Haki Madhubuti
Madhubuti is the founder, publisher, and chairman of the board of Third World Press (established in 1967), which today is the largest independent black-owned press in the United States. He is also a founder and board member of the National Association of Black Book Publishers, a founder and chairman of the board of The International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent, and founder and director of the National Black Writers Retreat as well as the founder of Chicago State's Warpland Literary Journal. Prior to stepping down, Madhubuti held the position of Distinguished University Professor, co-founder and director emeritus of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing and director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at Chicago State University.
Dr. Kelly Norman Ellis
Kelly Norman Ellis is the author of Tougaloo Blues (2003) and Offerings of Desire (2012). Her poetry has appeared in Sisterfire: Black Womanist Fiction and Poetry, Spirit and Flame, Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social and Political Black Literature and Art, Boomer Girls, Essence Magazine, Obsidian, Calyx, and Cornbread Nation. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women writer’s grant and is a Cave Canem fellow and founding member of the Affrilachian Poets. Ellis is an associate professor of English and creative writing and chairperson for the Department of English, Foreign Languages and Literatures at Chicago State University.
Dr. Cole Lavalais
Cole Lavalais' short stories can be found in Obsidian, Apogee, Warpland, Tidal Basin Review, Aquarius Press, and others. She is a fellow of the Kimbilio Center for Black Fiction, VONA and the Callaloo Writing Workshops. She's been awarded writing residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and The Noepe Center for the Literary Arts. She holds an M.F.A. from Chicago State University, and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from University of Illinois at Chicago. As a born and raised Chicagoan, she believes in encouraging, fostering, and championing writing by writers of color across genres. Cole has taught writing for over fourteen years and is currently an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Chicago State University. Summer of the Cicadas is her debut novel.
Jermaine Reed M.F.A
Holding both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, Jermaine Reed is an award-winning author and expert grammarian from the South Side of Chicago. His methods have turned subpar writers into expert writers.
Jermaine’s novella ”Operation Soul Cast” was published by Solstice in 3018. He also has stories appearing in Third Wednesday and Stray Light magazine. When he isn't spending time with his three daughters and wife or writing, he's making a pretense of writing. You can find more of his work at his website whoisjreed.com.
Lise Tillman
Lise Tillman, also known as BlindImpact, is the author of Lise (1975. She has worked with writers such as Sterling Plump, Haki Madhubuti, and more. You can find her work in the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library collection, Heritage Press Archives, and the Sterling Plump collection. She is currently enrolled in Chicago State's MFA program.
Micaela Shambee
Micaela Shambee is an Editor, Blogging Consultant and Plus Size Lifestyle Content Creator in the Greater Chicagoland area who has been published in Plus Model Magazine, a host of guest blogs, and quarterly on The Drive Student Blog, Chicago State University’s Internship Blogging program where she is both a contributing writer and Supervising Editor in Chief since 2017. She is a graduate student in CSU’s MFA program and mentors young creatives and business owners on blogging, writing for the web and editing online. She is a member of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative reporting and the Poetry and Art Editor for the MFA journal in the CSU English Department. You can find her online at www.mickeystyles.com and www.thedrivestudentblogblog.wordpress.com
Mia Garrison M.A.
Mia Garrison holds a bachelor's degree from Columbia College as well as a master's degree in English/African American Literature from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her focus is on African American Literature and magical realism. She is currently an English Lecturer at the City Colleges of Chicago while she is enrolled in Chicago State's MFA program.
Aliya J'anai
Aliya J'anai holds a Bachelor's of English Literature from Chicago State University and is currently enrolled in the M.F.A. program. She has been published on The Drive Student Blog, Brownstone Barrio Bards (13th Edition), Stay Awhile: Poetic Narratives about Multiculturalism and Diversity, and Capturing Shadows: Poetic Encounters Along the Path of Grief and Loss. She has traveled doing spoken word having opened up for comedian KevOnStage and having performed at Chicago State University, Columbia College, Apostolic Faith Church Chicago and more. You can also find her work on her website two-plus-two.org.
