Alexandra Hewett is an actor, storyteller, writer, producer, teaching artist, mother, and yogi. She is a lecturer in the Johns Hopkins University Odyssey program where she teaches Finding the Funny: Comedy Writing and Performance. She teaches Creative Writing Non-Fiction at Stevenson University. She produces the storytelling show Mortified in DC and Baltimore. She teaches theatre to Veterans at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. She wrote and performed her one-woman show Mother Therapy at MCS Theatre in NYC.
Photographer and writer from a small town offering big ideas. Her art focuses on travel, presenting high-contrast photos of land and architecture all around the world and her writings focus on exploring oneself through a fictional lens, creating and defining the meaning of her own world.
Currently, Kianna is working on a photography project titled, 'Finding Yourself.' It focuses on how one's external circumstances and environment shape who they are and how they feel about themselves.
Douglas Tarenyika is a Zimbabwean born writer, gifted with a deep and vast imagination alongside a talent for writing stories that reflect the struggles of climate change, war, racism and the pathways of finding peace and common ground. The core of his work focuses on understanding that the differences between us don't have to separate us but can bring us closer and make society stronger. Douglas was born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe. His mother is from Ethiopia, and his late father was from Zimbabwe.
Lydia Sylvia Martin is a musician and writer from Central Maryland. She performed with her family, The Martin Family Band, for over 20 years and studied traditional old-time and Irish music. She has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Goucher College and currently performs and teaches banjo.
Laura Sturza is a writer and teacher living in Rockville, Maryland. She primarily teaches classes for older adults that incorporate her experience as a writer, storyteller, and theatre artist. She marvels over the courage and artistry of her students and welcomes the chance to work with groups of all ages and backgrounds. Laura's work is published in The Washington Post, Shondaland, AARP’s The Girlfriend, The LA Times, and Lunch Ticket, among others. Laura wrote, produced, and starred in the one-woman show, Finding the Perfect Place to Live in 111 Gyrations.
Ten years experience in spoken word performance / poetry reading
Naturally gifted and nurturally raised in a family of fine art father, floral artist mother, and prose and performing art grandparents, Ann was installed the love of art since a young age. She earned Bachelor of Art from Chiang Mai University (2003), Thailand and completed several art courses through continuous education at Georgetown University in D.C. and Yellow Barn, Glen Echo Center in Maryland.
Tavish Forsyth (He/Them) is a queer improviser, educator, and word technologist.
Tavish helps learners Decode the Script, create Improv Drama Clubs, and establish Writer's Rooms. He helps educators in supporting community-focused theatre. Tavish is based in Baltimore City, which is the ancestral land of the Piscataway people. He is the founder of Bird City Improv and a teaching artist with MSDE's Centers for Creative Classrooms.
Sue Batton Leonard is an award-winning writer and blogger who has worked in many capacities in the independent publishing industry. Her writing includes several genres - memoir, biography and fiction. Her life experiences have led her to writing about her favorite subject - art. Her most recent publication, Richard Galusha: An Artist’s Journey was a finalist in the 2020 Eric Hoffer Award book contest. It is the “largest International book awards contest for small, academic and independent presses.” She was also hired to be a blog writer for ThroughtheLensofHerCamera.wordpress.com.