Nassunni (Nas-soon-nee) Abstract -Visual Artist, Designer, Spoken word Poet, and Leather Crafter. Born and raised in Manhattan & Long Island New York. She started writing poetry – short plays at the tender age of ten, and embraced performance poetry in 2003. Within the last fifthteen years, Nassunni performed across the united states, and spotlighting on Philly’s WRNB 107.9/100.3 with Lady B, & “The Poetry Corner” with Tiffany Bacon. Recently she has participated with other poets in a documentary, “WE SING A BLACK GIRL’S SONG”, honoring the late “Ntozake Shange”, created & produced by Rahnda Rize. Currently Nassunni resides in the Northern Liberty section of Philadelpha, Pa., getting her “Groove back”, and exercising her “Subconscious Mind.”
Jessica Noon grew up as an ardent writer of journals, poetry and even a few short stories, but had not picked up her pen in many years, until the sudden death of her fiancé, Kevin. Jessica is extremely grateful for this opportunity to re-engage with writing and process grief in community with the incredible poets, artists and humans involved in this project. When she’s not writing poetry, Jessica manages the sustainability program for the PHL airport.
Dominic Cinnamon Bradley is a Brooklyn-based Black, disabled, nonbinary writer and visual artist hailing from the Crunk-era “Dirty South.” Dominic’s creative practice is dedicated to their late uncle Bennett Bradley (Ibaye) and relies on such forms as creative nonfiction and poetry to tell stories about trouble, trauma, grief, and growth. Their writing has appeared in Everyday Health, TransLash, and Color Bloq. Dominic holds a BA in Sociology from The Johns Hopkins University and an MSW from Columbia University and recently earned a UX/UI certification from the University of Utah.
Iliana Pagán Teitelbaum is a Puerto Rican filmmaker and educator. She received a Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant and was selected as one of Los Fellows by the Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival for her film “Twin Tongues/Lenguas gemelas” (in post-production). Iliana teaches Latin American film at West Chester University and belongs to the SIFTMedia 215 Collective of Black and Latinx Women Filmmakers of Philadelphia. She’s currently disabled by long covid and is passionate about access intimacy and disability justice.
Naila Francis is a writer/poet, grief coach and death midwife. She helps people transform their relationship to grief and loss through one-on-one coaching, workshops, presentations, rituals and ceremonies. Her work is often informed by her love of poetry, nature and community. She is also a co-founder of Salt Trails, a Philadelphia collective normalizing grief through community rituals, and a recipient of a Leeway Foundation Art + Change Grant. Naila’s first poetry album, “Wonder Unsung,” a collaboration with guitarist and producer Paulito Muse, was released this year.
Morgan MacConnell, poetically known as Mo the Poet, is a performance and teaching artist from Philadelphia. She is a self-taught poet who’s been writing for most of her life but only began sharing her words last year. In that time, she’s been blessed to have performed at Voices in Power, You Can’t Kill a Poet, 2 Lines, Women Wine and Words, House Poet, First Fridays: Introduce Yourself, Bread Box Philly, Pecola Breedlove, funky Verbs Funky Words, Poetry After Dark and The Philly Pigeon: The Latish Show. Morgan has also been blessed to collaborate with organizations like MBK Cares and UDTJ. When she’s not ‘poeting’ around the city, she can be found running the HS Poetry Club at Building 21. She’s incredibly grateful to SIFT Media215, Asli Dukan and Ursula Rucker and everyone involved at GL&GG for this incredible opportunity.
Farrah Rahaman is a Trinidadian cultural worker who has made a home in Philly for over a decade. Farrah curates, feels, researches and writes into the fullness of possibility, love and liberation for all life on this planet.
Khaliah D. Pitts (Philly born + raised) is an author + multidisciplinary artist dedicated to crafting spaces of liberation, celebration + joy. Her artistic practice is storytelling as a means of cultural, + self-, preservation, exploring in the mediums of literature, poetic ethnography, video art, memory/altarwork, land + kitchen arts. She was awarded a Leeway Transformation Award for her work in socially engaged art. Khaliah is author of we / sun people / mypeople + co-founder / co-director of Our Mothers’ Kitchens.