Jenna Tico is a storyteller, mischief-maker, performance artist, new mother, and student of change. When she is not learning from her fiery five-month-old son, Felix, Jenna can be found writing grants and facilitating for AHA!, a social-emotional program that helps teenagers find peace in relationships and transform through creativity. Jenna has lived and performed all over the world, from Bali to Ireland to Rwanda, and is a regular contributor to Anima: Theatre of the Feminine Underground. She also serves on the Santa Barbara City Arts Advisory Committee, and can often be found giving Really Bad Advice to strangers. Follow along: @reallybad_advice and @backbonestorytelling. 

Irishman, James Claffey's work appears in the W.W. Norton Anthologies, Flash Fiction International and New Micro: Exceptionally Small Fictions, and in Queen's Ferry Press's anthology, Best Small Fictions of 2015. He is the author of the short fiction collection, Blood a Cold Blue, from Press 53, and his novel, The Heart Crossways, is available from Thrice Publishing. James is an English teacher at Santa Barbara High School and is married to the artist and writer, Maureen Foley. 

Maureen Foley (maureenfoley.com) is a writer, artist and jam-maker living near the sea in Santa Barbara, California. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including, River River, Cobalt, Spittoon, the Nassau Review, Inlandia, Bombay Gin, and Ontologica. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in Wired, the New York Times and Santa Barbara Magazine. Her novella, Women Float, was published by the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography and she won the Dead Metaphor Press Chapbook Award for Epilepsy. She completed an MFA in Prose from Naropa University and is currently working on a novel about the experience of new motherhood and loss. She also owns and runs Red Hen Cannery, a farm-to-jar jam and marmalade company, with her husband, James.

Gabriella Hernandez is a first-generation American, born and grown in Southern California. Currently living in Taos, NM. She is a multi-media artist with a focus on writing, performance, and oil painting. Her family ties lead to Mexico and Scotland creating the fertile soil from which she makes most of her work. Gabriella’s work can be found at GabriellaHernandezArt.com

A lifelong artist and musician, Steve Shelton taught English and journalism at the junior high, high school, and college levels for 40 years. Now in his first year retired from teaching, he is now able to fully commit his attention to the arts. He has recorded multiple albums in Los Angeles as a singer-songwriter. His music has been featured in various film projects and can be streamed online. His artwork is available for sale from his studio.

Chanté [pronouns: 'they/them' / 'she/her'] is a visual artist currently living in Santa Barbara. Chanté works with many mediums such as fine art painting, tattooing, muralism, illustration, animation, performance art, and installation art. They derive inspiration from the natural world, symbolism, spirituality and in exploring the many threads that connect & uplift us in both community and humanity. Their award winning work has been featured in publications such as V Magazine, and has been showcased in various events and exhibits in Santa Barbara. Currently, Chanté is working on a series of paintings exploring the realms of grief & hope amongst social unrest and an ongoing global pandemic. More of their work can be found on their website copperravenstudio.com and Instagram @copper.raven.studion.

Vivian Leilani Shay is a dancer and choreographer currently attending Stanford University. Recently voted Santa Barbara's Dancer of the Decade in the regional BroadwayWorld Awards, she started dancing at age 6 and has trained throughout Southern California and in New York City. Her musical theatre training includes working with The Broadway Collective and The Lexington Theatre Company. She also spent two summers training with the Radio City Rockettes at the Rockettes Summer Intensive.  Vivian graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 2020 as a Distinguished Don as well as Top Don in Science. With SBHS Theatre, she served as Dance Captain and performed in numerous theatrical productions including MATILDA, HEAD OVER HEELS, and IN THE HEIGHTS. Vivian loves collaborative creativity and is passionate about connecting the dots between science and the arts. @vivianleilani www.vivianleilani.com

Tina began her flamenco dance journey in 2001 and dancing locally ever since for a variety of public and private events.   Her group “Love Flamenco” performs annually during Old Spanish Days Fiesta. Tina also produces tablao flamenco performances for special events. In 2019 she produced a successful flamenco nights series at the Four Seasons Biltmore.  She is also a filmmaker: one of her screenplays about a flamenco dancer inspired by “The Red Shoes.”

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, a recent Poet Laureate (2015-17) of Santa Barbara, defines herself as a public poet as well as a playwright and  cultural activist  She has engaged countless audiences reading her poems of witness,  lament, praise ,and love.  She has been featured on main stages at Earth Day, Summer Solstice, Women’s March and numerous other cultural events.  She embraces the collective voice of her literary ancestors and endeavors to uplift contemporary conversations on the poetics of race, culture, and social change.  Sojourner is the author of six plays  all produced by Dramatic Women Theater Company, and a number of poetry collections.  Most notably, Common Ancestry (Mille Grazie, 1999) , Black Street (Center for Black Studies Research, 2009) and the most recent, Yellow Mellow Global Umbrella: Bilingual Edition  (Lucky Penny Press, 2016)