Maria James-Thiaw is a published performance poet and playwright with nearly 20 years of experience as a professor of writing and community teaching artist.  Maria wrote Reclaiming My Time: The American Griot Project and coined the phrase "historiographic poetics," a form of poetry that sheds light on historical events and raises consciousness about social justice issues. This dynamic spoken word artist is also the author of four collections of poetry including her newest, Count Each Breath, published by Wild Ink Publishing .

Janet Bixler is an enthusiastic storyteller and seasoned theatre director with a gift for playback and devised theatre. Bixler was the director of Reclaiming My Time: An American Griot Project and RMT 2.0. Her influence has stretched from middle school to college classrooms and beyond. As a certified teacher and the owner of U-Cre8, she taught kids how to find their voice and express their truth on stage. She volunteers as a host and workshop leader for Untitled storytelling group and is the Director of First-Year Experience at Central Penn College in Summerdale PA.