Megan Burns is a poet, performer, essayist, and editor. She has a MFA from Naropa University and edits the poetry magazine, Solid Quarter, which is dedicated to poets working in the tradition of the long poem. Her critical work on poet Bernadette Mayer can be found at Jacket Magazine. She has reviews of both poetry and prose at Gently Read Lit, Tarpaulin Sky, Big Bridge, and Rain Taxi. Her poetry has been most recently published in Exquisite Corpse Annual, Callaloo, New Laurel Review, YAWP Journal and the Big Bridge New Orleans Anthology. Her book Memorial + Sight Lines was published in 2008 by Lavender Ink. She has two chapbooks: Frida Kahlo: I am the poem (2004) and Framing a Song (2010) from Trembling Pillow Press. She coordinates the weekly 17 Poets! Featured Reader Calender. Megan has two forthcoming books of poetry entitled Ana(to)my and Carville: Village of Forgotten Names.
Born in ’67 and raised in New Orleans, DAVE BRINKS’ blood is Acadian French and Choctaw. Brinks is editor-in-chief of YAWP: A Journal of Poetry & Art, publisher of Trembling Pillow Press, director of 17 Poets! Literary & Performance Series, and founder of The New Orleans School for the Imagination. His works have appeared in dozens of magazines, newspapers, journals, and anthologies throughout the U. S., Canada, and overseas. Additionally, they have been featured by NPR, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, National Geographic Traveler, and Louisiana Cultural Vistas. Brinks has authored six books including the acclaimed The Caveat Onus (Black Widow Press, 2009). Brinks has a forthcoming Collected Poems from Black Widow Press.

Jessica Bordelon is a poet, performer and educator. Also known as "Iamair," she is a performer and is the secretary for Revolution Theory, a spoken word troupe of Lafayette. She has performed at Festival International (2010 and 2011) and at Barnes & Noble Bookseller's as a Spoken Word Feature. She is also a frequent participant at Cite des Arts' spoken word event. Bordelon holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She teaches English as a Second Language at ULL, and teaches creative writing and performance at the Lafayette public library.
Alex Johnson, also know as Poetic Soul, is the Poetry Slam Champion of Lafayette to represent in the international competition for two consecutive years. She has has performed at the IWPS (International World Poetry Slam) 2009 and 2010. Johnson is studying Political Science at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. She teaches creative writing and performance at the Lafayette Public Library, and occassionally is a special guest poet at schools such as Carencro High and Opelousas High and Junior High.