In Volume Five: Chapter Nineteen, we welcomed Educator, Poet, Writer, Spoken Word Artist, host of the Chasing After Wind podcast, and Author of the chapbook How Much We Must Have Looked Like Stars To Stars, Dr. Alysia Nicole Harris.

Alysia has dedicated her life to studying words in their spiritual, social, linguistic and creative capacities. Renowned internationally as a spoken word artist, Alysia has had a professional career as a performance artist and speaker since 2010, amassing over nine million views on YouTube. The author of the prize-winning chapbook How Much We Must Have Looked Like Stars to Stars (2016) received her MFA in poetry from New York University in 2014 and her PhD in linguistics from Yale University in 2019.

Alysia has written, performed, and taught workshops in twelve countries for organizations including but not limited to: U.S. Mission to Ukraine, U.S. Mission to South Africa, U.S. Mission to Jordan, NAACP, Yale Center for Faith & Culture, Virginia Theological Seminary, City Seminary New York, The Disrespected Literatures Conference, Morehouse Center for Excellence in Education, University of Birmingham, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, MoMA: PS1, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Nasher Sculpture Center, The Big Quiet, Button Poetry, and many schools and universities. She is currently working with members of a Texas community to restore a 108-year-old former CME church in Texas and transform it into an intergenerational space for community storytelling. Through this work she hopes to preserve Black places and celebrate Black stories in the U.S. South.

Contact Alysia:
Instagram: @poppyinthewheat
Website: alysiaharris.com

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Ebony Stewart – How We Forget (after Loyce Gayo)
Instagram: @gullyprincess Website: ebpoetry.com

Sabrina Ali – MisterOgyny
Instagram: @sabsie_ali

Roscoe Burnems – Agnostic
Instagram: @roscoeburnems

Alysia Harris – Situations Like This
Alysia Harris – This Woman

In Volume Five: Chapter Eighteen, we welcomed Writer, Poet, Editor, and Author of the forthcoming poetry collection "Ajar", Margo LaPierre.

Margo edits fiction and creative non-fiction. She completed an undergraduate degree in philosophy at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, and graduated from the Toronto Metropolitan Chang School’s Publishing Program. She is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. In her volunteer work, she is the newsletter editor of Arc Poetry Magazine, the interim fiction editor of Untethered magazine, and a poetry selection jury member of Bywords.ca (www.bywords.ca). In 2019, she was the sole recipient of the Claudette Upton Scholarship, an annual, national award that recognizes a promising student editor from among Editors Canada’s student affiliates. She is a member of the poetry collective VII, also comprising Manahil Bandukwala, Ellen Chang-Richardson, Conyer Clayton, nina jane drystek, Chris Johnson, and Helen Robertson.

Contact Margo:
Instagram: @margo_lapierre
Website: margolapierreeditor.com

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Andrea Gibson – For The Days I Stop Wanting A Body
Instagram: @andreagibson Website: andreagibson.com

Alyesha Wise – Flowers
Instagram: @alyeshawise Website: alyeshawise.com

Christopher Diaz – Again
Instagram: @lightbulbchris Website: christopherdiazcreates.com

Asia Samson – Enough
Instagram: @theasiaproject Website: theasiaproject.com

Ania D – Colors
Instagram: @anitadpoetry

In Volume Five: Chapter Seventeen, we welcomed Educator, Writer, Poet, Playwright, and Author of the poetry collection "Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere", Anastacia-Reneé.

(From anastacia-renee.com):

Anastacia-Reneé (She/They) is a queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, playwright, former radio host, TEDX speaker, and podcaster. She is the author of (v.) (Gramma/Black Ocean), Forget It (Black Radish); Sidenotes from the Archivist (HarperCollins/Amistad, ), and Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere (HarperCollins/Amistad). Side Notes From The Archivist was selected as one of “NYPL Best Books of 2023,” and, The American Library Associations (RUSA) “Notable Books of 2024.” Anastacia-Reneé is a recipient of the James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award and, she was selected by NBC News as part of the list of "Queer Artist of Color Dominate 2021's Must See LGBTQ Art Shows," for “(Don’t Be Absurd) Alice in Parts” an installation at the Frye Art Museum. Anastacia-Reneé served as Seattle Civic Poet (2017-1019) during Seattle’s inaugural year of UNESCO status.

Contact Anastacia-Renee:
Instagram: @anastaciarenee5
Website: anastacia-renee.com

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Nia Lewis – Closed
Instagram: @nia.lewis

Edwin Bodney – Good Morning
Instagram: @edwinbodney

Aleah Bradshaw – Questions
Instagram: @nyfe

Gabrielle Smith – Blackbird
Instagram: @bygabriellesmith

Dasan Ahanu – Double Entendre
Website: dasanahanu.com Instagram: @dasanahanu