Vivian Kao lives in Flint, Michigan, and teaches English at Mott Community College. She is the author of a book of poems, Dear Mrs. River-Dragon, which was published by Another New Calligraphy in 2024 and was a finalist for the MSU Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize, and a poetry chapbook, Daughters of the Republic, which will be published by Seven Kitchens Press later this year. She was the 2024-25 Writer-in-Residence at the Buckham Fine Arts Project, and her volume of poems written in residence was published as Observations, Volume 5 in March 2026. Her poems have appeared or will soon appear in East Village Magazine, Apricity, The Louisville Review, Press Pause, and the anthology Born for Such a Time as This.
Lisa Sarno is a poet, musician, and performer based in Flint, Michigan. She is an avid networker and informal community organizer who believes in the expression and power of resistance. She is a member of The Voices of the Revolution, a women’s poetry powerhouse based in Lansing, Michigan. Lisa published her first book of poetry, Grasping at Stars (December 2024), which was named a finalist in the 2025 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards. More of Lisa’s work has been published in Voices of the Revolution Poems from the Resisterhood (April 2025). Lisa discovered the perfect blend of art and expression through live spoken word and musical performances. She was the featured poet in Threading Moonbows, a performance that included The Happen Dance Group from Okemos and the Kalamazoo based musical trio, Aurora and Antheia. In May, Lisa co-produced and performed in Adrienne Torf’s The Awesome Difficult Work of Love in Flint, Michigan. Moving forward, Lisa looks towards facilitating a week-long poetry immersive workshop at The Women Performing Instruments (WPI) Festival using June Jordan’s framework: Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint.