Eva M. Abram is a Storyteller/Actor and Keynote Speaker. Her company name is Rainwater Storytelling. She chose that name because as rainwater nourishes the plants and animals of the earth, stories nourish us humans.  She grew up collecting rainwater; now, she collects stories and believes that The Power of Storytelling is Universal®. She says that stories empower us; they illustrate our similarities and give us appreciation for cultural differences. Whether delivering a thoroughly researched presentation on history and race relations or telling folktales, Eva's talent and passion for her work shine through.

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Performance Recognition:

• Nominated for a Gregory Award for Best Supporting Actress (Role: Candylady in Hoodoo Love by Katori Hall

• Won Gypsy Rose Lee Award for Best Supporting Actress (Role: Candylady in Hoodoo Love by Katori Hall 

Kathya Alexander is a writer, playwright, storyteller, and teaching artist. She was a Writer-in-Residence at Hedgebrook Writer’s Retreat and won the Fringe First Award for Black to My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart in Edinburgh, Scotland. Other awards include 4Culture, Office of Arts and Culture, Artist Trust, and Seattle Parks and Recreation. She has been published in The Pitkin Review, Arkana Magazine, Pontoon Poetry, and Native Skin Magazine, as well as anthologies by the African-American Writers' Alliance (AAWA) and Raising Lily Ledbetter: Women Poets Occupy the Workplace by Lost Horse Press. She was also a freelance writer for Colors NW Magazine and the South Seattle Emerald. Her playwriting credits include The Negro Passion Play; Black D*ck Matters; David & Jonathan: A Modern Day Retelling of the Biblical Story; and emotionalblackmale. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and is the author of Angel In The Outhouse. Her debut novel is scheduled for release in April 2024 by Aunt Lute Books.

PUBLICATIONS

• Angel In The Outhouse

• Keep A’Livin'

Halisi brings passion, excitement, and awareness to everything she does. Her authentic voice is evident in the many gifts she brings to the world; as a writing coach/ healer she supports her clients as they acknowledge their emotions, feelings and learn how to authentically and unashamedly tell their story.  As an advocate for families she aspires to help other parents to find their voice within the system.  

Mother to 7 beautiful children and Umi to one granddaughter. She defines herself as a warrior mama bear and has over 3 decades of experience writing poetry & short stories. Halisi’s writing career began at 13 as an escape from the trauma of living with a parent with mental health concerns. When she won the  “It Could Happen To You”writing contest in 1997, Halisi discovered she had a gift.  

Spring of 2015, while pregnant with her 4th child, Halisi decided she would be “more than a mother”. After 10+ years of not writing she attended an open mic and performed her first spoken word song “Wombmaness” and in 2021, won Soul Cafe Poet of The Year Award. As an original performer she goes by the name Wizdom Wordsmith— where she is educating and dropping bars on self love and the Womanhood experience! 

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In January 2022, she published her first children’s book, “ The Story Of Naturella” which came as a response to her friend’s daughter being embarrassed about wearing her natural hair to school. The message is young girls dont have to straighten their hair or change themselves to be loved. As an author Halisi is inspired by her own happy place as a child in spite of the chaos. 

Publications:

• ​The Story Of Naturella

• Media Island International Mental Health & Spiritual Inspiration 

SageAnn Ayers is a Native of Washington State and has been a member of the African American Writers’ Alliance since June of 2023. She wrote these poems at age nine and built a business called Love Girl selling slime and poetry.

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Her poetry provides positive affirmations and promotes self-love, while her the slime helps youth and adults with focus and stress management. SageAnn has a passion for art and creativity, she is a light and an inspiration to all.

Margaret S. Barrie was raised in a loving community of family, neighbors, and friends when the Central District of Seattle was a village. She serves as AAWA treasurer and is published in the 2018 AAWA anthology Voices That Matter.  She’s a member of the Renton Writers Workshop and published in the 2018 anthology, Spotlights.  She is a contributing artist in the 2021 Highline Heritage Museum: Black Lives Have Always Mattered, The Wisdom of African Proverbs, December 2021 Onyx Fine Arts Collective, 16th Annual Juried Art Exhibit, August 2021 Seattle Public Library storytelling and writing, May 2021, Seattle Art Museum, (SAM), and AAWA’s response to Jacob Lawrence’s Struggle Series on YouTube. She is also published in the 2022 AAWA anthology, Black Writers Unmasked. Margaret has three major goals in her life: continue to develop the process of writing, thrive in and support intergenerational communities, and gather her work into a collection of poetry and prose. She can be contacted at msbarrie@fastmail.com

In truth I am all things in small parts, a Neurological Nutritional, an Artist, a Black-Indigenous, Queer Female needing to satisfy an obscure, highly disciplined, branch of holiness requiring fasting, meditation & radical transformation reframing pain into revelation called Pentecostalism. Most recently the ritual work rendered 2 in-production, Spoken Word Performance pieces. ’AWOKEN’ & ' Upon Receiving the Holy Ghost, UN-JEALOUS'. Both question the Infinite during the events leading to the George Floyd Massacres. A personal address to the polarizing issues of gender & race based violence, the growth and pain of becoming a nation that lives up to its advertising. These installations collaborate musically with Actor/Dancer - Trevor Taylor, Producer/Directors, Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Ty Keenan, and Olisa Enrico.  A newly published Author  NOW Available on their website: www.melanybell.com. A member of The African American Writers Alliance Co-Chair, Author, and Spoken Word Artist.

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2023-24 Awards :
SHUNPIKE, UAAC's, 4Culture, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Poetry in Public-Spotlight Poet, King County 'Racism is a Public Health Crisis', Black Owned Business Excellence, Langston Hughes Performing Arts, BECU, Inspired Child Community

Sharon Blake is the owner of Life Chronicles Publishing and has a decade of writing and literary experience. Writing for Huffington Post for three years gave her the confidence to start her business. Sharon is a member of African American Writers’ Alliance (AAWA) in Seattle Washington. After overcoming significant barriers in her life, such as homelessness, addiction, and domestic violence, she realized the importance of being transparent when helping others. Ms. Blake has written many books, including her best-selling books Chronicles of Pain: Leaving the Pain of the Past Behind and 20 Beautiful Women Vol 2. She has written other books—Thought Detox: Breaking Free from a Negative Thought Life, Little Black Boys and Girls We Will Fight for You, Just Be, We are Here for You, and I Am Beautiful: The Evolution of Beauty. In addition, she has created a curriculum for her book, Thought Detox. This work involves collaboration with various nonprofits and other organizations to educate individuals on the importance of detoxing from mental negativity.

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Publications:

• Chronicles of Pain: Leaving the Pain of the Past Behind

• 20 Beautiful Women Vol 2.

• Thought Detox: Breaking Free from a Negative Thought Life

• Little Black Boys and Girls We Will Fight for You

• Just Be

• We are Here for You

• I Am Beautiful: The Evolution of Beauty

Stephanie was born in her maternal grandparents’ house in the middle of a field in Headland, Alabama, on All Hallows Eve. Raised in New Jersey, she moved with her husband and two children to Sacramento, California, in August 2005, on the heels of Hurricane Katrina. She is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University, with a B.A. in Philosophy. When she is not working as the founder of Touchstone Leadership Group, she writes. She has had articles published on philanthropy, Black maternal health, and health equity. She has also had an essay published by Next Avenue, an online journal for those aged 50+. Her short story, Sherwood Greene’s Last Picture Show was performed at Stories on Stage Sacramento. Stephanie is the founder of Black Women Write, a community of writers in Sacramento and Seattle who are committed to celebrating and uplifting Black women’s voices through storytelling. She is hard at work on her first novel.

Kamari Bright is a poet, videopoet, and creative that is heavily inspired by her life lessons and observations. Her videopoems have been internationally received and lauded at Seattle Black Film Festival, the Film and Video Poetry Symposium, Tacoma Film Festival, and many other festivals; while their poetry has been featured in “NILVX: A Book of Magic,” “2018 Jack Straw Writers Anthology,” “Moss,” Bellwether Arts Week, and other avenues.

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Publications: 

• Emergence (self-published book),

• 2018 Jack Straw Writers Anthology

• NILVX I(III): Ancestors

• NILVX I(IV): Sphere of Luna

• Moss: Volume Four

• COAST|noCOAST Issue No. 2

• Joy Has a Sound: Black Sonic Visions

• Holy. Wholly. Holey. (work in progress)

Katerina Canyon holds a Master of Arts in Law in Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and she holds a B.A. in English, International Studies, and Creative Writing from Saint Louis University. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is a 2021, 2020, and 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee. She served as the Sunland- Tujunga California Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2004. During that time, she started and ran the Shouting Coyote Poetry Festival, and she traveled the country promoting poetry and poetry events. Katerina Canyon’s work has been published in publications such as Meniscus, New York Times, and Huffington Post United States and Germany. She has been a featured poet in multiple venues across the country, including Beyond Baroque, Nuyorican, The Bowery Poetry Club and Chance Operations. She teaches poetry workshops to children and at universities. She has published three poetry chapbooks and two albums. Her latest work, Surviving Home, is available through Kelsay Books. Prior to Surviving Home, she self-published, Changing the Lines, a joint project with her daughter Aja Canyon featuring poetry and art can be found online at Amazon. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington, where she can often be found writing poetry near Meadowbrook Pond.

Publications: 

• Surviving Home

• Changing the Lines

• Fly

• Fragmented Heart

Helen Collier, prolific writer of many different genres says writing has been in her spirit since her mother placed a pencil in her left hand and told her, "God made you a left-handed writer for a reason; it's up to you to share with the world what that reason is."  A native of Illinois, she now resides in Auburn, Washington.

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Publications:

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• The Last Judgement

• Looking for Trouble

• My Oprah and Recreating the Legacy

• Ms. Anna and the Tears from The Healing Tree

• The Two Worlds of Ms. Anna

• Ms. Anna the Promise Keeper

• The Unexpected

• The Unexpected II  2020 The Year When The Face of America Changed

Minnie A. Collins is poet and author of The Purple Wash (2012), Palm Power: Hearts in Harmony (2018), Commemoration Plaques at Seattle’s Historical Liberty Bank Building apartments (2019), a play Troubled Waters for the Mahogany Project and We Out Here (2020), essay “Sojourner Truth Prevails” (2021) in the National African American Clergy Women’s Collection, editor/contributor to anthology Black Writers Unmasked (2022), Jazz =Poetry on YouTube Seattle Channel (2023). 4 Cultures Poetry in Public Places (4Culture.org/poetry) 2024.   

As a fifteen-year AAWA member, I acknowledge and thank other anthologies that include my poetry. They are Raven Chronicles. Emerald Reflections, Fly to the Assemblies, Seattle and Rise of the Resistance, Voices That Matter, Southeast Emerald, WA Humanities Crosscurrents, Blackpast.org. Venues during 2021 to 2023 included Jacob Lawrence exhibit at Seattle Art Museum, the Green Book exhibit at Tacoma WA Historical Museum, “African Proverbs” at Highline Heritage Museum, NPR, and Onyx Fine Arts/Arte Noir Gallery, Seattle Public Library, Southeast Seatle Senior Citizens Center, and Seattle University. Life Long learning continues during her six continent travels.

Sustaining generational intersections of diversity, inclusion, equity, and nature are her passions.

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Publication:

• The Purple Wash

• ​Palm Power

Noni Ervin is practically a Pacific Northwest native. Her parents moved to the Greater Seattle area when she was a baby, and as a young student, she found success in writing. It wasn’t until adulthood that the enjoyment of writing began, and her first publication was born. Verbatim: Living, Loving, Surviving was necessary because everyone has a story to tell, and she has committed her actions in life to speak up for those who have no voice or who cannot speak up for themselves. In fact, this passion is how the Kinara Park Kids ® mini-series was created. It was an effort to create positive images of young Black/African-American children by incorporating the seven principles of Kwanzaa. We want our young people to see positive images of themselves. She is also the Founder of the Kwanzaa Awards. She admonishes everyone to write daily.

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Publication:

• Poetry: "Cursive Memories", Killens Review of Arts & Letters, Fall/Winter 2022-2023
  Jubilee: A Celebration of Voices Throughout the African Diaspora, Center for Black Literature

• "How I am teaching my children about the seven principles of Kwanzaa", Motherly Magazine

• Kinara Park Kids (8-book mini-series), including Kinara Park Kids, I Am Umoja, I Am Kujichagulia, I Am Ujima, I Am Ujamaa, I Am Nia, I Am Kuumba, and I Am Imani

• Verbatim: Living, Loving, Surviving

An ever evolving artist; she is a poet, theater / event producer, vocalist, and actress. Miz Floes (Choctaw / African American) spent her childhood to early adulthood in inner city Chicago. While the artist cherishes fond memories of Friday night fish fries at her aunt Margaret’s house, and listening to music summer nights on her Granny Beatrice’s front porch; she also holds dreadful memories of violence and crime.  Miz is no stranger to the impact poverty can have on urban families. These are the conditions that surrounded her daily. It was through literature, that she located an escape. There was no formal training for Miz; only a notebook journal of her feelings.

This GAP Award winning Seattle implant has affiliations with the African American Writer’s Alliance, and the Griot Party Experience poetry troupe.

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Her style of writing has been described as refreshing, informative, intellectual, funny, and even sensual.

PUBLICATIONS:

• MIZ FLOES PUBLICATIONS

LINKS:

• MIZ FLOES JAZZY SOUL THEATER

• MIZ FLOES JAZZY SOUL THEATER PODCAST

• MIZ FLOES ON ARTIST TRUST

Poet and teaching artist Monique Franklin, also known as Verbal Oasis, hails from Seattle, Washington. Her poetry gives voice to social issues, human relationships, tributes to her many influences, and self-discovery. She is a member of African American Writer's Alliance and is published in their latest anthology Threads. In 2014 she was selected for 4Culture's Touring Artist Roster and the CD Forum's Creation Project. Among her various performance venues are Inside Out Jazz Awards at Benaroya Hall, Women's History Month at Edmond's Community College, and Poetry+Motion at Town Hall. Monique is the owner and operator of Inspired Child, an arts organization that has been providing arts events for youth and families since 2006. She has over twenty years of experience organizing and leading youth arts activities in schools, community centers, and parks. She views her art and her vocation as an educator as vehicles for social change.

Danielle Hayden was born and raised in Detroit. She received a 2022 fellowship from the Jack Straw Cultural Center and a 2022 Grant for Artists' Progress from Artist Trust. She has completed workshops with Tin House, The Kenyon Review, and Yale. Her writing is forthcoming in The Huffington Post and has been published in The Seattle Times, The Dillydoun Review, Seattle magazine, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Ampersand, SELF, and elsewhere. Her poetry was featured in Seattle's Poetry on Buses and in the anthology The Black Experience. She is currently working on an essay collection as well as a novella.

Outside of writing, she finds additional ways to fill her life with words: as a polyglot with an insatiable appetite for learning languages, as an amateur calligrapher, and as creator of the website 3pistolary.com, which encourages people to send letters. Danielle also dabbles in photography and volunteers her time serving children who have experienced abuse, neglect and other trauma.

Gail Haynes has been a member of AWAA since 2015.  She creates poems that are soulful and sassy, poems that will make you laugh and also reflect on real-life experiences. Among the sites where she has read are Mount Zion Baptist Church, Elliott Bay Book Company, Columbia and Ballard Library, and Life Enrichment Bookstore.  Gail shares her poems at non-profit organizations that stand against injustice. Many of her poems exalt the goodness of the Lord and His amazing power of love to transform lives.  Soulful and Sassy Reflections and Poems is the author's first book. Her advice appears in The Facts in the column"Be Well with Gail." 

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Publications:

• Soulful and Sassy Reflections and Poems

Alvin L.A. Horn is a national award-winning author of eight novels, an acclaimed spoken word artist/poet/musician. He credits his mother, who made him go to the library, and the "little gray-haired Jewish lady, the librarian," a concentration camp survivor who had Alvin read, The diary of Anne Frank. She presented writers such as Richard Wright and Nikki Giovanni, which inspired Alvin to be a writer. Alvin is a retired teacher, works with at-risk kids, and is a 30-year veteran of various print forms.

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Publications:

• 2001 - Poems from My Dresser Drawer, the poem Trembling, the winner of Best Poem by, The Flava Coffee House Association

• 2006 - Brush Strokes - Romantic Blues Publishing - A fictional story of one’s past painting the present and future through a romantic journey

• 2006, AALA award for Best Romance Novel

• Ebony Magazine - Top Ten Novel of the Year

• Heart & Soul, Magazine - Best New Erotic Writer

• 2012 - Perfect Circle, published by Simon and Schuster Publishing, and Zane Imprint -released as the Hottest New Writer. Stalking, violence, and philandering in the Emerald City. The novel reached national bestseller status; an Image Award nominee.

• 2013 - Pillow Talk in the Heat of the Night (Peace in the Storm Publishing) anthology of romantic stories

• 2014 - One Safe Place, published by Simon and Schuster Publishing and Zane Imprint.

• Friends and foes, politicians and lovers intersect in love and crime in the Emerald City. The novel reached national bestseller status.

• 2015 - The Soul of a Man 2: Make Me Wanna’ Holler, (Peace in the Storm Publishing) an anthology of essays concerning the Black man in America

• 2017 - Bad Before Good & Those In Between, Romantic Blues Publishing

• Mystery and suspense in Seattle along the streets of Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley -

• 2019 - Heart & Home, Romantic Blues Publishing

• 2021 - Journey to Love, Romantic Blues Publishing

• 2022 - Places to Be

Nakeya Isabell, a native of Seattle, is one of nine children. The proud alumna of Cleveland High School graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in Advertising. Nakeya enjoys laughing, music, writing, playing basketball, and spending time with family. Passionate about faith, love, justice, and community, Nakeya is a professional mentor with Friends of the Children where she uses her voice and experiences to spread hope. She writes with authenticity and is inspired by her life experiences and observations. She recently released her first spoken word album entitled Love, Justice & Truth. Nakeya plans to live full so that she can die empty.

Leoma James is a young Black poet, storyteller, activist, and educator from Seattle Washington. She primarily writes poetry and short stories that focus on the Black experience, from a global standpoint. She is very energetic and has a passion for immersing herself in culture, language, and history. She is also a world traveler who extended her studies at Washington State University through the Knowledge Exchange Institute, in Nairobi Kenya. Leoma served in Namibia with the U.S Peace Corps from 2017-2019 as a Secondary English teacher and has traveled extensively through Southern and Eastern Africa. She is currently in the process of finalizing her first novel called No Blame, No Shame, No Guilt that discusses her profound experience as a Black American Woman living in Africa and its global perception. Leoma is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Education at the University of Washington and has the desire to support students who are disadvantaged academically and socially due to race, income, immigration status, language barriers, as well as people with disabilities.

Josias Jean-Pierre is an author, educator, justice activist, a poet, an entrepreneur, a husband to his beautiful queen Areale Jean-Pierre. He is a 5X author, an Amazon number one best seller for one of his books called, “Our Cry For Justice.” His work has been featured nationwide with major media platforms such as LA Wire 30 under 30, where he was featured with Lil Nas X & Ariana Grandè. Yahoo Finance, where he was featured as one of the top 10 inspirational African Americans of 2021 with Ice Cube, Thisis50, with the G unit brand, Forbes 30 under 30 nominee, CEO weekly, The American Reporter, Federal Way Mirror where he was recognized as a hometown hero for pushing others to seize the day. 

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Media outlets 

• Kivo Daily 

• LA Wire

• LA Wire 30 under 30

• NY Weekly

• This is 50

• The American Reporter

• Ceo weekly 

• Our black men magazine 

• We empower Magazine 

• Federal way mirror 

• Influencive

Publications:

• Our cry for Justice

• What Is Your Why Behind The Drive? 

• Come Back From Betrayed

• The Power Of Your Words

• My Hurt Taught Me But My Pain Motivated Me

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James D. Macon is a retired physician who lives in Washington State with his family. He still spends a lot of his time caring for others, and he continues to have a strong desire to share his stories. He writes Fantasy with a touch of Mystery and his work is for young adult and adult readers.

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Publications: 

• Tezfire

• Books in The Phosfire Journeys Series:                       

  • Purveyors and Acquirers                                    

  • Practitioner of the Arts                                             

  • Opener of Doors                                                      

  • Guardian of the Trade

  • Champion of the Temple    

Georgia Stewart McDade loves reading and writing. She grew up writing and producing plays for the youngsters in her neighborhood and collaborated with church youth to write plays for special occasions. As a charter member of the African-American Writers’ Alliance, she began reading her stories in public in 1991. She credits the group with making her write poetry. For a number of years, she has written poems inspired by artists at such sites as Gallery 110, Seattle Art Museum, Columbia City Gallery, and Onyx Fine Arts Collective. For several years Georgia wrote for Pacific Newspapers, especially the South District Journal.   Today she reports for South Seattle Emerald and Leschinews and does interviews for community radio stations KBCS (91.3 FM) and KVRU (105.7) as she continues working on two biographies and poetry.  She hopes soon to publish the journals she kept on her six-month, solo trip around the world.  Copies of her four volumes of poetry called "Outside the Cave" and her first collection of prose, "Observation and Revelations:  Stories, Sketches, and Essays", may be found at the Seward Park Third Place Books.

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Publications:

•  Travel Tips for Dream Trips

•  Outside the Cave (with or without photographs)

•  Outside the Cave II (with or without photographs)

•  Outside the Cave III​

• Observations and Revelations

• ​Outside the Cave IV

• The Unlevel Field

Kibibi is a native of Seattle and the Executive & Artistic Director of Nu Black Arts West Theatre, the oldest African American Theater Company in Washington State. Ms. Monié is the first African-American to be President of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Seattle local. A graduate of Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA with a BA in Communications, a Masters from the Seattle University in the Executive Director Master Program, and a diploma in cinematography from The New York Film Academy.

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Ms. Monié is an accomplished actor, singer, and director who has written several one-act plays and is the only woman that has ever directed the double Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson in a reading of his play “The Homecoming” performed at Seattle’s ACT Theatre in 1997. Kibibi is a Nana (Queen Mother) in Ghana, West Africa. She has worked with; Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, Kenny G, Gladys Knight, Roy Ayres, Hank Crawford, Brenda Holloway, Major Lance, Rufus Chandler, Martha Reeves, Ben Vereen, and Ruby D.  

Ms. Monié is an active member of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Sixth Regional Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), Association for the Study of Classical African Civilization's (ASCAC), and Screen Actors Guild / American Federation of Television and Radio Artist (SAG/AFTRA) Executive Committee Seattle National Association Advancement Colored People (NAACP, Historical Central Area Arts and Cultural District (HCAACD) Member.

Rolyat Mosi is my pen name as I navigate the creative world of collective words aimed at the inside of the mind. I have recently been in the process of editing and revamping writings from yesteryear as I unfold new compositions along many of the content paths noted in my writing experience. I have had a wonderful time working with various community efforts requiring a writer’s support. These efforts have really pull me back from my business-related writing and expand my efforts in the creative compositions that I am now refining.

Odilia Anyachi Okonga was born in Kenya and has lived in The Netherlands with her family for almost two decades. She has a degree in Agribusiness Management and is passionate about African Centred Education. The importance of retaining African Identity as key to mental health is her motivation for starting an Online International African School- A space that amplifies African voices in Languages (Swahili), African History, African Geography and African culture. She is a published author of Swahili Grammar books and continues to document and develop resources for Discovering Africa program. This program targets elementary and Secondary School students.     Through Educultural Travel, Odilia facilitates physical African Experience in East Africa. Apart from the Safari, you will get to experience the African life on the continent and build your network.

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Odilia is a mother of two boys, a rising author of African folktales and an advocate for African culture and Languages. She is a substitute teacher in The Netherlands where she showcases the Discovering Africa Program in classrooms. Her work in a UN organization makes her easily accommodate people of all cultures. She is also a motivational speaker and co-founder of KAAAL- An organization that strives to promote and develop African Mother tongues.

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Publications:

• Swahili For Beginners Book 1

• Learn Swahili Easily Book 2

• Swahili Boek 1 Voor Beginners

• Swahili Boek 2 Leer Swahili Eenvoudig and snel

• Le Swahili Livre 1 Pour Les Vrais Débutants

• Le Swahili Livre 2 Niveau A1 Apprendre facilemen

•  In Progress

• Nakuti 's encounters with the ogres

• The girl who lived an ogre life

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Merri Ann Osborne has been intrigued by stories and the art of storytelling since childhood.  In middle school, she started writing stories, plays, songs, and jingles and hasn’t stopped since!  Not one to be pigeon-holed by genres or labels, Merri Ann utilizes various media to express and share her art, including acting, dance, voice-over, producing, and directing. Having lived and traveled abroad, Merri Ann is drawn to writing about the intersection of culture, history, class, and social issues.  She explores how these themes impact relationships and our shared future. Her first published short story, "The Crew," can be found in AAWA's 2018 anthology ‘Voices That Matter’. She is currently putting the final touches on her young adult historical fiction novel ‘City Girl, Country Summer’. You also can find Merri Ann working on productions at 'The Mahogany Project’ an arts organization where she serves as the Executive Director.  

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• The Mahogany Project

• I Dream Of COVID-19: The Evolution of Theatre in the Age of Coronavirus

Crystel is a mother to two beautiful boys, a wife, an involved member in her community, a Technology Consultant, and last, but not least, an author. In January 2021, she self-published her first children’s book, which kicked off her "Inspired to Be..." children’s book series. The "Inspired to Be..." book series seeks to spread Black inspiration to ALL children through stories based on the culture, experiences, and dreams of Black people. Each story in the series delivers a universal message that any child can relate to and is inspired by a real person so that children will have a point of reference and can feel inspired to say, "If they can do that, then so can I". Crystel received her Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at UC Berkeley, but her outlook and experience around inspirational children’s literature for children comes solely from being a mother and a seeker of inspiration.

Publications:

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• I Am Different (Inspired to be…) 

• One Flip, Two Flip, Three Flip, Four (Inspired to be…) 

• Superheroes Here and There (Inspired to be…)

Lola E. Peters is an essayist and poet living in Seattle, WA. She serves as Editor-at-large for the South Seattle Emerald and has written articles for several publications including The Seattle Star and Crosscut. She writes essays to clear her mind and poetry to cleanse her soul. Her commitment to creating a just and equitable world forms the underpinning of her writing. Her poems have been published in multiple anthologies as well as her own two collections. In addition to her published poems, she has written commentary for and edited several online journals and newsletters. She also served as managing editor of a national newsletter for social justice activists.

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Her first book of essays, The Truth About White People, is available at Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle, Third Place Books in Seward Park, and from online retailers. Her two volumes of poetry, Taboos and The Book of David: A Coming of Age Tale, are available at Third Place Books in Seward Park and online at lulu.com, barnesandnoble.com, and amazon.com. See the Publications page for more details.

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Ms. Peters is a proud member of Seattle's African American Writers' Alliance (AAWA) and the Seattle Association of Black Journalists (SABJ). She is also a 2003 graduate of Leadership Tomorrow.

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Published articles:  

• https://www.lola-e-peters.com/publications.html 

Blog:  

• https://www.lola-e-peters.com/todo

Lola Sapphire is an imaginative storyteller residing in the Pacific Northwest. As a child, she spent hours listening to her great grandfather tell stories about his life. This exposure ignited an interest in telling her own stories. Lola’s siblings allowed her to practice storytelling by listening to her fanciful tales that they often believed.   Later in life, she started writing poetry and short stories, putting them away until now.

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Publications:

• The Neighborhood Adventures of Minnee, Genie Boy, Terri and Their Unspoken Truth

• Beanstalk

Joseph Gaylloyd Sissón writes daily in temperate Western Washington where he lives with his wife Kathleen. In addition to being active in AAWA, he participates in Renton Writers, Puyallup Writers groups, and Pacific Northwest Writers Association. He retired from a thirty-four-year career in education, teaching kindergarten through community college. Since his teens, Gaylloyd has penned memoirs and poems in private journals. His writing has appeared in the Plant Amnesty newsletter, the University of Washington’s Voice, and Sacramento’s Poet. An avid hiker, yoga participant, and fair-weather cyclist, he survives Puget Sound’s rainy season by reading good books, playing piano and flute, and drinking plenty of black coffee while eating dark chocolate. A passionate gardener, he has been featured in Vegetable Gardens and Urban Farms magazines. He devotes much of his time to freelance writing, photography, and travel, both foreign and domestic. 

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Publication:

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• Down the Road a Piece

• Controlling The Dams

"Poetry was one of my first outlets. It's a way of connecting with myself and others. When I perform, I engage people in different experiences I've lived,  encouraging them to connect with their most authentic selves."

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Born in Atlanta GA, Asia Renee lived in foster care for about two years when she was a child, and endured immeasurable grief over several instances of severe trauma & abuse. When her mother regained custody, Asia continued to survive an abusive relationship. As an outlet for her inner pain, Asia began writing poetry at 15 years old in 2005. Although Asia has endured adversities and tribulations, she does not let that categorize who she is. Instead, she draws from those experiences to create art and poetry. She also writes on a range of other topics in relation to her life experiences. Examples include social justice and erotica.

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With rough edges, a warm heart, and a tongue as sharp as her intellect, Asia's evolution is an ongoing process that yields an abundance of growth and fruit as time goes on. She is a delicate combination of spicy and sassy and enjoys thinking critically about the processes that drive us.

Asia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services nearly 3 years ago. She has previously worked for a local Washington-based mentoring program called Partnering for Youth Achievement and volunteered for the American Red Cross and a women's shelter locally in the town she currently lives in near the Seattle area. She performs to audiences on college campuses, cultural and social events, and open mics, and on occasion, also facilitates poetry workshops.

Mr. Delbert Richardson is a Community Scholar, Ethnomuseumologist, and Second Generation Storyteller, of the national award-winning American History Traveling Museum: The "Unspoken" Truths. With the use of authentic artifacts, storyboards, and the ancient art of "storytelling", Mr. Richardson teaches "American History" through an Afrocentric lens. His work is broken into four sections: Mother Africa: which focuses on the many contributions by Africans in the area of science, technology engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.), American Chattel Slavery: the brutal treatment and psychological impacts on African Americans of the Diaspora, The Jim Crow era: The racial caste system that focused on the creation and enforcement of legalized segregation, and Stil We Rise: which focuses on the many contributions in the Americas; Black inventors/inventions.

Mr. Richardson's work is primarily geared towards k-12th grade students as well as professional development training for (primarily) white female teachers that make up over 79% of the national teaching force. D.E.I. ( diversity/equity/inclusion) training is also a part of Mr. Richardson's portfolio.

Award-Winning Museum

• 2017 National Education Association Carter G. Woodson Memorial Award

• 2019 City of Seattle, Mayor's Arts Award

• 2019 Crosscut Courage in Culture Award

Gwendolyn Yvonne Smith is a multi- genre writer. She has written several books ( poetry and a devotional) and is currently working on a screenplay. She attributes her gift and talent for writing to God and Him alone. While working as a Youth Counselor, Yvonne has used her gift for writing poetry on a personal level for the teens tailored to their unique situation as the Lord gave her insight. She’s written poems for pastors on special occasions as well as read them at conferences. During her time at Look up and Live ministries in Phoenix, Arizona, Yvonne was the overseer of the Dramatic Arts Department.

Michele has roughly 30 years experience in the areas of Governance, Risk, and Compliance, with a Masters of Science degree in Business Continuity from Norwich University. She is the Head of Global Business Resiliency for Amazon. In this role, she has developed the framework and methodology for Business Continuity, providing Leadership for this team, Crisis Management and Resiliency Management (inclusive of Workplace Resiliency) within Amazons Corporate environment. Prior to this, she led Governance, Risk, Compliance and Business Continuity roles within Microsoft, initiating the Operational Risk Management vertical for this organization. Turner is an international speaker on the topic of Business Continuity, Risk Management, and related areas. She is a requested guest lecturer at the University of Washington, on such topics as Cyber Security and Operational Risk, and a Course Instructor and Board Director for Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII). She provides input as a Director of Giving within that orgs Foundation focus, and is also a member of the Conference Boards’ Business Continuity and Crisis Management Council. Michele is a resident of Snohomish, Washington, and a very proud grandmother of two amazing grandsons.

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Publications:

• Lessons Learned:  Short Stories of Continuity and Resilience 

Owner of Deep Poetic Soul, a healing arts platform that uses poetry and creative arts to inspire and facilitate healing and spiritual development using evidence-based practices.

Jaye Ware was born and raised in the PNW. Poet, Spoken Word Artist, and recent playwright; she is drawn to material that taps into social justice and injustice issues. With a heart for children and seniors, Jaye writes stories and prose geared towards their age range. Access to Jaye’s children videos can be found on YouTube; Pop up Time, Children’s Poetry and Prose. She is a member artist with the 4Culture Touring Arts Roster and has a short “on location” staged play titled, Madison Park Bench; located on YouTube, Menrva Labs. She has performed at Town Hall, libraries, museums, on Orcas and Vashon Island, schools, bookstores, and art galleries.

“Spread honesty liberally.” Jaye Ware

Monica West is the author of Revival Season, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, a Barnes and Noble Discover selection, and was short listed for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. She received her B.A. from Duke University, her M.A. from New York University, and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop where she was a Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow. She has received fellowships and funding from Kimbilio Fiction, Hedgebrook, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Bread Loaf. She teaches in the MFA in Writing program at the University of San Francisco and is completing her second novel.

Publications: 

• Revival Season (Simon & Schuster, 2021)

• Kept (novel-in-progress)

She wrote her first poem in the fifth grade; the year President Kennedy was killed. It was titled "It Was a Sad Thing."  It was well-received from her teacher, printed up, and placed on the school walls for all to read.   From there, she wrote for self-expression mainly because words came together easier that way. Later, she started sharing her writings with others and was told they were too good to keep to herself and needed to be shared with the world.  

She once sat in the presence of Pastor Miles Monroe, a known author of many books, and asked, “How do I get these books out of me”? and He replied, “Jeanette, do not die with those books in you, you write them out."

Her writing genre is still being explored; however, she loves to write about spiritual matters that include poems, articles, short stories, and books.  

Jeanette has written for websites, her own newsletters, and international mission trips for a partner non-profit. She now writes with the belief that her season for publication is now and her first published work will be released soon. 

Jeanette is a native from Seattle, Washington, and a recent member of AAWA (2020).  Jeanette is also a mentor, teacher, Pastor, speaker, and missionary. She is referred to by many locally and abroad simply as Mama J. 

Written Poems:    

•  In Him         

• A Breath Away           

• He Made a Way         

• What’s the Plan         

• Forgive Me

Reginald Doc Williams was born in Wilson, NC. Doc writes poetry, short stories, screenplays, and songs. He also is an actor and singer. His first screenplay, “Black Creek: A Haunting' is scheduled to begin production post-pandemic. Doc is also putting the final touches on 'Beatific', his book of poetry. Los Angeles acting credits include the role of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the docudrama 'We the People' where he orated portions of Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream speech, as well as a role in the short film 'Emancipation', a period film about a young man who learns he's been freed. Doc also has a comedic side and was a member of the Los Angeles-based sketch comedy troupe 'The Rainbow Collision."
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As a singer, he's performed with the gospel group "The Gospel Explosion" and then went on to form the band 'Doc Williams and the Groove'', performing his original songs which ranged in musical style from blues to jazz, R&B to reggae. This spring, he will release three songs on the music platform CD Baby. His poem, "Just Another Dead Nigger" is available for viewing at the link below.
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Publications:

• Beatific