Chris Abani
NYT Bestselling Novelist
Nigerian-born Poet
Peter Balakian
Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Black Dog of Fate
Jericho Brown
Pulitzer Prize-winning PoetThe Tradition
Mahogany L. Browne
Poet, Performer & Organizer Black Girl Magic
Tina Chang
Acclaimed American Poet
Race, Culture, Identity
Bryan Doerries
Theater of War Productions
Translator of Ancient Greek
Andre Dubus III
#1 NYT Bestselling Novelist
House of Sand and Fog
Katja Esson
Documentary Filmmaker
Poetry of Resilience
Bernardine Evaristo
Award-winning Novelist
Booker Prize Winner
Percival Everett
Acclaimed Novelist
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
Tarfia Faizullah
Poet & Translator
Pushcart Prize-winning Author
Carolyn Forché
Award-winning Poet
Memoir: What You Have Heard Is True
Aminatta Forna
Award-winning Novelist
Acclaimed Memoirist
Josh Fox
Director of Gasland Films
LennonOno Peace Award
Sara Gruen
NYT Bestselling Novelist
Water for Elephants
Juan Felipe Herrera
US Poet Laureate (2015-17)
Performer & Activist
Brenda Hillman
Griffin Poetry Prize
Environmental Advocate
Michael Kleber-Diggs
Award-winning Author
Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
Li-Young Lee
Chinese American Poet
Resilience, Faith, Exile
Hisham Matar
Pulitzer Prize-winning Memoirist
Acclaimed Libyan Novelist
Rajiv Mohabir
Indo-Carribbean Poet
Memoir: Antiman
Valzhyna Mort
Acclaimed Belarusian Poet
Translator of Slavic
John Murillo
Award-winning Poet
Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award
Ladan Osman
Somali-born Poet
Gender & Displacement
Alicia Ostriker
Distinguished Poet
Jewish Book Award
Patrick Phillips
Poet & Nonfiction Writer
Blood at the Root
Ernesto Quiñonez
Acclaimed Novelist
Latino Trendsetter Award
Claudia Rankine
NYT Bestselling Author
NBCCA & Forward Prize
Vaddey Ratner
NYT Bestselling Novelist
Khmer Rouge Survivor
Nicole Sealey
Forward Prize
Former Executive Director of Cave Canem (2017-2019)
Sun Yung Shin
Poet, Writer & Cultural Worker
2016 Minnesota Book Award
Natasha Trethewey
US Poet Laureate (2012-2014)
Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
Brian Turner
Acclaimed Soldier-Poet
Memoirist & Essayist
Crystal Valentine
Poet, Educator & Activist
Nat’l Poetry Slam Finalist
Juan Gabriel Vásquez
NYT Bestselling Novelist
IMPAC Dublin Award
Frank B. Wilderson III
Award-winning Author
Poet, Scholar, Activist