Amy L. Bernstein writes stories that let readers feel while making them think. Her novels include The Potrero Complex; the award-winning The Nighthawkers; Dreams of Song Times; and Fran, The Second Time Around. Her nonfiction book, Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration, will be published in the fall of 2024. Amy is an award-winning journalist, speechwriter, playwright, and certified nonfiction book coach. She also teaches workshops on various aspects of the craft of writing. She loves inspiring others to unlock their inner artist and explore all aspects of writing, publishing, and taking creative risks every day.

Ellen Pirosh is a longtime Coachella Valley local who brings warmth, humor, and heart to everything she does. She’s the proud owner and operator of Quality Massage Mobile Spa, helping clients relax and feel their best wherever they are. A big fan of art, lively conversation, and all things drag, Ellen thrives on community, creativity, and a little bit of sparkle. Whether she’s at a gallery opening or cheering on her favorite drag queens, she’s always spreading good vibes and great stories.

Jeff Snyder is the co-owner of J-Squared Atelier, an art gallery and studio space in Palm Springs.  A retired Silicon Valley marketing executive, he is a fervent patron of the arts and an avowed fan of baking cookies, writing bad poetry, and admiring all things relating to dogs (especially his own).  He will also be the first to tell you that he’s a joy and a delight, and to date no one has offered evidence to the contrary.

John Joseph Contreras Romero is a sculptor whose work explores war, trauma, cultural displacement, and lost innocence. Through sculpture, he evokes memories and sparks conversations about violence, power, and defying societal norms. For him, art is a vehicle for healing, connection, and understanding.

Born to Mexican immigrant parents in Silicon Valley, John’s upbringing shaped his outlook on the American Dream—and the harsh realities that often accompany it. His work reflects personal experiences with poverty, domestic violence, military service, and loss, including the deaths of a father figure and his father within the same week.

John’s art addresses marginalized voices and challenges mainstream narratives. He believes art offers cathartic possibilities and warns of the mental health risks tied to the loss of art education. John art gives a lasting message of love, empathy, and the hope of making the world a better place.

Laamsha Young (Laamie) has a rich background in jewelry fabrication and design. She trained in sculpture and jewelry design during her teenage years under David Best and Lucia Antonelli. She has worked in high-end jewelry retail including Oakland’s famed Pave. Pieces from her company, BlankVerse Jewelry have been featured in national magazines such as Women’s Health and Vogue. Her work has sold in Anthropologie’s exclusive handmade collections, where Helena Bonham Carter and Melissa Etheridge have picked up her work. She has also sold at Khaite New York, Circle and Square (SF), Eco-Citizen (SF) and shown at the Gorgeous and Green Galla. Her work outfitted the cast of Pretty Little Liars and the Chicks commissioned an entire suite for their world tour. Her eclectic career grew out of her love of stories and poetry, and the shiny, messy, unexpected process of making things. Young holds a BFA and MFA in studio art and a MILS in Library Studies.

Nancy is a Master Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, SoulCollage® Facilitator, novelist, and tutor in New Jersey. In 2009, she completed her MFA in Creative Writing at Goddard College. She has explored a number of creative pursuits, from writing fiction to acting to singing. She firmly believes that creativity is not the realm of the chosen few; we are all creative, but some of us have forgotten how or have fallen victim to the tragic belief that we must be less than we really are. Her mission is to help people channel their inner creative genius.

She is particularly interested in helping people of all creative stripes, professional and amateur alike, tear out the insidious roots of perfectionism that keep most of us chasing the mythical "right" way to do things and keep us from creating at all. Her course, Make Bad Art, encourages students to do just that: intentionally make bad art to quiet the inner critic and reclaim the joy of creating for its own sake.

Oscar Delgadillo is a passionate photographer and advocate for film photography in the modern digital era. With a deep appreciation for analog techniques, Delgadillo's work explores the tactile beauty, nostalgia, and creative constraints inherent in film. Through his photography, he captures moments that evoke emotion and tell stories, offering viewers a refreshing counterpoint to the fast-paced nature of digital imagery.

Delgadillo is dedicated to educating and inspiring others to explore film photography, sharing tips and insights with both newcomers and seasoned photographers. His artistic philosophy emphasizes patience, intentionality, and the magic that comes from working within the limitations of analog media.

Roston is a mixed-media artist and art instructor. He received a master of fine arts degree from San Jose State University, and a bachelor’s degree in graphic communication from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. His artwork transforms the mundane through painting and other media, and is notable for its subversive, contradictory, and experimental qualities. His master’s thesis, Generous Orthodoxy in Art, shows his influences, reveals the breadth and trajectory of his artwork, and appeals to moderation in fine art.

Photo Credit: James Erin de Jauregui

SUMMER SHELTON was the recipient of the 2018 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT PRODUCERS AWARD. 

In 2023, her directorial debut YOU & I, which she also wrote, produced and co-starred opposite veteran actor Clayne Crawford screened as an Official Selection at the Nashville Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, River Run International Film Festival and debuted internationally at the American Film Festival.

Feature works she produced included MAINE (Orion Classics, 2018 Tribeca Film Festival) and KEEP THE CHANGE (KINO LORBER, 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Best Narrative Feature.

She was Executive Producer of PEOPLE PLACES THINGS which premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. 

She worked alongside critically acclaimed director Ramin Bahrani as Associate Producer of GOODBYE SOLO (2008), an official selection of the Venice Film Festival

Susan grew up in a quiet conservative community, in the Regan years, instilling in the queer kid a desire to find a place where she belonged. In her journey for self discovery and acceptance, she developed a love for photography, behind the lens of a camera, she could frame her own narrative. As an adult, she traveled from San Francisco to New York, Europe, and South America, where the vigor of urban life captured her heart and became her favorite focal point.  Her love for photography took her to San Jose State University, where she earned a BFA. Her work includes everything from weathered old trucks that have been left out to pasture to an exploration of women’s relationship with self and beauty, but in all of her work, the unifying theme of uncovering beauty in the mundane while celebrating life's essence with authenticity is the common thread woven into all of her work.

Susan LeBlanc is a retired-Cardiac ICU Nurse who loves art, cats, and good company. Having a couple of decades in the Coachella Valley, you can usually find her hanging out at Frisky Business Cat Café in Palm Springs or exploring museums and art installations with friends. Susan has a big heart and a curious spirit, always finding beauty in both the little things and big ideas.

Sydney Brown is fiercely dedicated to telling the truth. This goal presents a never-ending struggle. As she strives to be fearlessly honest, she learns more about herself and life’s miracles and tragedies every day. Just as Sydney lays out one clear truth in the completion of a work; it is instantly changed with the inevitable new knowledge learned through the process of making that piece.  Her experience as an artist is a labyrinth of gaining traction and moving forward in a series of circular movements.  The nature of travelling around the circle sometimes means she is moving backwards and covering already travelled paths, often re-learning uncomfortable lessons over and over again until her body and mind accept them. One can see this pattern in her work through common threads and repeating themes.

📸: James Erin de Jauregui
        https://www.instagram.com/dejauregui/