In Volume Five: Chapter Three of the Program, we welcome Educator, Poet, and author of the chapbook The Autodidact, Meghan Malachi.

From Meghan's Website:

Meghan is the first-place winner of the Spoon River Poetry Review 2022 Editor's Prize Contest and a 2022 Pushcart Prize Nominee. Her work is published or forthcoming in Milly Magazine, Rabid Oak, NECTAR Poetry, Pages Penned in Pandemic, giallo lit, and Writers With Attitude. Her first chapbook, The Autodidact, was published by Ethel Zine and Micro Press. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

​Meghan received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Providence College in 2016 and a Masters of Science in Mathematics from the University of Iowa in 2019. She has an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing from DePaul University, where she also works as a Graduate Assistant and Peer Writing Tutor. Meghan is the Creative Director of Indigo Sessions, an artistic series highlighting the works of Black women musicians and poets. She is an Associate Editor at RHINO magazine and a Programs Coordinator at the Guild Literary Complex.

Contact Meghan:

Website: meghanmalachiwrites.com

Instagram: @meghanbmal

Spoken Word Recording featured this Week:

Farah Habad - 2am in Marshall, TX

X: @habadfarah

Lady Brion - I Talk Black

Instagram: @ladybspeaks

Website: ladybrion.com

X: @ladybspeaks

Dasan Ahanu - I Love You

Instagram: @dasanahanu

Website: dasanahanu.com

Our Conversation with Dasan

Ephraim Nehemiah - 5 Stages of Grief for the Living

Instagram: @ephraimnehemiah

Our Conversation with Ephraim

Alysia Harris - Death Poem

Instagram: poppyinthewheat

Website: alysiaharris.com

In Volume Five: Chapter Two we welcomed Writer and Author of the books How Much Can I See and Love Can't Be Measured, M.L. Ferrell

From M.L.'s bio:
M.L. Farrell is a cancer survivor, a faith-driven storyteller, and a firm believer in embracing every moment life has to offer. After facing some of life’s toughest battles, she emerged with a renewed perspective and a passion for finding joy in the small things—whether that’s indulging in tacos on a Tuesday, blasting Taylor Swift while cleaning, or getting lost in a smutty romance or an epic fantasy adventure.

With a heart rooted in gratitude and a deep love for God, M.L. Farrell writes stories that inspire, uplift, and encourage readers to embrace their own journey. She knows life isn’t about striving for perfection but about finding those moments of light and laughter, even when things get messy. Her books reflect that spirit—a mix of hope, humor, faith, and the courage to live authentically.

Contact M.L.:
Instagram: @authorml_farrell
Facebook: @authormlfarrell
Purchase How Much Can I See and Love Can't Be Measured

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured This Chapter:

Elizabeth Acevedo - Afro-Latina
Instagram: @acevedowrites
Website - acevedowrites.com

Damien McClendon - On Surviving a Lynching
Instagram: @covrd_n_epic

Bella Soul - Interpretation
Instagram: @bella_soul_

Jus Marvin - My Depression
Instagram - @jusmarvinpoetry
Threads - @jusmarvinpoetry

Dani The Poet - Wide Open
Instagram - @thedanicook
Website - thisisdani.com

In Volume Five: Chapter One, we welcome Educator, Poet, Author of the poetry collections Only Believe and Traveling Mercy, and Poet Laureate of Columbia South Carolina Jennifer Bartell Boykin.

Bio From Jennifer's Website:
Jennifer Bartell Boykin is the Poet Laureate of the City of Columbia, South Carolina. She was born and raised in Bluefield, a community of Johnsonville, SC. She received the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a Poetry Concentration (2014) and the Master of Library and Information Science (2024) from the University of South Carolina.

She is the author of her debut book of poetry Traveling Mercy (Finishing Line Press, 2023) and her second book of poetry Only Believe (The Word Works, 2024) is a 2023 winner of The Hilary Tham Capital Collection. Both are published under the name Jennifer Bartell. Her poetry has been published in Obsidian, Callaloo, pluck!, The Raleigh Review, kinfolks, Jasper Magazine, the museum americana, Scalawag, and Kakalak, among others.

She is a 2023 Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow and organized the Inaugural Soda City Poetry Festival in June 2024. An alumna of Agnes Scott College, Jennifer has additional fellowships from Callaloo and The Watering Hole. She is an award-winning English educator who has taught English for 16 years and was the 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year at Spring Valley High School. She is currently a school librarian at Muller Road Middle School in Blythewood, SC.

Contact Jennifer:
Instagram: @jennibb55 @columbiapoet
Website: jenniferbartellpoet.com

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
Kira J - Bitter
Instagram: @allthingskiraj

Gabriel Ramirez - Whenever I Look Over My Balcony
Instagram: @ramirezpoet
Website: ramirezpoet.com

Andrea Gibson - The Nutritionist
Instagram: @andreagibson
Website: andreagibson.org
X: @andreagibson

Anita D - Family Matters
Instagram: @anitadpoetry

Asia Samson - Desks Are Not Bulletproof
Instagram: @theasiaproject
Website: theasiaproject.com