Solsis/Dappho was born on August 4th and is a native Washingtonian. Her love of music and expression stems deep to her childhood days of Casio keyboard compositions and singing in the church choir. A graduate of Bowie State University, Solsis/Dappho was the host of Washington D.C.’s only Queer Women of Color open mic, Lyrics & Lace Open Mic. Because of her extensive reach and commitment to arts, the bi-monthly event gathered hundreds of emerging singers, musicians, and poets in the greater Washington Metropolitan area to share their work. Singer, bassist, poet, model, educator and more, Solsis/Dappho is a modern day renaissance woman. As a vocalist and bassist of a QPOC Rock & Soul band, The CooLots, and, as a poet in her own right, she’s performed with organizations like Human Rights Campaign, WOW Theatre Cafe’s Rivers of Honey, and Baltimore’s Hexagon Space, to name a few. Her influences include Nikki Giovanni and Me’Shell N’Degeocello while her own infectious energy has been compared to the likes of Hanifah Walidah. An emerging community icon, SolSis/Dappho has also modeled for masculine of center women of color collective, bklyn boihood, as their December 2012 Calendar Boi and local vintage pop up shops. Solsis/Dappho is continuously bridging the gap between artists and audience, and giving voice to the marginalized through her own creative spirit.

Ashley Lee Williams is a great admirer. Gratefulness is her greatest delight. Her non-fiction book, A Course in Gratitude, was published Thanksgiving 2015 (www.acourseingratitude.com). Her fiction work has appeared in Callaloo, The Amistad and DrumVoices Revue, among other publications. She is a two-time recipient of the Margaret Walker Prize for Fiction, and was awarded the G.O.G Unpublished Writer's Award. She was a 2009 Finalist for the Hurston-Wright College Writers' Award. She is a graduate of the Hurston-Wright Writers Workshop, Voices of Our Nation Writing Workshop and the Callalloo Creative Writing Workshop. She has performed readings of her work at American University, Brown University and the University of the District of Columbia. Her novel, Some Grace, is under exclusive review. She is the Director of Climate and Culture at an elementary/middle grades school in her beloved hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.

Alan Sharpe is Founding Artistic Director of Washington, DC's African-American Collective Theater (ACT), for which he has written and directed over sixty plays and short films focused on African-American LGBTQ themes.

Fred Joiner is a poet and curator living in Bamako, Mali. His work has appeared in Callaloo, Gargoyle, and Fledgling Rag, among other publications. Fred has read his work nationally and internationally. Joiner is a two-time winner of the Larry Neal Award for Poetry and a 2014 Artist Fellowship Winner as awarded by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Most recently, one of Joiner’s poems was selected by curator and critic A.M. Weaver as part of her 5 x 5 public art project, Ceremonies of Dark Men. Another one of Joiner’s poems recently won the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art’s Divine Comedy Poetry Contest, in response to Abdoulaye Konate’s textile work.

Monte J. Wolfe is the Founder, Artistic, and Managing Director of Brave Soul Collective (BSC), an arts, education, and outreach organization with a focus on HIV/AIDS, and issues affecting the lives of LGBTQ people, through the performing and healing arts. Through his work with BSC, Monte has served as a producer, director, and playwright for a long list of theatrical productions and community events on a consistent basis since 2006. Actor, Writer and Director, Jared Shamberger is well known for his work with Brave Soul Collective as well as his successful one man show 12. A graduate of Bowie State University, Jared was nominated for the Irene Ryan Scholarship through the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival and has toured in productions across the country.

With over twenty five years of writing and over a decade on the poetry scene, KaNikki Jakarta has toured the US and the UK sharing the stage with Jill Scott, Raheem DeVaughn, and Lyfe Jennings. KaNikki J. writes and recites what she calls “real life fiction” that touches her listeners to the core. She has published two fictional novels: IN REAL LIFE & THE COLOR BLUE and is currently preparing to release the third installment entitled THE OTHER SIDE OF PRETTY.

Khadijah Moon is an eclectic blend of soul, rock, funk and jazz. She crafts artful stories through song with powerful lyrics and brilliant arrangements. With a 3 octave vocal range inspired by her early idol Phillip Bailey and later influenced by icon idols Chaka Khan, Chante Moore & Prince, Khadijah Moon delivers a pleasurable aural experience for music fans.

Washington, DC native Chad Eric Smith is a writer, director, musician, and award-winning character actor. On stage, Chad has performed in over a dozen plays. In 2010, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the African American Council on the Arts (AACTA) awarded Chad two Onyx Awards: 'Best Leading Actor in a Musical' (Raisin) and 'Best Supporting Actor in a Musical' (I Gotcha! The Story of Joe Tex and the Soul Clan). He has had leading, supporting, principal, and featured roles in web series' and several independent films, including the superhero comedy Squid Man and the upcoming films Zombie Ted, The Suffering, Secret City Bluz, and Last Night. In 2014, Chad co-wrote, directed, and starred in the award-winning short horror comedy Dark Therapy.

John Johnson is a DC native and founder of the performance troupe, Verbal Gymnastics. A proud graduate of the University of the District of Columbia, John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts. John has received multiple grants from the DC Arts Commission and performed at several venues around DC, including Dance Place, H Street Playhouse and The Anacostia Playhouse and is currently a member of DC's Playback Theatre Ensemble.

Princess Best is a multi-faceted artist who has dedicated her many talents to advocating for the enhancement leadership, health and communication of young girls and women.