Dasha Kelly Hamilton is a writer, performance artist, curator and facilitator. Ultimately, she’s a creative change agent, leveraging the creative process toward human and social wellness.

Dasha has written for national, regional and local magazines; produced three books of poetry; recorded four spoken word albums; published two novels and an award-winning collection of micro stories; been included in several anthologies; and performed in the last season of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. Her nonprofit, Still Waters Collective, initiated literary arts programming for 20 years, creating platforms for thousands of voices to be honored and heard. She has taught at colleges, conferences and classrooms and curated fellowships for emerging leaders.

An Arts Envoy for the U.S. Embassy, Dasha has facilitated community building initiatives in Botswana, Toronto, Mauritius and Beirut. She is a former Artist of the Year and Poet Laureate for the City of Milwaukee and the 2020-2022 Poet Laureate for the State of Wisconsin. Dasha is a national Rubinger Fellow and a National Laureate Fellow with the American Academy of Poets. Touring nationally, her stage production, Makin’ Cake, uniquely engages communities in a forward dialogue on race, class and equity.

Dasha is working on her third novel, a collection of poems with incarcerated writers and a documentary film.

Jon Goode is a multitalented author, poet, and playwright originally from Richmond, Virginia, but currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. You may recognize him from his appearances on HBO’s Def Poetry, TVOne’s Verses & Flow, and BET’s Lyric Café. His stage play Khalas was even showcased at the 2013 International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

In 2006, Jon’s exceptional work with Nick @ Nite earned him an Emmy nomination and the Promax Gold for the best copyright in North America. His debut collection of poems and short stories, Conduit, was published in 2015 and has received an impressive 47 five-star reviews on Amazon. For 12 weeks, Conduit held the top spot in its category on Amazon.com and was the best-reviewed book of poetry in 2015/16.

Currently, Jon serves as the host of The Moth StorySLAM in Atlanta, GA, and has also hosted and performed with The Moth both domestically and abroad. It’s no wonder why Jon Goode is highly regarded in the literary and performance worlds.

Talaam Acey is an international spoken word artist who has received accolades from Amiri Baraka, Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy, and Essence Magazine Editor Emeritus - Susan Taylor. His poetry has been featured in film and television. Acey has won spoken word awards in the US, the UK and Germany, and his work has been associated with Sundance Film Festival prizes.