NICOLE GRAEV LIPSON is the author of the memoir in essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters. Her writing has appeared in The Sun, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Gettysburg Review, Alaska Quarterly LA Review of Books, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, among other venues. Her work has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, selected for The Best American Essays, and nominated for a National Magazine Award. Originally from New York City, Nicole received her MFA from Emerson College and lives in Brookline, MA, with her family.

AVA VALIANTI is a 15-year-old singer-songwriter from Massachusetts making waves with her raw emotion and indie pop edge. Blending Olivia Rodrigo-style storytelling with Lana Del Rey’s hypnotic melodies, her distinctive voice and infectious hooks leave a lasting impression. Since debuting with bubble wrap in 2023, she’s dropped a string of singles, including Middle Ground, January, and Wishing Well, with a debut EP on the way. Ava’s music has aired on over 130 radio stations nationwide, earned her two New England Music Award nominations, and landed her on major local showcases. Whether on stage or in the studio, she’s proving she’s a rising star to watch.

JENNIFER HAIGH is the author of seven best-selling, critically acclaimed works of fiction. Her first, Mrs. Kimble, won the PEN Hemingway Award for debut fiction. Her more recent, Mercy Street, was named a Best Book of 2022 by the New Yorker and won the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. Her latest novel is Rabbit Moon. A Guggenheim fellow and graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she lives in Boston.

NASEEM KHURI is the singer-songwriter for Kingsley Flood, a Boston and Washington, DC - based band with a "Billy Bragg-like folk-punk sound" (Washington Post) and "signature high energy" (Rolling Stone).  Kingsley Flood has played the main stage at the Newport Folk Festival, been featured on the History Channel, Lifetime Network and CNN, opened for Josh Ritter, Grace Potter, Lucius, Langhorne Slim and been been covered by NPR, New York Times, Esquire Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and American Songwriter, among others.  The band has released four full-length albums, including their latest, Neighbors and Strangers.