The Langston Hughes Literary Keynote
Deesha Philyaw
Her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 2020/2021 Story Prize, and a 2020 LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction; the collection was also a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies focuses on Black women, sex, and the Black church, and is being adapted for television by HBO Max with Tessa Thompson executive producing. Deesha is also the co-author of Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce, written in collaboration with her ex-husband. Her work has been listed as Notable in the Best American Essays series, and her writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Brevity, dead housekeeping, Apogee Journal, Catapult, Harvard Review, ESPN’s The Undefeated, The Baltimore Review, TueNight, Ebony and Bitch magazines, and various anthologies. Deesha is also a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and will be the 2022-2023 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.
The Alice Dunbar Nelson Professional Keynote
Kima Jones
is the founder of Jack Jones Literary Arts, a Los Angeles-based book publicity agency for black and brown writers, where, for five years, she worked as lead strategist on all publicity campaigns. In 2017, Kima founded the Jack Jones Literary Arts retreat—a two-week respite and book incubator for black and brown nonbinary and women writers. The Los Angeles Times called Kima "2018's literary breakthrough" and "an important new voice on the national stage." In 2019, Kima founded Culture, Too—a mentorship conference for black and brown cultural critics. She was recognized as the 2019 Recipient of the Energizer Award for Exceptional Acts of Literary Citizenship by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP). In fall 2020, she announced that her first book, Butch, a memoir, is forthcoming from Knopf in 2023 and in the spring of 2021, Kima Jones joined Triangle House Literary as an agent.
Youth Spoken Word Competition Hosts
Kelly Harris-DeBerry
is a Cleveland native and a poet and freelance writer. Her debut poetry collection is: Freedom Knows My Name. The book has not only been celebrated for its poetry but also for how it leverages technology. Currently based in New Orleans, Kelly works as a literary coordinator for Poets & Writers Inc. in New York. Kelly Harris received her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University and has received fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center and Cave Canem. Other publishing credits include: The International Journal on Hip Hop Studies, Torch Literary Magazine, Caduceus, Valley Voices, Southern Review and more.
Youth Poetry Slam: Poetry Fellows
Vincent Folkes
Artist, audio engineer, and entrepreneur is a creator of stories, rhythm and music, aiming to use his words to reveal truth and inspire. He has received writing awards for his poetry from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, Carnegie Mellon University, along with being named City of Asylums 2020 Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County. He is also the founder of FOLKES the Brand, an urban streetwear company. Vincent is currently working on building his presence as a music artist, his college career at Point Park University and his new found career as an audio engineer.
Kisha Nicole Foster
is the recipient of the 2019 Cleveland Arts Prize for Emerging Artist in Literature. She is the author of Poems: 1999-2014 and Bloodwork. Foster is also in her fourth year as Regional Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud, a program of The Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment of the Arts, sponsored through The Ohio Arts Council. Foster crafted and commissioned poems for the Tamir Rice Foundation and their event “Arts, Activism, and Legacy” at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and “Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited” sponsored by The Soul of Philanthropy at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Foster holds a BA from Cleveland State University in English - Creative Writing.
Hosts
Karla C. Payne
is an actor, voice-over talent, singer and poet who currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA. She has appeared in countless productions for several theater companies, including New Horizon Theater, Shona Sharif Drum and Dance Ensemble and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company, where she most notably appeared as Berniece in their 2015 production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Karla was most recently featured in and co-produced a mini-docuseries entitled, Stagecoach Mary: In Search of Frontier Freedom. As a professional Voice Over artist, she has performed in corporate and commercial spots and audiobook narration. Karla is currently in preparation for an upcoming podcast which she will be hosting.
Dawn Arrington
is a writer, community advocate and literacy advocate. In 2018, after witnessing adult illiteracy first hand, she decided to take action and created Comics at the Corner, a community focused project that seeks to put literacy, in the form of comic books with African American main characters, in the hands of residents of the Buckeye-Shaker, Woodland Hills, and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods of Cleveland, OH. Dawn’s passion for the written word is a life long love affair that has spanned projects such as self-publishing a romance novel in 2006 and returning to school for a Masters in English and Creative Writing. Dawn has been a guest blogger for the innovative Sidewalks of Buckeye project and wrote the forward for the Inner City Hues art installation “Marigolds of Buckeye” by photographer and Shooting w/o Bullets founder Amanda King. The Buckeye Green Infrastructure Project, marries her love for poetry and her community in a series of one stanza poem along Buckeye Road celebrating and explaining the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s rain garden and underground storm water detention system along Buckeye road on Cleveland’s east side. Dawn serves on several boards including Literary Cleveland and serves as the Place-based Strategies Manager for ioby.org. Dawn is a wife and the mother of two spirited children. With whatever spare time she has she tries to make the most of it with family, friends, and whenever possible a really good book.
The Importance of Diversity in Children's Lit
Aisha White
is a mother and grandmother born and raised in Pittsburgh where she grew up in public housing communities. She was educated at the University of Pittsburgh where she earned her bachelor's, master's and PhD. She has held positions at many early education programs including Family Communications, Inc. -now Fred Rogers Productions- where she is now a consultant to the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood television show. She also has been a consultant to the Committee for Children’s Imagine Neighborhood podcast, and to PBS. She has coordinated arts and social activism efforts for more than 40 years and is currently the director of the P.R.I.D.E. Program (positive racial identity development in early education), in the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh.
Shauna Hibbitts
is a Native of Cleveland, Ohio and currently resides in Cary, North Carolina. She is the Author of a children’s book "My Mismatched Socks”. She’s a Motivational Speaker, and Co-Host for "The Heart of Chat" Podcast. She is a Facilitator, and a Bilingual (Spanish) Early Childhood Specialist of over 25 plus years. She’s also known as “The Inner Child Whisperer.”
Writing on and Practicing Mental Health in the African American Community
JJ Winston
Award winning author JJ Winston is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and an Attorney, who for 19 years, served as an advocate for individuals and their families who suffer with behavioral health disorders. JJ Winston is currently employed as a Magistrate in Family Court in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. , Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. and author of two novels, and one non-fiction workbook.
Teresa Winston
is the CEO and a Clinical Psychotherapist of Winston Behavioral Healthcare, PSC (WBH). She holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy. Teresa also has an undergraduate degree in Early Child Development. She is an adjunct Professor at Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, Minnesota teaching in the Psychology Department. Her specialties include working with adults (60+), adolescents, and families. She also specializes in working with couples (premarital also), and family issues. Her approach toward guiding clients is eclectic. This means, she uses techniques drawn from many sources and adapt to each clients’ needs. Teresa believes that all people are valuable and unique & should be treated with dignity and respect.
Poets & Journalists: A Dialogue on Writing in Community
Vincent Folkes
Artist, audio engineer, and entrepreneur is a creator of stories, rhythm and music, aiming to use his words to reveal truth and inspire. He has received writing awards for his poetry from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, Carnegie Mellon University, along with being named City of Asylums 2020 Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County. He is also the founder of FOLKES the Brand, an urban streetwear company. Vincent is currently working on building his presence as a music artist, his college career at Point Park University and his new found career as an audio engineer.
Kisha Nicole Foster
is the recipient of the 2019 Cleveland Arts Prize for Emerging Artist in Literature. She is the author of Poems: 1999-2014 and Bloodwork. Foster is also in her fourth year as Regional Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud, a program of The Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment of the Arts, sponsored through The Ohio Arts Council. Foster crafted and commissioned poems for the Tamir Rice Foundation and their event “Arts, Activism, and Legacy” at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and “Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited” sponsored by The Soul of Philanthropy at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Foster holds a BA from Cleveland State University in English - Creative Writing.
Enjoyiana Nururdin
(pronounced “on-jee-ah-na nerd-een”) (she/her) is a University of Wisconsin-Madison Alum ‘21, Black Woman, Journalist, trailblazer, and cuisine and coffee enthusiast. Nururdin recently served on the National Association of Black Journalists Board of Directors as the Student Representative from 2019-21 and as the Managing Editor of The Black Voice at UW-Madison. This summer, she worked as a Freelance Broadcast Associate for Research for the CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell. Nururdin currently attends Columbia University in the City of New York where she is working towards her M.A. in Politics in the Journalism School. Her areas of interest include political theory, Black feminism, public opinion, racism, American history, and African diasporic culinary history.
Michelle R. Smith
is a writer, educator, cultural facilitator, and native Clevelander. She is the Programming Associate with Literary Cleveland and a teaching artist for Lake Erie Ink. Michelle is the author of the poetry collections Ariel in Black (2015) and The Vagina Analogues (2020). She has been published in poemmemoirstory, Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism, The Normal School, and The Gasconade Review. She has been a featured reader, instructor, and panelist at The Lakewood Public Library, The East Cleveland Public Library, The Cuyahoga County Public Library, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Drafts – Brews + Prose, PNC Fairfax Connection, Case Western Reserve University’s Writers House, and Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Conference. She is also the creator, co-producer, and director of BLAX MUSEUM, an annual performance showcase for Northeast Ohio artists open to all forms and dedicated to honoring notable Black figures in American history and culture.
Kevin “Chill” Heard
is the founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization “My Cool Solutions Inc.” Kevin is a lifelong journalist and currently President of the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists, the award-winning Cleveland chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). As President, Kevin was pivotal in securing the upcoming 2025 NABJ National Convention for his home city. Kevin may be best recognized from the 1980s as Cleveland’s pioneering rap artist M.C. Chill. Kevin is proud to have served for over 25 years at the legendary Call and Post newspaper (over 100 years old). Beginning as an award-winning entertainment editor, he later became the paper’s General Manager and Managing Editor. In addition to his work in journalism, he has returned to his radio roots as Executive Producer and host of "Chill Talk," on Radio One’s Newstalk station WERE.
Rhea, The Great Detective & The case of the missing mrs. Bearington
Dominique Briggs
is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Michigan and returned to Pittsburgh to complete dual master’s degrees in business administration and health information systems at Duquesne University. Having worked with children since she was fourteen years old, it was not until the birth of her daughter, Rhea, that she was inspired to write children’s literature. As someone who has always loved reading, having the opportunity to create a space for imagination to flourish is one of her life’s greatest accomplishments. Her first book, Rhea the Great Detective and the Case of the Missing Mrs. Bearington, was released March 2019 which was later turned into a pilot for TV and film in March 2021. Ms. Briggs was also the featured F.I.N.E. Artists resident at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh where she was able to feature another Rhea the Great Detective story using the museum’s exhibits as tools for immersive storytelling and play. Dominique also performs as an actor, vocalist, and voice over artist in and around the city of Pittsburgh and is a true champion of sharing the arts with children young and old.
The Producers Roundtable
Reverend Dr. Leah Lewis J.D.
is the Executive Director of the 501-c-3, Little Lumpy’s Center for Educational Initiatives: Learning, Literacy, and Technology (LLCEI), the host of the annual Great Lakes African American Writers Conference (GLAAWC is pronounced “glossy”). Leah’s interest in literature is life-long. She became a published author with Little Lumpy’s Book of Blessings. GLAAWC is a part of the Cleveland Foundation’s Cleveland Book Week. Through Little Lumpy’s Center, Dr. Lewis creates educational opportunities in animation and literature. Dr. Lewis is a graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary (OH) (D.Min.), Yale Divinity School (M.Div.), Howard University School of Law (J.D.), and Bowling Green State University (B.S.Ed.).
Shaunda Erikka Miles McDill
has 15+ years of nonprofit executive and arts management experience. A native Long Islander, she is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Yale University’s School of Drama. She has worked for theaters across the nation, including The Goodman Theatre of Chicago, Second Stage Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse and Cornerstone Theater Company. Most recently, Shaunda was employed as a publicist for Blake Zidell and Associates—an intimate boutique public relations firm located in Brooklyn, New York—where she secured national stories with The New York Times, Al Jazeera and NPR, while moderating critical conversations with an array of cultural organizations. While in Pittsburgh, Shaunda has served as the Vice President of Programming and Cultivation at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture where she managed all artistic and educational programs, overseeing a $1M programming budget and facilitating the first ever Black Dance Festival featuring Ailey II, the launch of the successful and sold-out DUETS series and comprehensive educational programs. As the Director of Public Relations for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust— a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District and of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization
