Adonis Richards, aka Sincerely, Donnie, an Afro-Latino poet, writer, DEIB advocate, and restorative practices advocate, is currently the program coordinator for the Office of Intercultural Affairs at Union College. Adonis has published three poetry collections, most recently Reflections of a Hopeless Creative, and established a media and writing company, Lucid Writers. He also hosts a monthly poetry/spoken word open mic for the Schenectady community at Electric City Barn. His true passion is storytelling, mainly capturing the voices of the community and making sure they’re heard.

Susan Oringel is a poet, writer, and psychologist in Upstate NY. Her poetry collections  include Carnevale (David Robert Books, 2023) and My Coney Island (Finishing Line Press 2019), She has published in various literary journals and has also served as co-translator of a collection of Latin American poetry: Messengers of Rain, published by Groundwoods Press, 2002 & 2011. She taught creative writing at Hudson Valley Community College and at the Pyramid Life Center’s Women’s Writing Retreat. Fellowships and awards include Individual Artist award from the Albany-Schenectady League of Arts, a fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center, and an SOS award sponsored by the New York State Council of the Arts.

Effy Redman’s writing investigates the intersection of disability and identity, building bridges in minority communities. Her first book – Saving Face – a memoir of living with physical disability – was published by Vine Leaves Press in March 2024. Redman is a regular at Caffè Lena Poetry night and has published poetry in several literary journals including Chronogram, Berkeley Poetry Review, and Poetry Now. She has also published nonfiction in The New York Times, Vice, Ravishly, Chronogram, Berkeley Poetry Review, and Iron Horse Literary Review, among others. She holds an MFA in Memoir from CUNY: Hunter College, where she received an Honorable Mention for the Helen Gray Cone Fellowship, and a BA in Literature/Drama from Bennington College, where she was an Ellen Knowles Harcourt Scholar and a Bennington Scholar.

Over the last five decades Joseph Bruchac’s poems have appeared in over 1,000 publications and been translated into over 20 languages. His more than 180 books in numerous genres range from poetry and fiction to picture books, non-fiction, and plays. His novel in verse, Rez Dogs, was listed by NPR as a best book of 2022. His newest poetry collection is Voices of the People (Reycraft 2022), verse biographies of notable indigenous people over the last 1000 years, accompanied by contemporary Native American art. In 2023 he was named the first Poet Laureate of his hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY and awarded a major fellowship by the Academy of American Poets.

Jackie Craven writes poetry and prose steeped in magical realism. Her new collection, WHISH, won the Press 53 Poetry Award. Previous books include Secret Formulas & Techniques of the Masters (Brick Road Poetry Press), chapbooks from Headmistress Press and Omnidawn, and illustrated books on interior design. Shorter works appear in AGNI, Alaska Quarterly Review, The Cincinnati Review, Pleiades, Ploughshares, and many other journals and anthologies. After completing a Doctor of Arts from the English Department at UAlbany, she worked for many years as a journalist covering architecture, art, and travel. She lives in Schenectady, NY; Cocoa Beach, FL; and on Zoom, where she hosts an open mic for writers. https://jackiecraven.com/ 

Natalli Amato is a poet and journalist from Sackets Harbor, New York, whose writings explore nature and spirit. Her most recent book, North Wind, was published in 2023 by Kelsay Books. Her other collections include Gone Walking and Other Departures (Illuminated Press), Burning Barrel (Finishing Line Press), and On a Windless Night (Ra Press).  She received the Edwin T. Whiffen Poetry Prize as an undergraduate at Syracuse University, and her fiction has been published by Terrain.org. In addition to writing, Natalli is a certified Reiki Healer and offers energetic clearing and coaching services. She lives in Saratoga Springs, New York. You can explore her work and her offerings at www.natalliamato.com

Roger Mitchell is the author of thirteen books of poetry, most recently As Water Moves, (Dos Madres Press, 2023). His new and selected poems, Lemon Peeled the Moment Before, was published by Ausable Press in 2008 and won the Adirondack Center for Writing’s “Readers’ Choice Award.’ The University of Akron Press published his two previous books, Half/Mask, in 2007 and Delicate Bait, which Charles Simic chose for the Akron Prize, in 2003. Other recognition for his writing includes the Midland Poetry Award, the John Ben Snow Award for Clear Pond, a work of nonfiction, plus fellowships from the Indiana Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Currently, he is writing a biography of the poet, Jean Garrigue. He and his wife, the fiction writer, Dorian Gossy, live in Jay, New York.

Barbara Ungar’s sixth book, After Naming the Animals, has just been published by The Word Works. Prior books include Save Our Ship, which won the Snyder Prize from Ashland Poetry Press; The Origin of the Milky Way, which won the Gival Poetry Prize; Immortal Medusa, and Charlotte Brontë, You Ruined My Life. She has published recently in Scientific American, Crazyhorse, and Gargoyle. Her work has been translated into Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Bulgarian. The Standish Chair in English at The College of Saint Rose, she lives in Saratoga Springs, New York. www.barbaraungar.net