In Volume Five: Chapter Ten, we welcome Poet, Writer, and Author of the new book "Root of the Matter" Sharnnell Spivey.

From her Bio:

"Sharnnell Spivey was born and raised in Detroit, MI where she first realized her passion for writing. She started at a young age by keeping journals. Sharnnell wrote in her journal about her daily life and feelings that she felt as if she could not express to others. As a preteen, she took an interest in Maya Angelou and her writings. She looked at a woman that was so bold and used emotions and turned them into art; Sharnnell wanted to do the same. She began writing poetry and realized she had a heart for it.

She later published her first book of poetry at the age of 15 entitled, “So Many Emotions by One Little Girl”. She wrote her second poetry book “Keeping it Real” however she stopped writing for 6 years after experiencing a domestic violence situation. After coming out of her writers block, she spent 3 months writing about her experience in her nonfictional book entitled, “Domestic Drama: Her Truth”. It was hard to express the things that she experienced at that time however, she wanted to get her story out, hoping others come forward and remove themselves from such situations."

Contact Sharnnell:
IG: @sharnnells
Threads: @sharnnells
TikTok: @nell2267

Recorded Spoken Word Performances featured in this Chapter Included:

Taalam Acey – Willie Lynch LLC
IG: @taalamacey Website: taalamacey.com

Sherrika Mitchell – Crescent Love
IG: @legs_almighty

Roscoe Burnems – Metaphysics for White Privilege
IG: @roscoeburnems Website: roscoeburnems.com

Alex Dang – What Kind of Asian Are You
IG: @alexdangpoetry Website: alexdangpoetry.com

Thea Monyee – For Little Girls
IG: @theamonyee Website: theamonyee.com Podcast: Shaping The Shift

In Volume Five: Chapter Nine, we welcome Activist, Poet, and Author of the forthcoming poetry collection "antibody".

Rebecca (she/they) is a queer, racialized Latinx writer, editor, and community organizer. Published works include sulphurtongue (McClelland & Stewart), the knife you need to justify the wound (Rahila’s Ghost) and Guzzle (Anstruther).

Rebecca edits poetry for The Fiddlehead and Plenitude magazines, is a co-founder of BIPOC Pride Fredericton, and works as a graduate researcher for the Cymbeline in the Anthropocene research project.

Rebecca is currently completing a PhD on trauma, queerness, and ecopoetics, while living on the unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik people.

Contact Rebecca:

Bluesky: @rsalazar
Website: rebeccasalazarca.wordpress.com

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
AkeemJamal Rollins – Suicide Note
Instagram: @keemyjam

Jasmine Combs – Monster
Instagram: @jasminelcombs
Website: jasminelcombs.com

Darius Simpson – Genocide
Instagram: @_dariussimpson
Website: daruissimpson.com

Christopher Michael – Purse Clutchers
Instagram: @mrmichael310 Website: mrmichael310.com

GiGi Bella – Slut
Instagram: @gigibellag Website: gigibellapoetry.com

In Volume Five: Chapter Eight, we welcome back to the program Educator, Advocate, Poet, Spoken Word Artist, and Author of the book "Black Like That: Poems from a Conduit" Ray Jane.

Ray is a Brooklyn-born poet raised in Far Rockaway, Queens. She uses her poetry to lift herself and other women of color. Always aiming to strengthen her voice, Ray Jane was also the winner of the Verb Benders slam poetry team’s inaugural poetry slam. Some of her feature performances include: “Digital Verse,” sponsored by The Nuyorican Poets Café and The Green Space. You can find her expressing her perspective as a Black female artist on several podcasts, including We Be Imagining/Black Siren Radio and Sound Minds Podcast’s “Potent Women Wordsmiths.” She has moderated her own workshops with ¡Oyé Group! Poet’s Corner (2021- 2023) and Art Defined, and hosted The Nuyorican Poets Cafe Thursday Night Online Open mic (2022-2023) and “Freestyle Friday” for The Word Is Write.

Contact Ray Jane:
Instagram: @itsrayjane
Website: itsrayjane.com

Purchase Black Like That: Poems for a Conduit here and here

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Jared Singer – Just Take a Shower
Facebook: @jaredsingerwriter
Purchase Jared's book Forgive Yourself

Jahman Hill – White Heaven
Instagram: @jahman_rondo
Website: jahmanhill.com

Loyce Gayo – How We Forget
Instagram: @loycegayo
Website: loyceg.github.io

Ray Jane – Sobering
Ray Jane - Spoils