Glenn North is a published author, Black Archives Director of Education and Community focus Cave Canem fellow, a Callaloo Creative writing fellow and a recipient of the Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award and the Crystal Field Poetry Award. Glenn provided the poetic narration for the award winning film short, May This Be Love and did a guest appearance on the popular ABC family drama, Lincoln Heights. He has shared the stage with many legendary African American poets including Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez and Amiri Baraka.

Glenn North in Black Art in America

Soni? Joi Thompson-Ruffin is a contemporary fabric artist, fabric designer, author, teacher, and lecturer. She has led workshops and lectures on contemporary Black African American quilting and color combining at the Smithsonian's American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, Nelson Atkins Museum and the UMKC African American Culture House. Soni? is a Charlotte Street Visual Arts Fellow, Art Omi Fellow, Storytellers, Inc. Art Fellow. Her artwork has been exhibited in the United States, Europe and Africa. Her artwork can be found in the collections of galleries, museums, private and corporate collections around the world. She is the author of ''Soulful Art of African American Quilts'' and ''Opening Day Negro League Baseball''. She is the designer of ''My African Village, and Drums of Afrika fabric collections.  Her fabric collections have been featured in McCall's and Better Homes and Garden Quilt magazines. Soni? was recently chosen to collaborate and create artwork for the Helix Architectural firm for the new Kansas City East Patrol located at 27th & Brooklyn.

Sonie Joi on KCPT: The Local Show

(Starts at the 11:35 Time Marker)

Sonia Sanchez| Poet, author, and activist Sonia Sanchez believes that by telling her story about the African-American experience, she has found a way to tell all of our stories.

Sonia Sanchez is one of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement. She is a poet, activist, scholar-was the Laura Carnell Professor of English and Women's Studies at Temple University. She is the first Poet Laureate for the city of Philadelphia. She is the recipient of both the Robert Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime service to American poetry and the Langston Hughes Poetry Award. Sanchez is the author of sixteen books.

Sonia Sanchez performs

Haiku for Max Roach