Christa Bell is a poet, curator, performer, multimedia artist and imminent #Blaxit exile from Seattle, WA. Her work investigates and restores the sacredness of the bodies of Black womxn and their children within the Western canon of the Divine. Her curatorial, visual and performance work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Institute of Contemporary Art Boston; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art; International Center for Photography, NPR, TEDx Barnard and The Every Woman Biennial, among many other fine art, performance and theater venues. To learn more about her work, please visit www.ChristaBellGlobal.com

Marr is a certified RYT 200hr yoga, breathwork, and meditation teacher with a focus on helping people come home to themselves through ritual, rhythm, and presence. She is the author of Lord Knows This Shit Ain’t Easy and the founder of Architecting Rituals, a space for building intentional practices that support who you're becoming. Her work blends grounded healing with soulful creativity, offering tools that meet people where they are — and invite them into who they’re meant to be.

Pavana Reddy is a South Indian and Fijian poet from Los Angeles. Her poetry books, Rangoli and Where Do You Go Alone are available worldwide. She is currently working on her third collection.

Anastacia-Renee is an award-winning queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, TEDx speaker, playwright and podcaster.

Joél Leon, author of “Everything and Nothing At Once: A Black Man's Reimagined Soundtrack For the Future” is a Bronx-born girl dad, poet, performer and cultural critic who writes and tells stories for Black people.

Dante Clark is a writer and performer from the Bronx, NY. With poetry being their primary literary outlet, Dante intends to explore the scope and sound of words as a means to inform, delight, and incite, while writing toward liberation. A two-time Pushcart nominee, his work has been featured in The Root, Afropunk, wildness, Adroit Journal, and more. He's received support from organizations including Catapult, In Surreal Life, and NYU's Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House—where he's a recent Goldwater Fellow and MFA Graduate. While working on the finishing touches of his debut collection of poems in NYC, Dante remains steadfast in his dream to create in a world where all his homies can prosper. https://danteclark.nyc

Nicole Shawan Junior's literary art has been widely anthologized and featured in Guernica, The Rumpus, Oprah Daily, and other publications. A counter storyteller builder, Nicole founded the BIPOC literary arts organization Roots. Wounds. Words., which provides writing support, mentorship, and opportunities to over 3,000 BIPOC writers.

Bala Wellness Welcome to a Bala Wellness Art Social! This event is designed to help you connect to yourself & to others through creativity. You’ll receive a personal art kit and everything you need to create your masterpiece. Don’t worry if you’re unsure where to start—each table will have a mood board to inspire your inner artist!

Jive Poetic is a poet, DJ, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BA in Media Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his MFA in Writing and Activism from Pratt Institute. In 2017, Jive was the first John Morning Award for Art and Service recipient. He founded Brooklyn House Party (BKHP), Insurgent Poets Society, Carnival Slam: Cultural Exchange, and co-founded the Brooklyn Poetry Slam. His poetry aired on TVONE’s Lexus Verses and Flow and PBS NewsHour. His poems were published by the Academy of American Poets, No, Dear Magazine, and Toss The Earth. As a DJ, he has played opening concert sets for Busta Rhymes, Beenie Man, Gang Starr, and Redman. International recognition for his work has come from the British Arts Council, the Minister of Culture for Antigua and Barbuda, and US Embassies in Australia, Brazil, and Poland. Jive has held writing residencies at Air Serenbe, Fort Belvoir Army Base, Rhode Island Writer’s Colony, Marble House Project, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. When Jive is not touring or hosting, He teaches performance poetry and hip-hop workshops to underserved youth in New York City and the tri-state area. In 2024, Jive released his newest latest poetry collection, Skip Tracer.

DJ Paco has been spinning for 14 years, getting his start at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the Lower East Side. There, he provided music for open mics and poetry slams before expanding into Hip Hop and R&B showcases, collaborating with Hip Hop Seasons. He’s also been part of events with BKHP. Over the years, DJ Paco has brought his sound to a range of events—including proms for the New Jersey Department of Education—and now proudly adds Lincoln Center to the list.