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Heather 'Byrd,' named a Living Legacy by Brooks Permissions, is an international award-winning poet, acclaimed writing coach, and author of Mahogany: A Love Letter To Black. Her work has been featured in festivals like the Chicago Home Film Festival and St. Louis Fringe, and in publications including Cagibi, Expressions from Englewood, and Hope Ignited. She contributed to Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue, a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and Locus Award. Byrd also received an International Anthem Award for her editorial work on the Cornell Report’s "I See You" issue, recognized alongside Google, HBO Max, BBC, and National Geographic. Most recently, she released her 30-day journal Igniting Ink to help you discover your voice, story, and develop a healthy writing habit to write your book.
Regina Berg is a black emerging poet from Chicago now residing in Pflugerville, TX. Her current work centers on grief, the ways it shapes us, how we shape grief, and, with intention, can become more human. Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in: Sybil, Bar Bar, The Bluebird Word, Pictura Journal, Slips Slips, Tendrils and What the House Knows: A Poetry Anthology.
Catherine Wong, Raised in Hawai’i, Catherine draws inspiration from her ohana and their treasured ‘talk story’ traditions, which shape her work as a community- scholar activist, transformative leader, and author. As an unwavering advocate, she works to bridge the gap between K-12 and higher education, all while staying grounded in her indigeneity of aloha and lōkahi. Catherine has held faculty and director roles resulting in an increased pipeline of educators who are reflective of the lived experiences of their students and communities. As an experienced consultant and thought leader, she is committed to promoting equity and justice, guiding global and national organizations in strategic planning, leadership development, and curriculum design.
Joan Edwards is a passionate and joyful published poet. She is committed to using her creative talents to affirm the identities of those who are rarely or never celebrated. As a Black woman with a 34 year career in education, Joan leverages her skills to inspire insightful learning and spirit filled action. Over the course of her career in schools, she has gained a profound understanding of how systems of oppression function ideologically, institutionally, interpersonally and internally to disempower the marginalized. In her book, Black Woman, Breathe, she invites Black women to explore their talents and to tap into ancestrally grounded personal power.
Jano Layne draws inspiration from family stories, the faces of strangers and life in America. Her insatiable curiosity drives her to build word monuments to everyday people. After retiring from an all-Black women’s MULTIGENERATIONAL softball league in her youth, she covered the sport for the Chicago Daily Defender newspaper. She believed those women deserved to be part of history and submitted hand-written articles, weekly. This memory still encourages the storyteller within her.
Teresa Pelham is a Grant Professional Credentialed Grant Writer For Nonprofit and For-Profit Businesses and Organizations. She has experience as a federal grant reviewer, a grant writer, researcher, adult learning and training and technical assistance. She is an approved Grant Professional Association trainer. Her consulting business, The Grants Boutique Consulting Firm, addresses potential disparities in grant funding and training opportunities for Black lead nonprofits, minority-owned businesses, Historically Black Colleges, Minority Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges.
Lachrisa Grandberry is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago. She co-wrote the original musicals Sunflowered and Girls on Sand with Northern Sky Theater, where she also leads their NOVA program, and is a 2024 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow. Her generational drama Eeny Meeny Miny NO! premiered in the Milwaukee Black Theater Festival. Her debut poetry collection, Shredding Rugs!, releases August 2025, and the Sunflowered cast album is now streaming. Visit
lachrisagrandberry.com for more!
Arquella Hargrove, MBA is a leadership consultant, facilitator, and coach dedicated to transformative people development. As Chief Culture Officer of Alchemy Consulting Group, she helps leaders build stronger teams through strategic thinking and meaningful conversations. Arquella designs interactive workshops on facilitation skills, cross-cultural communication, and leadership development. An author and frequent speaker on diversity and women's leadership, she's contributed to Business Insider and Workforce Magazine. She holds HR certifications, executive coaching credentials, and numerous assessment certifications while pursuing her doctorate at Abilene Christian University.
Barbara Ceptus Schreiber, Ph.D. is a somatic coach, healer, and visionary dedicated to guiding individuals back to their bodies as a sanctuary of wisdom and strength. Through ancestrally guided practices, she creates intentional, nurturing spaces that support clients in cultivating presence, ease, and deep reconnection with themselves. She holds a sacred soul circle for those impacted by sexual trauma, where healing unfolds in community.
Shauna Brown Leung is a language artist who loves playing with ideas, making connections, and learning from life. As she uses her skills as a writer, researcher, educator, and parent, she generates practical applications that help people peel back layers that keep us from ourselves and each other. She revels in exploring the intergenerational wisdom that flows through people, nature, and communities. Her current book project offers a realistically comical take on life's challenges, designed to inspire anyone who's looking to grow.
Additional Contributors Include:
Kimberly Thompson
Cassie Anderson
