Ariana Matondo (they/she) is a queer disabled Tanzanian-American poet, editor, and teacher based in Tampa, Florida. Winner of the Zora Neale Hurston Award for poetry (2025), they were named a finalist for the Disquiet Prize for poetry (2025). They are also a recipient of the Sundress Publications Fellowship (2025), Vermont Studio Center Fellowship (2024), Light for Public Health Poetry Prize (2024), and the Bettye Newman Poetry Prize (2024-2025). Matondo has published and forthcoming works in Light Magazine, Honey Literary Magazine, The Common, and more. As the poetry editor for Creation Magazine and CM Editorial House, they are currently pursuing an MFA in poetry at the University of South Florida. Find more at: arianakijamatondo.com.

 
Jeb Katsiopis (he/they) is a Greek-American interdisciplinary artist out of St. Petersburg, Florida and a graduate of the University of South Florida with an ISS degree in sociology, communication, and studio art. They aim to master any medium they can get their hands on, including painting, drawing, sewing, printmaking, and sculpture. They work at Creative Clay as a teaching artist, working with adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities to make and sell art of all mediums. They are also a contributor to Neptune Poetry Magazine. They fell in love with poetry through Community Poetry at Black Crow, where every week they write about the mundane subjects of life that are deserving of reverence and wonder. Their work also explores the nuances of queer identity, Greek heritage, and chronic illness. He has been dubbed the “Patron Saint of Little Guys” by fellow poets.