Speaker Bios
Siaara Freeman
Siaara Freeman was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio, where she is the current Lake Erie Siren.
She was an early reader and her younger years were built on books. Theater soon found her and they got along marvelously, she began publicly performing poetry with Cleveland Playhouse at age fifteen, competing in the international teen competition Brave New Voices for four years. She liked it so much she decided never to stop.
She has toured both nationally and internationally. Siaara has been the keynote speaker for Delta Mouth Poetry Festival , Kalamazoo Poetry Festival, Midway Music Festival , Norway Poetry Festival & others. She has been featured in For Harriet, Cleveland Magazine & elsewhere. Her work appears in, West Trestle, The Offing, BOAAT, Tinderbox, Josephine Quarterly amongst other places.
She is the co-founder of Outsiders Queer Midwest Writers Retreat. She is a 2022 Catapult Fellow with Cleveland Public theater. She is a 2021 Premier Playwright fellow recipient with Cleveland Public theater. She is a 2020 WateringHole Manuscript fellow, a 2018 winter tangerine chapbook fellow and a 2018 Poetry Foundation incubator fellow.She is a four year and PinkDoor fellow and staff member. Siaara is a two time nominee for the 2022 Pushcart Prize for her poems “Such a Thing As a Ridiculous Question” and “World in Which the Word Father is Replaced with Hood.”
She is an educator & currently is the Curriculum Development Manager for a Cleveland based Art Org. She has been an instructor with InsideOut Literary Arts, Twelve Literary Arts, Westside Community House Sisterhood Program, MetroHealth, and University Hospital. She teaches all age groups and has taught within multiple grade schools and universities across the country.
Chances are she's by a lake, thinking about Toni Morrison and talking to ghosts. In her spare time she is growing her afro so tall God can use it for a microphone and speak through her. Her first book Urbanshee is available through Button Poetry.
Jordidge
Jordidge blends soulful melodies with innovative soundscapes to create a unique sonic experience. His music is a fusion of traditional R&B, futuristic electronics, and hauntingly beautiful lyrics. With each release, Jordidge pushes the boundaries of the genre and delivers captivating compositions that leave a lasting impact. With a voice that ranges from smooth and sultry to raw and emotional, Jordidge has a rare talent for capturing the heart and soul of his listeners.
Mindy McGinnis
Mindy McGinnis is the author of multiple novels that span many genres. From historical to fantasy, contemporary to gothic thriller, you can always count on Mindy’s books to deliver grit, truth, and an unflinching look at humanity and the world around us.
A ninth-generation farmer, Mindy attributes much of her character to growing up on an Ohio farm, learning the value of physical labor, and the harshness of the natural world early in life. Much of her writing reflects small-town living and aspects of rural poverty. A former school librarian, Mindy still lives and works in her hometown, and is dedicated to making herself available to financially disadvantaged school districts and communities
Travis McClerking
Travis McClerking is a poet and model born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He has been published in multiple journals including Hooligan Mag and is featured prominently in the poetry collection “Tempest: Poetry for Earthly Renewal." On an off day you will catch him either perusing a thrift store or discovering the best records your grandparents loved.
Su Flatt
Su Flatt teaches English Composition, Creative Writing, and Shakespeare at Columbus State Community College; writes poetry, criticism, and non-fiction; takes notes relentlessly, raises children, plays with kittens, believes in magic more than most people should, and wants to show you every beautiful thing that every floats into our perception. Su Flatt’s work can be found in Columbus ‘Zines and anthologies and in a number of journals. If you ask, she’ll tell you where. Su Flatt has performed poetry on local, regional, and national stages and has been performing poetry for over three decades.
Louise Robertson
Louise Robertson has earned degrees (BA Oberlin, MFA George Mason University), hundreds of poetry publications (including New Ohio Review, Dialogist, SWWIM), poetry awards (Mary Roberts Rinehart, Columbus Arts Festival Poetry Competition – among others), and nominations (three times for the Best of the Net and twice for a Pushcart). Brick Cave Media published her full-length book, The Naming Of, in December 2015. She is active as a poet and organizer in her local Columbus, Ohio poetry scene.
Kevin Cordi
Kevin Cordi lives and sees the world as a giant playground, a world full of possibilities. He is the author of a number of books including Playing with Stories: Story Crafting for Writers, Teachers, and Other Imaginative Thinkers. He holds a Doctorate from OSU in Storytelling and Education and in addition to being a writer, is a nationally-known storyteller. For two years he hosted Debut: A Fusion of Storytelling and Play working with new writers and storytellers using proven play practices to craft and mine possible story directions. His practices are not common in storytelling and writing circles but are innovative ways to connect to writing and telling. His work has taken him to over 45 states, England, Japan, Singapore, Scotland, and Canada. He serves as an Assistant Professor in Education at Ohio University Lancaster and is the former Co-Director for the Columbus Area Writing Project at Ohio State University. He currently is a Longview Global Educator and Co-Char of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Ohio University. You can see more about him and his work at www.kevincordi.com
Bianca Moore
Bianca Moore an Ohio native who has been doing comedy for nearly a decade. She opened for Sandra Valls, Irene Tu, Corinne Fisher and more. She’s given belly laughs and awkward stares across the globe, taking her Midwestern madness to international heights.
Rachel Miller
Dr. Rachel Miller is a writer, editor, researcher, and teacher based in Columbus, Ohio. She earned her BA from the University of Chicago in 2012 and holds a Ph.D. in English from The Ohio State University, where she specialized in teaching composition, American literature, and comics. She's worked as an adjunct professor for schools such as Columbus College of Art and Design, Virginia Tech, and University of South Carolina. Her writing has been featured in Public Books, Women Write About Comics, and her first monograph, An Introduction to American Comics, co-written with Dr. Andrew Kunka is under contract at Routledge.