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April 24-26, 2026
Sandra Simonds, an award-winning writer and professor, is the author of ten books. Sandra has taught at Thomas University, Bennington College, Florida State University, and the University of Montana. Much of her writing focuses on capitalism, class, ecology, and gender through avant-garde experiments with genre and form. She is the author of nine collections of […]
Robert Boone Jr. is a Grammy-winning drummer/percussionist from Augusta, Georgia, currently performing with The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra and serving on the jazz faculty at Georgia State University. Deeply committed to music education and community outreach, he also teaches at various middle and high schools throughout Metro Atlanta. Boone has toured internationally across Japan, Africa, […]
River Selby was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Their debut memoir, Hotshot: A Life of Fire, was published in 2025 by Grove Atlantic. They worked as a wildland firefighter for seven years, stationed out of Oregon, California, Colorado, and Alaska. River is pursuing their PhD in Nonfiction with an emphasis in […]
Richard Powers is the author of fourteen novels, including The Overstory, Bewilderment, and Orfeo. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award. He lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Powers’ 2024 release, Playground, is the 2026 selection for One Book Tally, a project of […]
R.L. Akers is the author of more than twenty published volumes of fiction, beginning with Prometheus Rebound in 2013. His works span multiple genres—including fantasy, science fiction, murder mystery, and Young Adult—and have been noted for their detailed world-building. At present, he is working to further expand his Overtwixt and Gray Gaynes series, actively writing […]
Prissy Elrod is a published author and award-winning columnist for Flamingo Magazine, where her humorous “Panhandling” column has delighted readers for almost a decade. Her signature blend of wit, candor, and messy Southern charm earned her the 2025 Charlie Award for Best Column. She is the author of two acclaimed memoirs—Far Outside the Ordinary and […]
Tracey Patavian Lucillience Lewis was raised by her grandparents, George and Stephanie Clinton and due to her incredible intonation at a very young age, she appears on albums with granddad George and the P-Funk All-Stars at starting at age five. Patavian has been writing poetry since age seven. A lifelong artist, she joined George Clinton […]
YMSB formed in 1998 in Nederland, Colorado, as a pioneering progressive bluegrass (“jamgrass”) group. Today, they are celebrated for blending traditional bluegrass with rock, punk, and improvisation. Inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2023, the band has released over 10 studio albums and is renowned for high-energy live performances featuring extended jams, […]
Naomi “Franq” Franquiz (she/her) is a freelance illustrator and comic book artist, born and raised in Tallahassee, FL. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts from FSU in 2013, she has since gone on to illustrate pages for comic book series such as Misfit City (BOOM! Comics), Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Marvel), and Proctor Valley Road […]
Mike Matheny is a former Major League Baseball player and manager, New York Times bestselling author of The Matheny Manifesto, and one of the most respected voices on leadership in sports and business today. Over a 13-year career as a catcher, he earned four Gold Gloves and set defensive records for consistency and toughness. As […]