Ruth Forman is the author of award-winning poetry collections We Are the Young Magicians and Renaissance and children’s books Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon and Curls. She is the recipient of the Barnard New Women Poets Prize and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, among others. She has presented in forums such as the United Nations, the PBS series The United States of Poetry, and National Public Radio. Ruth is a former teacher of creative writing with the University of Southern California and June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and is a longtime faculty member with the VONA writing program.

Talia Skyles is a Baltimore-based illustrator and painter and is currently working towards her BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Growing up in a family that appreciated the arts, she fell in love with painting both digitally and traditionally at an early age. She currently loves telling stories and creating colorful, emotionally expressive illustrations with a sprinkle of whimsy. Inspired by fantasy books and films, Impressionism, and Rembrandt-era master portraits, she often blends these motifs with strong female subjects to create portraits that feel both classical and modern. She’s also intrigued by color and light and enjoys exploring its impact on the composition, emotion, and storytelling of her work. When not at her drawing table, Talia enjoys reading books, roller-skating with friends, and taking care of her many plant children.