Jervey Tervalon was born in New Orleans but was raised on 2nd avenue, close to Foshay, where while there as a student he sold his first poem to scholastic magazine when he was 12. He’s published a number of books and currently teaches writing at UCSB and started and helps direct Litfest Pasadena, the second largest literary festival in California.

Qaasimah Alexis Lang is a teacher, traveler, and avid reader. As a former EFL teacher. Qaasimah cannot overstate the importance of literature in expanding one's horizons and introducing new concepts, cultures, and creating opportunities for imagination and creativity. Afrofuturism represents a fresh perspective for fans of the highly beloved genres of science fiction and fantasy. This new perspective serves as a powerful symbol of hope and a gateway to reading for a whole new generation of readers.

I went to Santa Monica College and transferred to UCLA where I learned about all things Black Horror and Afrofuturism. I love reading, writing, and watching psychological thrillers. My favorite quote is “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” by Maya Angelou and these genres make me feel seen. Afrofuturism is a beautiful genre that centers Blackness in its beauty, dopeness, and complexity while imagining a better future for us.

Lena Jones is a self-described “passionate, quirky and pretty much a nerdy English Language Arts teacher. She majored in Literature and she loves Science Fiction. An author she truly enjoys is Octavia Butler, but she’ll do Frank Herbert too. My opinion on Afrofuturism--well why not Afrofuturism? I experienced the coolness of this genre on a small scale with the revisionist version of Lovecraft on HBOmax (when the black mother connects to the machine and goes on a psychedelic, afro-past and future journey.