Tara Bracco is the founder and producer of Poetic People Power. Her writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, American Theatre, Soul of the American Actor, Bitch, BUST, Clamor, and on The Huffington Post. Most recent NYC performances include appearances at Bowery Poetry Club, Ars Nova Theater, Nuyorican Poets Café, Strand Book Store, and Bluestockings Bookstore. She has been a guest teacher at Teatro La Tea Theatre’s "What’s In a Word" program and a guest presenter at Barnard College. Tara is on faculty at The Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, where she teaches public speaking.

Cynthia Bruckman is a writer and performer who teaches in NYC's public schools. The New York Press called her first book of poems, Endangered Species, “urban pastoral, serious fun.” She has received grants and awards from the Brooklyn Arts Council and the Bossak/Heilbron Charitable Foundation, among others, for her work as a playwright. She holds a BA in Drama from the University of Washington and an M.A. in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater.

Erica R. DeLaRosa is a performer, activist, and educator. She is a co-founder of Mahina Movement, a performance troupe and production company, and has shared stages with Sonia Sanchez, Suheir Hammad, and Dead Prez. She has directed and produced numerous NYC workshops and serves as the artistic director of the poetry collective Las Alumnas De Anais. More info at www.mahinamovement.net.

Andy Emeritz is a Writing and Mathematics tutor, and has been performing as both a poet and musician since 1995. He holds a BA in Political Theory from Cornell University, where he studied poetry and narrative writing under James Farrell and Dan McCall. He has been published in The Good Apple Literary Magazine, and has performed at The Bowery Poetry Club, CBGB’s 313 Gallery (R.I.P.), and Poetic People Power. He has spent a fair amount of time in Russia, and has performed at festivals and orphanages throughout Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Samara, Kazan, and a few other small towns in the countryside.

Galinsky is a zany, ludicrous poet/town crier who co-hosts and co-produces the Manhattan Monologue Slam. He was nominated for a Gold World Award at the New York International Film Festival. He is a member of SAG and the Dramatist Guild. More info at www.galinskyplace.com.

Frantz Jerome is an activist, social justice worker, and a co-founding member of the nationally recognized poetry group Lyrical Circle. Frantz has two publications where his prose is featured, and helped develop the play Off The Subject. He is also a member of the hip-hop/spoken word group Cypher Matrix. He has shared the stage with Sekou Sundiata, Baba Israel, Rokafella, and Lemon. More Info at www.myspace.com/freeverses and www.myspace.com/cyphermatrix.

Sugar Johnson is a poet, activist, and actor from Crown Heights, Brooklyn. His one-man show, What Had Happened Was, has been performed at Teatro La Tea Theatre to sold-out houses. His poems are featured in Signifying Harlem, edited by Jade Banks. He has shared stages with Spike Lee, Eric Sanders, and Bob Holman. He can be seen on the debut season of Jessica Care Moore’s Spoken on the Black Family Channel. Johnson has a BA in Mathematics from DePauw University.

Rafael Landron is a poet from Jamaica Queens. He has performed at Carlitos Café and in Teatro La Tea’s "What’s in a Word?" His one man show, Rafi’s Anti-War Expressions, was presented at La Tea Theater. Landron has been a finalist at the Nuyorican Poets Café.

Matthew Keuter is a writer living in New York. His theatre and performance works have been produced in New York, Colorado, Arizona, and Alaska.

Chris Martin was recently selected for the Hayden Carruth Award. His manuscript, American Music, will be published by Copper Canyon in 2007. His chapbooks include The Day Reagan Died (2004) and Vermontana (2003). When he’s not editing the online journal Puppy Flowers, attending the Gallatin School at NYU, or performing music with the band Twiglight, he is usually riding the train.

Dot Portella is a professional actress and poet whose work has been published in two anthologies: SLAM (Alloy Inc.) and Skyscrapers, Taxis and Tampons (Fly By Night Press). Dot received her BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College and her MA in Educational Theatre at New York University.  She lives in Manhattan's East Village.

Shetal Shah is an award-winning spoken word poet. Most recently, she had the honor of performing her poetry at Lincoln Center for La Casita. In 2005, she received the South Asian Media Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film Arya. She is a long-time educator and screenwriter with two films currently in production. For more information, please go to www.shetalshah.com.

Pamela Sneed is a New York based poet, performer, writer, and actress. She has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The Source, and Time Out. Her first book, Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom Than Slavery, was published by Henry Holt and her forthcoming manuscript is America Ain’t Ready. She has performed original works for sold out houses at Lincoln Center, The Studio Museum, PS 122, and she headlined the 2005 "New Work Now Festival" at Joe's Pub for sold houses. Her work has also been seen in publications including 110 Stories: New York Writes After Sept 11, Brown Sugar, and Voices Rising.