Contributors' Notes
Alice Costas
21 / Chicago
Alice attends Brown University and hails from Chicago.
Angel Nafis
Angel Nafis is in her third year as a Wordworks member. She currently works at Shaman Drum Bookshop and as The Neutral Zone's Writer-in-Residence and is a student at Washtenaw Community College. She was a two-time member of the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Team that competed in the national youth slam Brave New Voices in San Francisco and New York City, and is a coach of the current youth team. She has performed her work to much acclaim all over the country.
Brittany Rogers
18 / Chicago
Brittany will be attending Columbia College in the fall and plans to major in screenwriting and producing.
Camille Mendoza
19 / Oak Park, Ill.
Camille is an Art Education major at Chicago State
Ciara Miller
16 / Chicago
Ciara Miller originally hails from Chicago, but is student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She is an educator, active creative writer, performance poet, analytical essayist, playwright, and screenwriter who is currently working on a television show tentatively titled "Jassy." She recently completed her first poetry chapbook "Black Dorothy."
Claire Niederberger
16 / Chicago
Claire is a sixteen-year-old student at Northside College Prep. She loves writing, drawing, and radio. You can listen to her radio show at http://www.vocalo.org/explore/users/d00dle%20jubilee.
Cydney Edwards
Cydney is a student at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. She is a part of the First Wave program there, and also served as a member of the Kuumba Lynx slam team at Brave New Voices in Washington D.C. this past year.
Deema Faisal
Deema Faisal is a spoken word artist from Boston whose roots are deeply planted in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. With her poetry, she hopes opens our eyes to new truths about issues in our families, our communities, and the world. Deema has taught workshops throughout Boston where she is well known for her powerful words. She has performed at around the country at universities and theaters. Deema is passionate about her art and its power to reach out against injustice.
Deja K. Taylor
Poetess. Lyricist. Writer. Actor. Vocalist. Art happens to be the way she plans on changing the world. She was a member of the 2008 Chicago All Star team, a member of the Eleven Ensemble, and one half of the musical duo that is Stereo Water. Upcoming projects include her 1-woman show and chapbook/album.
Dianna Ada Harris
Dianna is a student at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. She is a part of the First Wave program there, and also served as a member of Chicago's All Star slam team at Brave New Voices in Washington D.C. this past year.
Faatimat Rufai
Faatimat Rufai is thirteen, and attends Universal High School. When she grows up she wants to be a photographer.
Genea Foster
18 / New York City
"One thing that I really value is expression. Through whatever media it could help others to either see or feel what is plaguing or exciting the artist. I write poetry to bring attention to issues of importance to me. I take pictures to search, extract, and evaluate the truth. I put utensils to paper in order to surround myself with beautiful images. I believe the more we express ourselves, the more awareness will be brought to issues, both big and small. Expression allows me to protest or showcase the things around me. In person sometimes I appear quiet, but I'm thoughtful and my art expresses that. I just let it speak for itself."
Kezia Elias
17 / Chicago
Kezia Elias is dancer, actress, writer, photographer, singer, and a musician. An ambitious student of Lincoln Park High School, she strives to live out her dreams and her faith. She attends Merit School of Music and plays the piano for seven years. She plays the guitar and percussion for her church. She studied dance and photography at Gallery 37 Chicago. At school, she had won first place on a writing contest conducted by the school and DePaul University. She joined the Lincoln Park Advanced Girls Chorus and the Merit School of Music choir. Recently, she was accepted as a member of the National Honors Society for her academic success and leadership. In the acting world, she recently worked with Columbia College on a senior film production as a main character (Lily) and worked with the Theatre-Hikes Company on "The Snow Queen" play as the leading role Gerda. Now to be a senior, she takes every opportunity she finds for self improvement.
Kristen KrisDeLaRash Beauford
Kristen KrisDeLaRash Beauford is a student/poet/singer/songwriter from the south side of Chicago. Her influences range from Emo Punk to Disco, from John Steinbeck to Frances Cress-Welsing. Her work explores identity through reflection and critique with a hint of optimism. Kristen's chapbook, Kliff Notes, is currently available for purchase at her own online bookstore at stores.lulu.com/krisdelarash.
Kristiana Colón
Kristiana Rae Colón, one of Chicago's Def Poets, is a graduate student at the School of the Art Institute Chicago. Born and raised in Chicago, Kristiana has been writing and performing for six years, and recently produced her first original play entitled but i cd only whisper at the University of Chicago, directed by Tiffany Trent. She toured Chicago with Grammatical Era and London with the WordWide poetry slam team, which featured at London's first inner-city youth slam. She has been featured on Power 92, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, WGN Radio, and WZRD. Kristiana has rocked the mic at some of the Midwest's top venues including the Park West, the Metro, the Star Plaza Theater, the Aragon , the HotHouse, Subterranean, the Funky Buddha Lounge and Sonotheque, as well as the Nuyorican, Acentos, and Sutra Lounge in New York, in addition to several colleges and universities. She has shared the stage with highly acclaimed writers Marc Smith, the creator of the worldwide 'poetry slam' phenomenon, Kevin Coval, Luis Rodriguez, Tara Betts, Triple Blak, Malik Yusef, Anna West, Sonia Sanchez, and has opened for Grammy-nominated band Ozomatli and internationally acclaimed comedian Damon Williams. In 2005, she recently released her independently produced spoken word CD entitled Who Haunts Eden and was featured on HBO's fifth season of Def Poetry Jam. In addition to recording, publishing, and performing, Kristiana also spends some time teaching drama, performance poetry, and other forms of creative writing in inner-city schools to talented youth ages 6 - 18. Kristiana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature/Creative Writing from the University of Chicago and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Writing. She believes in the power of art as an educational tool and is committed to arts integration as a way to reinvigorate the learning experience. She is pursuing a career in literary and performance art and arts education.
Lana C. Simpson
Born and raised in Chicago, the church stamped barcode; God let Lana Simpson borrow some ink from the pen He uses to write in "The Book of Life." Her first present, age 7, was a diary with a cheap lock that she couldn't always open- but when she could...! Always farsighted, she could always see her future with 20/20. Writer/songstress/dancer-triple threat to no one but herself- and the stage. Lana, now a part of the University of Madison-Wisconsin's First Wave ensemble, swears to write until God's pen runs out.
Le Keja Dawson
"Hi! My name is Le Keja Dawson I go to Oak Park and River Forest high school I'm 16 years old and I'd love to have my work published in your webzine, I think GIRLSPEAK is amazing for the message it's sending out. I am a writer and an artist."
Marissa Gaven
17 / Purcellville, Va.
Marissa is a junior at Loudoun Valley High School.
Ona Wang
18 / Chicago
Ona attends University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Samantha Ohland
"My name is Samantha and I am a middle school student that loves to write. I live in a very small town and go to a small school. A lot of people have inspired me in writing."
Sarah Shaer
19 / Dubai, UAE
"My name is Sarah Shaer. I am Jordanian, but live in Dubai. I am currently attending Wellesley College here in the States. I pretty much like to dabble in things and make 'art'. One such thing was photoshop, which is how I came to make this vector piece. It was one of my firsts, and is a picture of my sister."
Steph Jurusz
19 / Orlando, Fla.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio and recently residing in Orlando, Florida,
Steph Jurusz, 19, now attends Columbia College Chicago to pursue a
BFA in fiction writing. She wishes to voice her views on what it means
to be a young woman in modern society through the medium of fiction,
creating characters that defy archetypes and predetermined roles of
women.
Takya 'Tokyo' Stuckey
Takya 'Tokyo' Stuckey is a Young Chicago Authors Alum. Takya also has a secret love for singing. In 2007, she was featured alongside Avery R. Young at the MCA's Hip Hop Festival.