TalkWithME

Brandon has been performing, and competing in, the art of drag since 2004. And he has a passion for building an accepting and caring community, starting with his home-base of Lawrence, KS. Brandon created the fabulous event, Transformations, where community members coached by female impersonators, compete pageant-style as their most beautiful diva selves to raise awareness and funds for local service organizations. #BringOnTheMen is one theme of the 7th annual Transformations which features 10 male competitors.

As a female impersonator, Brandon becomes the beautiful-in-all-the-ways Deja Brooks and is in demand as a special host for fundraising events, story hour for children at the public library, as well as cabaret-style events.

Follow Brandon & Deja at www.facebook.com/Deja-Brooks-443916735641817 and www.TransformationsLawrence.com

Nino is a queer and nonbinary/transgender writer. A multidisciplinary artist, Nino has written fiction, essays, plays, screenplays, comics, radio features, and many rabble-rousing emails. They have also performed as a dancer, actor, and puppeteer. Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in Nightmare Magazine, Tor.com,Cicada, Fireside Fiction, Liminal Stories, and other fine venues. One time, an angry person on the internet called Nino a verbal terrorist, which was pretty cool. You can find them online at ninocipri.com

Nino is a queer and nonbinary/transgender writer. A multidisciplinary artist, Nino has written fiction, essays, plays, screenplays, comics, radio features, and many rabble-rousing emails. They have also performed as a dancer, actor, and puppeteer. Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in Nightmare Magazine, Tor.com,Cicada, Fireside Fiction, Liminal Stories, and other fine venues. One time, an angry person on the internet called Nino a verbal terrorist, which was pretty cool. You can find them online at ninocipri.com

Wolfgang Carstens is a Poet, Host of Poets Underground, and Publisher at Epic Rites Press. He is: Crudely Mistaken For Life (2010), The Abyss Gazes Also (2013), Factory Reject (2014), Only The Dead (2015), Enjoy Oblivion (2015), Rented Mule (2015), Savage Love (2016), Trash and ash (2016), Bulletproof (2017), Raising The Dead (2017), and now, Hell and High Water, from Six Ft. Swells Press (October 2017). Wolfgang lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada with his wife, five kids, grandson, dog, mortgage and death.

Follow Wolfgang at www.EpicRites.org & www.WolfgangCarstens.com

Todd Cirillo is a Poet, Editor, Co-Founder of Six Ft. Swells Press, Pirate, and Lover of: After Hours Poetry, jukeboxes in seedy bars, the blues, rock & roll, Bukowski, Corso, Kerouac, free cocktails, vinyl records, beer, full moon nights, books, lust, the 10 minutes before getting kicked out of bars, in his hometown of New Orleans, LA and elsewhere.

Follow Todd at http://AfterHoursPoetry.com

Wolfgang Carstens is a Poet, Host of Poets Underground, and Publisher at Epic Rites Press. He is: Crudely Mistaken For Life (2010), The Abyss Gazes Also (2013), Factory Reject (2014), Only The Dead (2015), Enjoy Oblivion (2015), Rented Mule (2015), Savage Love (2016), Trash and ash (2016), Bulletproof (2017), Raising The Dead (2017), and now, Hell and High Water, from Six Ft. Swells Press (October 2017). Wolfgang lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada with his wife, five kids, grandson, dog, mortgage and death.

Follow Wolfgang at www.EpicRites.org & www.WolfgangCarstens.com

Todd Cirillo is a Poet, Editor, Co-Founder of Six Ft. Swells Press, Pirate, and Lover of: After Hours Poetry, jukeboxes in seedy bars, the blues, rock & roll, Bukowski, Corso, Kerouac, free cocktails, vinyl records, beer, full moon nights, books, lust, the 10 minutes before getting kicked out of bars, in his hometown of New Orleans, LA and elsewhere.

Follow Todd at http://AfterHoursPoetry.com

Kimberly is an MFA graduate in Creative Writing from New England College, already holding an MA in English Language & Literature from Central Michigan University. A proud Michigan native, she has taught composition and creative writing courses for Central Michigan University and Alma College, and participated in local initiatives to increase awareness concerning sexual assault and domestic violence issues. Her academic and creative writing carefully observes the intersections between motherhood, domesticity, abuse, religion, sexual identity, and sexual trauma; and her poetry has appeared in several literary journals including The 3288 Review, Borderlands: The Texas Poetry Review, Storm Cellar, Temenos, Ruminate Magazineand The Berkeley Poetry Review. In 2018 her first chapbook White Goat Black Sheep will be forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. She currently teaches in Oklahoma.

Follow Kimberly at https://kimberlyann19772.wixsite.com/kimberlyannpriest

Kimberly is an MFA graduate in Creative Writing from New England College, already holding an MA in English Language & Literature from Central Michigan University. A proud Michigan native, she has taught composition and creative writing courses for Central Michigan University and Alma College, and participated in local initiatives to increase awareness concerning sexual assault and domestic violence issues. Her academic and creative writing carefully observes the intersections between motherhood, domesticity, abuse, religion, sexual identity, and sexual trauma; and her poetry has appeared in several literary journals including The 3288 Review, Borderlands: The Texas Poetry Review, Storm Cellar, Temenos, Ruminate Magazineand The Berkeley Poetry Review. In 2018 her first chapbook White Goat Black Sheep will be forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. She currently teaches in Oklahoma.

Follow Kimberly at https://kimberlyann19772.wixsite.com/kimberlyannpriest

Scott was born in Detroit. He now lives in Pittsburgh, where he writes, makes music, and works for a used book store. His poems have appeared in numerous literary periodicals including: Third Coast, Lilliput Review, and Nerve Cowboy. He is the author of three books—Unattended Fire (Six Gallery Press, 2012), The River Underneath the City (Low Ghost Press, 2013), and Muskrat Friday Dinner (White Gorilla Press, 2017).

Deesha is a writer and editor based in Pittsburgh, PA. She is intrinsic to The Bridge Series www.facebook.com/pghbridgeseries started by Kristofer Collins and Jason Baldinger in January 2017. Deesha is the co-author of Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce, written in collaboration with her ex-husband. Her writing has appeared in numerous outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bitch, Full Grown People, Apogee Journal, brevity, and Dead Housekeeping. Deesha’s work includes a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays 2016. At The Rumpus, Deesha inaugurated and curates a monthly interview column called VISIBLE: Women Writers of Color. She is a fellow of the Kimbilio Center for African American Fiction. She is currently working on a novel as a well as a short story collection called The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Follow Deesha Philyaw at https://deeshaphilyaw.contently.com/ on social media & on www.littsburgh.com

Mugabi Augustine Ateenyi Olatokumbo Byenkya was born in Nigeria to Ugandan parents and has spent his life living across Africa, Asia and North America. Mugabi is a writer, poet and rapper who has honed his craft through writing workshops, poetry slams, cyphers and open mics across North America and East Africa. Mugabi was longlisted for the Babishai Niwe Poetry Award in 2015, has been featured on The Good Men Project, The Mighty and his writing is used to teach International High School English reading comprehension. His debut novel, Dear Philomena, was published in 2017, and has already been purchased by readers in six of the seven continents. Attention South American readers, find what you are missing!

Follow Mugabi Byenkya on social media, for his 2017-2018 North America tour dates & more.