Alexa Patrick (she/her) is a vocalist and poet from Connecticut. She is the author of Remedies for Disappearing (Haymarket Books, 2023) and holds fellowships from Cave Canem, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and more. Previous artistic partnerships of Alexa’s include Meta, Microsoft, The Kennedy Center, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. In spring 2023, Alexa made her stage production debut as Un/Sung in the opera We Shall Not Be Moved, (dire. Bill T. Jones). You may find her work in publications including Adroit, The Rumpus, CRWN Magazine, and The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2: Black Girl Magic. Visit alexapatrick.com for more.

Douglas Powell/Roscoe Burnems is Richmond, VA’s inaugural poet laureate. Douglas prides himself on using his creativity to inspire, challenge, and destigmatize. He has been a three-time southern regional finalist, National Poetry Slam Champion, and two-time Underground Poetry Slam Champion. For over a decade, he has been the Executive Director of The Writer’s Den RVA Art Collective, a poetry-based arts organization that facilitates writing, performance, and team building workshops. He is the author of four published works: “Fighting Demons,” “Chrysalis Under Fire,” “God, Love, Death and Other Synonyms” and “defyne.” His poems have also been published in: Freeze Ray Magazine, Flypaper Magazine, Scene & Heard Journal, Into Quarterly, Beltway Quarterly and Rise Up Review.