Lucille Clifton was an American poet, writer, and educator from Buffalo, New York. From 1979 to 1985 she was Poet Laureate of Maryland. Clifton was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Attuned to and deeply concerned with African American history, culture, and family relationships, Clifton has written extensively about these issues in straightforward prose and simple, but not simplistic, poetry. She has published numerous children's books aimed at an African American audience. Her highly acclaimed and accessible poetry was influenced by the Black Arts Movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a movement advocating the use of artistic expression to further the personal and social achievements of African Americans. The role of the matriarch is a primary concern in Clifton's poetry, as is family history and spiritual revelation.

Sekou Sundiata first came to nationwide attention when he was featured on the opening program of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) series The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets, hosted by Bill Moyers. A professor of literature and creative writing at New York's New School, Sundiata created and performed critically acclaimed theater pieces incorporating poetry, dance, drama, and music. Deeply rooted in the black American experience, over the years his voice evolved from anger and outrage to hope and grace. His work has been compared to that of Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, and the Last Poets, and he provided a link between the Black Arts/Black Aesthetic Movement of the 1960s and 1970s and spoken-word artists of the early twenty-first century.

Mackey is known for poetry and prose that encompass themes and rhythms from multiple cultures, most notably incorporating the musical qualities and spontaneity of improvisational American jazz. One of his best-known works, Song of the Andoumboulou, is a serial poem that began in his 1985 volume, Eroding Witness, and has been published in subsequent units since then. In his role as longtime editor of the literary journal Hambone, Mackey nurtures innovation and cross-cultural connections in the creative arts by publishing the work of both young and established writers, visual artists, and musicians, spanning a wide spectrum of ethnic traditions. Mackey further develops the relationship between world music and poetry by sharing his knowledge of African American and Third World musical movements through radio broadcasts, lectures, readings, and workshops. He is the Reynolds Price Professor of English at Duke University and served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2001 to 2007. Mackey currently lives in Durham, North Carolina.