amusing” by Publishers Weekly. Orr’s work has garnered praise from industry professionals and readers alike and books have earned a Silver Falchion nomination, a starred review and “Best Book of the Week” from Library Journal, and a Midwest Connections pick.

A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Jill lives in Columbia, Missouri with her husband and two teenage children. She is always happy to hear from readers - connect with her on social or through the contact form on her website.

SAMPLE WORK: 

Excerpt from THE GOOD BYLINE

Rejection Reflection

Forbidden Fructose

Lessons From Yoda & Other Small Creatures

"Hello to the hard times, goodbye good times...

I'll see you 'round" is a line from the title track of Nick Gusman's debut Folk/Americana record, "Dear Hard Times".  Though desperation is heard on top of the songs blunt and honest lyrics, underneath there is a wave of confidence. Taking note of inspirational artists like Dylan and Prine, Nick's songs are chock-full of imagery, and storytelling. Dear Hard Times will be released November 9, 2018. Nick Gusman is a South Saint Louis native with roots in Southern MO as well.

James “Jay Luvve” Watford II began writing in 2008, performing in 2011, and competing in slam poetry in 2012. He placed 6th in the nation at the 2014 National Poetry Slam in Ybor City, FL, and is recognized as the 2012 and 2018 Slam Champion in St. Louis, MO. Currently, Jay is a coach and a member of the 2020 Saint Louis Poetry Slam team, hosted by the Urban Artist Alliance (UrbArts) in Old North Saint Louis, MO.

Jason Vasser-Elong is a doctoral student in the College of Education at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, where he also earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing and studied cultural anthropology and African Diaspora studies. He is the author of Shrimp (2Leaf Press, 2018), a collection of poetry that analyzes identity in a post-colonial context. His peer reviewed essay “Treading the Atlantic” appears in the special edition of the Canadian Journal of Netherlandic Studies – special issue on "Netherlandic Migrations: Narratives from North America". A General Anthropology Division travel award recipient for the 2021 American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting in Baltimore, MD, where he presented “Treading the Atlantic”. He has published articles in The St. Louis – Post Dispatch and The Saint Louis American newspapers. Jason's most recent poetry can be found in New Square literary journal and in SAPIENS magazine, where serves as poet-in-residence for 2022.

SAMPLE WORK: St. Louis Sound: Then and Now

Fred Venturini has eleven scars from eleven separate incidents, the most interesting of which is the time he was set on fire.

For the others, just ask.  His short fiction has been featured in the Booked. Anthology and Chuck Palahniuk's Burnt Tongues anthology. He is the acclaimed author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back, The Escape of Light, and  To Dust You Shall Return.

On the basketball court, he is a three-point specialist and a defensive liability.

Fred lives in the Greater St. Louis area (Illinois side) in a small town with his wife and daughter, where he patiently waits for the Bears to check a Super Bowl victory off of his bucket list.

María T. Balogh is a multilingual, bicultural poet, fiction writer, performing Caribbean folkloric dancer, and educator. She has a book of poetry in Spanish by Ediciones Torremozas, a Spanish publisher, and a collection of poetry and fiction in English by Cool Way Press. Her fiction and poetry have been published in several different journals from the USA and South America. She has been all over and done just about everything, including building rural aqueducts while in the Peace Corps. She now teaches Spanish, specializing in Latin American literature and culture, and creative writing at the University of Missouri St Louis. She is interested in research in the later trends related to gendered language becoming inclusive and other linguistic changes.

Tyler B. Ruff is an artist and author primarily focused on creating independent comics. His most widely-known work is the ongoing dystopian science fiction series The Unforgiven (2012- present). He currently lives and works in the St. Louis metro area, doing his best to fight the good fight and stave off the oppressive greed and unrelenting soul crush of late-stage capitalism.

Sample Works:

The Unforgiven (Act One)

Library from his website

The Kenny DeShields Experience brings the heart of life, love, and music to the stage with a collection of original songs, penned by the singer/songwriter. With a style that dabbles along the lines of John Legend and John Mayer, Kenny allows listeners to take a look into the heart of a man with an undying zeal and passion.

Kenny is currently showcasing new tunes from the highly anticipated album “The Real Love Project,” slated for a Summer 2020 release including the lead single, “Imagine,” available on all digital outlets.

Kenny is no stranger to taking the “road less traveled.” The Real Love Project is a breath of fresh air to a familiar but overlooked topic. “Love’s not just a four letter word. It’s a day by day, moment by moment, conscious decision. It’s a culture, a way of life.” says Kenny.

The album features production and writing credits from some of the who’s who in the St. Louis music scene, including Grammy Award winning producer/artist – Courtney Orlando, fellow singer-songwriter, Theresa Payne, and his wife and media personality/fashion stylist/blogger, Christia DeShields.

Kenny was selected as one of the fan favorites in the 2017 #TinyDeskSTL contest hosted by St. Louis Public Radio after submitting an entry in the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. He is also a 2014 and 2012 nominee in the RFT Music Showcase for Best R&B Artist and the 2011 Winner for Best Gospel Artist in the RFT Best of St. Louis category.

Kenny has had the privilege of sharing the stage with music greats such as Grammy nominated and BET J Virtual Award Winner – Eric Roberson, Jeanne Jolly, KJ52, Leon Timbo, Anthony David, Mali Music, Meaghan Williams McNeal, Daniel Eric Groves, and Sunday’s Best Finalists – Jessica Reedy and Durward Davis.

Jason Sommer has just published a memoir, titled Shmuel’s Bridge: Following the Tracks to Auschwitz with My Survivor Father, with Imagine!, a Charlesbridge adult imprint.

He is author of five poetry collections: most recently, Portulans in the University of Chicago’s Phoenix Poets Series. His two other Phoenix books are Other People’s Troubles, which won the Society of Midland Authors Award and was a finalist for the PEN/USA West Award, and The Man Who Sleeps in My Office, finalist for Kansas City Star’s William Rockhill Nelson Award.The Laughter of Adam and Eve was published by Southern Illinois University as winner of the Crab Orchard Review Competition.  Poems from his first collection, Lifting the Stone, from Forest Books, London, have been broadcast on the BBC World Service.

Sommer has been recognized with an Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award for poems about the Jewish experience and read from his work at the National Holocaust Memorial Museum’s program, “Speech and Silence: Poetry and the Holocaust.”  A former Stanford University Stegner Fellow, he has held a Whiting Foundation Writers’ Fellowship, fellowships from the Bread Loaf and Sewanee writer’s conferences as well as a residency with the YMCA’s National Writer’s Voice project.   

He has published translations of Irish language poems and, with Hongling Zhang, collaborative book-length translations of Chinese fiction: Wang in Love and Bondage: Three Novellas by Wang Xiaobo and The Bathing Women by Tie Ning, which was long-listed for the Man Asian Prize.

Corey Black is a poet, spoken word artist and host of Poetic Justice Open Mic [2017 St. Louis Post-Dispatch GO! Magazine’s favorite open mic night]. He is a military veteran, having served in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He formed his own clothing line, Black Supply Co. in 2013. His anthology, Shoot The Messenger was self-published in 2014. 

Always one to collaborate, he has recorded his poetry with artists such as Tef Poe, L-Vis 1990, Black Spade, and Nick Hook. He has opened up for Talib Kweli, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Malcolm London, Nappy Roots and many more.

He has won slams at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City as well as The San Antonio Slam. He’s graced the stage at some of the country’s premier open mics such as Da Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles, The Seattle Poetry Slam, The Boston Poetry Slam and Smoken Words Open Mic in Tampa, FL. In 2017, Black performed at Harvard University’s Ed Portal. His charismatic personality and alluring stage presence gives him the ability to engage with any audience.

As a veteran, Black uses poetry to combat his post-traumatic stress disorder. In his hometown, he uses his poetry as a vehicle to help mentor under privileged middle and high school students and conducts Spoken Wordshops with Freedom Arts & Education Center.

An advocate for mental health, Black also provides motivational speeches for schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

Daniel Neman is a retail business writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Sample Work:

Neman: Finding humanity in an inhumane, corporate world

Hyundai, Kia unveil free software upgrade in effort to combat thefts

Antony John was born in England and raised on a balanced diet of fish and chips and bizarre British comedies. To annoy his parents, he decided to pursue a career in classical music. He graduated from Oxford University and received his Ph.D. in composition from Duke University. After teaching at Duke and the University of South Carolina, he became a stay-at-home dad and began writing books—the only other job besides composing that allows him to wear sweatpants all day. He lives near Philadelphia with his family.