Performer Bios in Order of Appearance:
Ron Whitehead. U.S. National Lifetime Beat Poet Laureate Ron Whitehead is the author of 30 books and 40 albums. His newest book, plus an accompanying album with The Storm Generation Band, is THE GREAT BLUE HERON of QUASAR POETRY: New & Selected Poems, 1992 – 2022 (TranceMission Press book & sonaBLAST! Records album). OUTLAW POET: The Legend of Ron Whitehead (Storm Generation Films/Dark Star TV). A new broadside of Ron’s work with poet Wang Ping will be featured at Insomniacathon 2024. Ron Whitehead & The Storm Generation Band has performed in Europe and the USA for over a decade. They have recorded eleven albums.
Bill Clark & the Route 15 Band: Bill Clark has gathered a “hot” ensemble of regional musicians to perform their Americana style of originals and covers that will make you smile, make you want to dance, or both. Throw in a few rock oriented 60’s and 70’s tunes and some stories along the way about life on the road, and you’ll want to come back for more. Don’t miss their tight 3 part harmonies, it seems to be a rarity these days. Bill has opened for some well respected acts from John Hartford, David Allen Coe, Chet Adkins, Merle Travis and others.
Nina Snoogans is a 25-year-old solo folk and country artist based out of southern Indiana. She travels across the USA and writes about what she sees and who she meets.
Poet and songwriter Tommy Twilite (aka Thomas Clark) is the founding co-director of the Florence Poets Society (2004-present), Executive Editor of Silkworm (2006-present), and host of the Twilite Poetry Pub on WXOJ-FM. Tommy was selected as Beat Poet Laureate of Massachusetts for 2021-2023 by the National Beat Poetry Foundation. He is a retired Fire Captain with over 30 years of distinguished service. Fifty Words for Rain (2021) is his first full-length collection.
Belle Townsend is a rural Kentucky-born and bred writer, poet, researcher, organizer, baker, multi-media artist, cat mama, and quadruple cancer. Belle has published three poetry collections: The Holy in the Humdrum (2024), The Observer Effect (2023), and Push and Pull (2022). Belle’s writing intimately explores themes of rural life, queerness, girlhood, survival, and community.
Merritt Waldon is a 50-year-old poet/artist who has been published in a wide variety of magazines/ journals and has four books published. He has devoted his entire life & being to Poetry. He lives in Austin Indiana.
Larry Jaffe Poet-In-Residence at the Autry Museum, co-founder of Poets for Peace, former Poet Laureate Youth for Human Rights, Florida Beat Poet Laureate, Pushcart Nominee, and the recipient of the Saint Hill Art Festival’s Lifetime of Creativity Award. He was recently awarded the Lifetime New Generation Beat Poet Laureate. Poet in Residence Jack Kerouac House in St. Pete. He has six books of poetry: Unprotected Poetry, Anguish of the Blacksmith’s Forge, One Child Sold, In Plain View, 30 Aught 4, Sirens and Man without Borders.
Leland Locke was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. After studying literature and writing – along with philosophy, history, and sociology – he moved to Houston, TX, Missoula, MT, and, currently, Wilkesboro, NC. Mr. Locke is the author of four published books: Notes from the Night Desk, Volumes 1-2, You Can’t Blame Good Sex on a Puppy: Notes from the Night Desk, Volume 3, and Days on the Mountain: Comic Tales with Absurd Wisdom in the Age of Anti, under the name A. L. Locke.
Tommy Bays is an eclectic Singer/Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Jeffersonville, IN, and the Louisville, KY area. Tommy has been playing music, solo or with bands, for nearly 2 decades. From Terrapin Hill to 502 Corner Jams (by 4Sake Media), from the old Silver Creek Lanes in Sellersburg, IN to the Final Gonzofest (2023) in Louisville KY, Tommy has played all over Kentuckiana in all kinds of different venues. Busking at the Big4Bridge and other places, open mics, featured performances, guesting with friends and other amazing local talent, Tommy Bays can turn up just about anywhere. He has been featured on 91.9 WFPK’s website. He has had his writing featured in Night Owl Narrative from Cajun Mutt Press. He has performed alongside US National Beat Poet Laureate Ron Whitehead and his Storm Generation Band.
Dusty Jaggers is a punk rock musician, writer, and poet from Louisville, Kentucky. Her first book, Black Tourmaline Dreams, was published by Cajun Mutt Press.
Lisa Ann “LAMARKS” Markuson is the founder and Chief Poetic Officer of Ars Poetica.
With a degree in International Studies from the University of San Francisco and graduate
studies in International Communications at American University, Lisa Ann’s first career
was in cultural diplomacy. She was the Director of Meridian International’s International
Children’s Festival in Washington, DC in 2012, but realized through her work with artists
that she was, in fact, really an artist too.
Michael E. Duckwall was born and raised in the Ohio Valley. A featured poet at the 10th and final Gonzofest in Louisville Ky. His poem “Making Messes” was included in the anthology Encore released in January 2023, and he just recently had his first book of poetry The Ramblings of a Recovering Poet published by Pure Sleeze Press in July 2023. Here’s how he describes his poems: “I don’t write, I release. I’m not sure if I could hold any of this in, even if I wanted to. Poetry… my therapy, my friend, my release.”
Frogg Corpse is a poet, vocalist, actor, and photographer from Louisville, Kentucky residing in Clarksville, Indiana. Frogg has written a plethora of poems whilst fronting metal bands around the Louisville area. Select highlights of a rich career in the arts include auditioning for American Idol and The Voice, providing a background role in The Hangover III, and writing a guest blog for 48 Hour Books. Frogg’s poem, “The Night Two Lovers Leapt” placed second in the 2023 Literary edition of LEO Weekly.
David L. O’Nan has been a writer for over 20+ years. He independently founded and helps many poets, artists & writers with www.feversofthemind.com. He has published several books including Before the Bridges Fell and The Famous Poetry Outlaws are Painting Walls and Whispers. He grew up in Kentucky and has lived and learned there, in New Orleans & Southern Indiana.
Tony Brewer is a poet and audio artist from Bloomington, Indiana. He co-produces the Writers Guild Spoken Word Series and the Urban Deer Performance Series. His books include Centaur (with Jonathan S Baker); Good Job, Lightning; Pity for Sale; and Fragile Batteries. Tony has been offering Poetry On Demand at coffeehouses, museums, cemeteries, churches, bars, and art and music festivals for over a decade.
Chris Dean is a storyteller, spoken word artist, and self-proclaimed Magpie Poet who writes from the heart of Indiana where they live with their husband, two dogs, and too many cats to mention. Their work has been featured by Cajun Mutt Press, Fevers of the Mind, Dumpster Fire Press, and the upcoming Gal’s Guide Anthology. Their debut Book of poetry, Tales from a Broken Girl, was released in 2023 by Storylines Press.
Jan LaPerle lives outside of Fort Knox, Kentucky with her husband, Clay Matthews, and daughter, Winnie. She has published a book of poetry, It Would Be Quiet (Prime Mincer Press, 2013), an e-chap of flash fiction, Hush (Sundress Publications, 2012), a story in verse, A Pretty Place To Mourn (BlazeVOX, 2014), and several other stories and poems. In 2014 she won an individual artist grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. She is a Sergeant First Class in the US Army.
James Dennis Casey IV is a poet, artist, and founder/editor-in-chief of Cajun Mutt Press. His work has been published in print and online by several small press venues and literary magazines internationally. His newest book, Bad Weed Never Dies, is available on Amazon. James was born in Colorado, grew up in Louisiana/Mississippi, and currently resides in Illinois with his beautiful muse and their three cats.
Jon Hardy is the drummer and a singer in the acoustic band: Bill Clark and the Route 15 (see billclarkandtheroute15band.com). He is also a published poet, When the Rain Finally Comes (Finishing Line Press 2015), and he has done several public readings.
Paul McDonald is the author of Like Neon: Poems and Belief Systems and the chapbook Write of Passage. From 2001 to 2006, he was a commentator and radio essayist for Louisville Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” Many essays were broadcast on various radio stations around the country. His book reviews have been published in the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Louisville Eccentric Observer, the Paducah Sun, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. For the past thirty years, he was employed by the Louisville Free Public Library, taught school in Indonesia and Thailand, and worked with inmates suffering from mental illness and substance abuse. He is currently retired and lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his cat, Haiku.
Jonathan S Baker is primarily composed of the stuff of dead stars and suffers from the same insecurities as everyone else. They are the author of Cock of the Walk (Laughing Ronin Press, 2022) and Long Nights in Stoplight City (Between the Shadows Press, 2023) and Pressure (Two Key Customs, 2023). They are also co-editor at The Grind Stone and editor-in-chief at Pure Sleeze Press.
Elise Pfeiffer and Ella Rennekamp are co-authors of the chapbook What Do You Do with a Girl Who’s Grown Up? (Gasoline Press 2023).
Brent and Brennan Embry are a father-son duo from a little town in Western Ky, Rosine, which is where Bill Monroe is from. Although my roots are bluegrass, my music is more folk/Americana, I have had some regional success with regular rotation on NPR radio.
The Char throws down electrifying, upbeat, fun trash punk…edgy originals, and nuggets from Louisville’s acclaimed alternative scene. Classic Louisville alternative today, featuring Chuck Baxter, Lance Minnis, & Jaime Poole. “Although it’s easy to lump them in as a punk band, their sound is diverse enough…they make it all work — each song …retaining that feel and charm…so irresistibly enjoyable.” LEO 3/19/24
Bill Brymer is a writer and photographer in Louisville, Kentucky. His recent work has appeared in Barely South, and he has work forthcoming in Yearling.
Mark Forman was an ensemble member of the Necessary Theatre for 15 years. He is an actor and writer whose Influences include the slow roll of his father’s accent, the digital noise of Hank Shocklee’s bomb squad, confession, the Magnepan magneplanar speaker, cascading style sheets, the high five, and the solitude of the long-distance runner.
Louisville native Manny Grimaldi says his currency is his word. The gravy is he fathers two kids, works as editor of Yearling poetry journal for Workhorse (out of Lexington), forges relationships, and reads poems to fine people in the Commonwealth. Much thanks to Insomniacathon planners and players. Come talk to Manny later, he has unpublished books for sale.
LEE PENNINGTON is the author of 21 books including I knew a Woman (1977) and Thigmotropism (1993) and Appalachian Newground (2016) –all nominated for Pulitzer Prize. His latest is Daughters of Leda (2017). He has had over 1300 poems published in more than 300 magazines in America and abroad.
Tall Squares Louisville-based, slacker rock band consisting of Adam Crowhorn – guitar & lead vox, Christian Grant Lewis – Bass & Chill dude, Brian Burchett – Crayons, and Bohrville Redenbacher – Drums & Vox. Check out their music video “Hang Yer Hat”:
/F/N/J/ is a mash-up of musicians who have been playing together for over 20 years. This new project is currently in the studio recording their debut album. These guys have played multiple Insomniacathons in other bands and plan to use Insomniacathon 2024 for its first-ever public performance as /F/N/J/. The band features heavy beats, thunderous bass, smooth guitar, and Zoo on the mic.
Nick Storm was born in Fort Myers, FL. He splits his time as an investigative journalist and film producer who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Nick is known for his work over a decade producing Outlaw Poet: The Legend of Ron Whitehead. He also holds a film credit for sound recording in the 2012 documentary For No Good Reason featuring Johnny Depp and Ralph Steadman.
Laura G Womack, Portsmouth, Ohio: award-winning filmmaker, songwriter, poet, and podcaster. In 2021 she began Sterling & Scott, LLC and developed Never Too Late Cafe, a platform to support, inspire and promote artists and other creatives. She hosts The Bloom Where You’re Planted podcast sharing stories of creative guests. Ms. Womack was the Director/Producer of a full-length documentary called The Story Behind the Story of Lee Pennington, a film which won Runner-up Best Documentary at the Imaginarium Independent Film Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, 2023. On September 11, 2023, the City of Portsmouth, Ohio honored Ms. Womack by Proclamation for her accomplishments.
Jacob Forman is a filmmaker from Louisville, Kentucky. His art wouldn’t be possible without the support of his father Mark Forman, his mother Susan Linville, his partner Norah Wulkopf, his brother Moses Forman, and his close friends, teachers, and various artistic collaborators. He would also like to thank the artists whose works have influenced him to make art of his own, including (but not limited to, and in no particular order) Edward Yang, Charlie Chaplin, David Berman, Harmony Korine, David Lynch, Kenneth Anger, Haruki Murakami, Robert Altman, Brian De Palma, Mary Shelley, Caveh Zahedi, Maya Deren, Will Oldham, Lars von Trier, Shinya Tsukamoto, Robert Crumb, Larry Clark, Abel Ferrara, David Cronenberg, and Oscar Wilde, to name a few.
Zoë Wassman spent twenty, very formative years selling her family’s artwork in rural Alaska, an experience that developed her gritty yet humorous sensibilities. Since returning to Oregon, she has written multiple screenplays, as well as directed a narrative short film, inspiring the community to donate 15,000 volunteer hours throughout its production. In 2022, she was elected to be on the board of Lane County Film Studios, a nonprofit with an emphasis on bringing more impressive opportunities to Eugene’s filmmaking communities, becoming its youngest member.
Sean Childress
Cp Maze is a decorated Marine Corps veteran & internationally renowned performance artist with 3rd & 4th in the World Rankings as a Performance Poet. Maze has graced stages across this nation. Renowned for his passionate delivery, his commissioned works have entertained the masses for over a decade now. From nightclub entertainment to church functions, intimate private get-togethers to corporate functions, he’s even ghostwritten wedding vows a time or two for star-crossed lovers tying the knot. Newspapers have labeled his style and delivery volcanic and versatility awe-inspiring.
Ben Holland
Elemen2al the Poet: A performance writer seeking to inspire & enlighten all that hear his poetry. Elemen2al is an MC for the Nuyorican Café in New York. He has published a book of poetry Calamity (2021). His work has also appeared in the anthology I Can’t Breathe Vol 2: A Social Justice Literary Magazine.
Leslie Mendoza: Mexicana Published Poet, Lyricist Promotions Coordinator @wildflowers.openmic. Leslie was the winner of the 2023 Leo Weekly Poetry Award.
Dylan Hogan
Sarah Young
Kent Fielding – teacher, coach, poet – has taught in the Marshall Islands, at Jefferson Community College, University of Alaska Southeast, Mt. Edgecumbe, and Skagway High School. Author of a book of poetry, Chief Iffuccan, and a chapbook, The Revolution is About to Begin, his work has appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Asheville Poetry Review, The Jefferson Review, Pavement Saw, Modern Haiku, The Beat Scene, Frisk Magazine, Night Owl Narrative: A Cajun Mutt Rag, and Tidal Echoes, among others.
Tracey Johnstone is a midwife, poet, and author of legislation for the regulation of midwifery. She has published a chapbook (WhiteFields Press), and has appeared in journals such as Poetry, Open Street Review, DogFog and others.
Wyatt VanZuuk, age 23, graduated from Lincoln High School and briefly attended Columbia University taking classes in Journalism and Creative Writing. Currently, he is studying Hunter S. Thompson’s Gonzo Journalism.
Joseph Fulkerson runs Laughing Ronin Press and is the author of sixteen books and chapbooks. His most recent, East Jesus Nowhere, was published this year through Anxiety Press.
Amy Christine Matus is an artist and writer from Milwaukee, WI. She was honored to be recognized as WI Beat Poet Laureate 2020-22 by The National Beat Poetry Foundation. Her poetry, essays, and short novellas have been published in the small press as well as in collections and anthologies. Amy is currently seeking collaborative projects, writing music, and is working on her new book which she hopes to release late this year.
Tyler Frederick is a poet, chef, caver, and fungi enthusiast who regularly performs at the Bloomington (IN) Poetry Slam.
Arizona currently lives in Evansville IN. She has been slowly absorbed into the world of poetry over the past few years. Recently her work was published by Chad Horn in Mutter in the Gutter, 2024; and she is the co-editor of Tickets to Midnight vol.2 (Pure Sleeze Press, 2024).
Chris Byrd, originally from Louisville, is a poet who lives in Atlanta. His work has appeared in journals such as DOGFOG and Boog City among others.
Jennifer Seelig Former House Minority Leader in the State of Utah, Jennifer Seelig holds a Ph.D. in public policy and is the Director of Community Partnerships/the Institute of Government and Politics at Utah State University. She also writes poetry.
Jake Mahaffey is an accomplished musician and skillful raconteur from the mountains of North Carolina. Armed with a harmonica, guitar, and a moonshine-laced catalog of stories and songs—from an outlaw living in the Copper Canyons of Mexico to the wandering rebel poet of Kentucky—Mahaffey brings just the right slant of vision to the stage, that both pays tribute to and skewers the conventions of his Appalachian ancestors. Jake was also a production member and performer at Gonzofest from 2014-2018. He is now a solo artist based out of Asheville, NC after three years as guitarist of indie rock band Hi Helens.
Walden Quinn Caesar lives in Southeast Indiana with their husband and two-year-old child. They’ve been published in Fevers Of The Mind Waltzin’ Through Rusty Cages: Poetry & Art Inspired by Elliott Smith & Chris Cornel. When not chasing their toddler, they can be found working on their debut poetry book and fictional novel.
Wendy Cartwright is a poet/author/reporter/columnist/weirdo out of Columbus, IN. She has had poetry published in Night Owl Narrative Issues 1 & 3 by Cajun Mutt Press and Ovation, an Anthology collected by Jimmy Broccoli. She has been a Featured Writer on cajunmuttpress.wordpress.com and dearbooze.com . She will have a volume of poetry published by Storylines Press available in late 2024.
Jonathan S Baker is primarily composed of the stuff of dead stars and suffers from the same insecurities as everyone else. They are the author of Cock of the Walk (Laughing Ronin Press, 2022) and Long Nights in Stoplight City (Between the Shadows Press, 2023) and Pressure (Two Key Customs, 2023). They are also co-editor at The Grind Stone and editor-in-chief at Pure Sleeze Press.
Chris James Bayer was awarded a series of creative writing scholarships to support his graduate studies in Literature and Critical Theory. While poetry was his first passion, he is more comfortable writing prose because composing good poetry is so damn hard. His work has been featured in several small publications and chapbooks, and he’s enjoyed success in winning several contests, including a short story entry for the 2024 Seattle Erotic Art Festival. Chris lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his dog, the ghosts of two cats, and a reef aquarium which he calls his ecosystem.
Rita S. Spalding: Including her first book, Abstract Ribbons, more than 125 poems of her poems have been published in 16 Calliope anthologies, National Library of Poetry, AX-POW Magazine, The Heartland Review, and Kentucky Monthly. In 2023 Rita was a featured poet at Calloway County Kentucky Author Book Festival. She served as secretary and director of Women Who Write from 1992 through 2008, was a panelist for the Dorothy Clay Norton Fellowships at the Mary Anderson Center, helped create the first Kentucky Women’s Book Festival, and served on a Kentucky Poet Laureate nominating committee for poet Maureen Morehead. A second book, The Eighth, is soon to be released.
Erren Geraud Kelly is a two-time Pushcart-nominated poet from Boston. He has been writing for 28 years and has over 300 publications in print and online in such publications as Hiram Poetry Review, Mudfish, Poetry Magazine(online), Ceremony, Cacti Fur, Bitterzoet, Cactus Heart, Similar Peaks, Gloom Cupboard, Poetry Salzburg and other publications. His most recent publication was in Black Heart Literary Journal. He has also been published in anthologies such as Fertile Ground, and Beyond the Frontier. He is the author of the book, Disturbing the Peace (Night Ballet Press).
The Louisville Jazz Initiative (LJI) is a diverse, inter-generational coalition of musicians and educators committed to the authentic teaching and performing of jazz; that is, in a way that preserves the connection between the art form and its cultural and historical context, highlights the inherent value of each individual’s experience and expression, and empowers its participants to advocate for social and racial justice.
Jameson Welch is a poet and writer who lives in Louisville, KY. He co-author a chapbook with Krista Kane.
Krista Kane is the editor-in-chief of Cheek Publications. Her work has appeared in journals such as Thinker Review, Open Street Review, DOGFOG, and others. She is the co-author of two chapbooks.
makalani bandele was raised in Louisville, KY, and still resides there. He is an Affrilachian Poet and Cave Canem fellow. He has also received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, Obsidian Foundation, Kentucky Arts Council, Millay Colony, and Vermont Studio Center. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a BA in the Program of Liberal Studies, as well as a graduate of Shaw University with a Master of Divinity in Biblical Studies, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Kentucky. His manuscript, (jopappy & the sentence-makers are) eponymous as funk, is slated to be published in 2024. Poems in this collection appear in Washington Square Review, Poetry Northwest, and The Common, among others. He has two other full-length collections of poems under the aegis of a winged mind, (Autumn House Press, 2020) and hellfightin’ (Willow Books/Aquarius Press in 2011).
Josh English‘s work has appeared in Hobart, The Rumpus, and a few other places. His short story “The Human Animal” won the 2021 Ember Chasm Review Fiction Prize, and his short story collection was a finalist for the Iron Horse Prize. He has an MFA from the University of Alabama and lives in Louisville, Kentucky where he is a Senior Lecturer of English at the University of Louisville
Jimmy Broccoli is a library Branch Manager by day and a published poet by night. Jimmy currently lives in the Little 5 Points area of Atlanta, Georgia (USA), and enjoys long walks on the beach and playing with puppies.
Paige Turner, a natural-born writer, and poetry lover was born and raised in Alaska. She can be found experimenting with the arts or writing outside in the grass. She is currently working on a manuscript called Girlhood. Her work won honorable mention in the 2024 Alaska Daily News Creative Writing Contest and has been featured in Night Owl Narrative: A Cajun Mutt Rag.
Blue Murphy is the owner of True Blue Sounds. He is a musician and writer. He lives in Louisville.
John Paul Wright from Louisville, Kentucky, USA, is a multi-talented individual born in 1970. He dropped out of high school in 1986 to pursue a degree in creative living. Over the years, he has worked many jobs, including dishwasher, line cook, railroad worker, community artist in residence, and steamboat fireman on the historic steamer The Belle of Louisville. John is a folk musician, poet, and writer. His work has always been a source of creative inspiration for his songs, poetry, and writing.
Lance Minnis is a multi-instrumental, multi-genre performer with roots in Louisville music, folk, punk, and traditional styles. Proud to be returning to Insomniacathon, his first one was in 1993, Lance performs original and traditional songs with his unique singing style and sense of rhythm.
Joe Kidd & Sheila Burke are Award Winning, International, Recording Artists and Songwriters. Together they have created a sound that is powerful and unique influenced by ‘60s Folk, traditional Appalachian songs, Celtic melodies, Bluegrass, Country, & Gospel standards, Classical atmospheres, African & Middle Eastern rhythms, Native American prayer chants, & world-class Rock & Roll. Joe & Sheila incorporate guitars, autoharp, djembe, Native American sacred drum, and other diverse instruments from around the world to provide their original and uplifting music.
John Burroughs: U.S. Beat Poet Laureate 2022-23. He is the author of The Wrest of the Worthwhile: Unselected, Uncollected, and New Poems 1983-2023 and Rattle & Numb: Selected and New Poems 1992-2019.
Jennifer Browne falls in love easily with other people’s dogs. Her chapbook Whisper Song was released by Tiny Wren Publishing in 2023, and her poems have recently appeared in the Poem for Cleveland anthology, the Women of Appalachia Project’s Women Speak 15th Anniversary Volume, South Broadway Ghost Society, One Sentence Poems, and Beltway Poetry Quarterly. She lives in Frostburg, MD.
William F DeVault is the US Beat Poet Laureate Emeritus as well as having been previously crowned the Romantic Poet of the Internet by Yahoo. He is the author of dozens of books and among his recordings and collaborations “Nightfall Angel” with European Hardcore artist Ophidian went to #1 in the European charts a few years ago. He splits his time between Northern Virginia and Southern California.
George Wallace is the Writer in Residence at the Walt Whitman Birthplace, the first poet laureate of Suffolk County, LI NY, author of 40 books and chapbooks of poetry, published in the US, UK, Italy, Macedonia, and India, and a spoken word performer with five albums of his work released. His most recent work is Resurrection Song (Roadside Press 2023).
Jordan Green is an investigative correspondent based in Greensboro, N.C., who covers right-wing extremism for Raw Story. His work has been featured in a host of publications, including the Washington Post, The Daily Beast, The Nation, In These Times, and Sojourners. Jordan won the 2023 Folio Award for his January 6th-related investigations and his reporting on right-wing extremism.
Sean Cole, the producer of the weekly radio program This American Life, is the author of After These Messages (Lunar Chandelier 2022), One Train (Dusie 2012), The December Project (Boog Literature 2005), and Itty City (Pressed Wafer 2003). White Fields Press will release his new chapbook at Insomniacathon 2024.
Brendan Lorber is a visual artist, poet, prose writer, and editor who lives in an old observatory just south of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. He is the author of if this is paradise why are we still driving. He also creates hand-drawn maps of the known poetic and musical universe. These can be found on Etsy and the Insomniacathon book fair.
Jim Dunn is the author of The Silence is a Junkyard (?Spuyten Duyvil Publishing)
Soft Launch (Bootstrap Productions), Convenient Hole (Pressed Wafer), and Insects in Sex (Falling Angels Press). His work has appeared in Shampoo, EOAGH, Polis, Battersea Review, Jacket2 and elsewhere. Jim Dunn also published the broadside “A Flight of Stairs for John Wieners” part of the Pressed Wafers “52 Broadsides for John Wieners”.
Duncan Barlow is the author of A DOG BETWEEN US, THE CITY, AWAKE, OF FLESH AND FUR, and SUPER CELL ANEMIA. His fiction has appeared in The Denver Quarterly, The Collagist, Banango Street, The Apeiron Review, Calamari Press, and Meat for Tea. He is currently revising a novel, a memoir, and a collection of short stories. He is the publisher at Astrophil Press and the managing editor at South Dakota Review.
Ashley Farmer is the author of the essay collection Dear Damage winner of the 2022 International Rubery Book Award in Nonfiction. She is also the author of Beside Myself, a collection of short stories, and The Women, a collection of poetry.
Jinn Bug is a poet, photographer, gardener, activist, visual artist, and life-long dreamer. Her photography, vignettes, and poems have appeared in Appalachian Heritage, New Southerner, LEO Weekly, Fiolet & Wing–An Anthology of Domestic Fabulism, Aquillrelle, For Sale, Pure Uncut Candy, The Rooted Reader, and other print and virtual publications.
Night Parade is a rock and roll group leaning towards psychedelic/stoner rock. The group features Aaron Williams on guitar and vocals, Cade Howard on guitar and vocals, Wilfred Sieg on vocals, Bill Hardesty on bass, and Andy Cook on drums and vocals.
Frank L. Messina (Frank Messina) is an award-winning poet, artist, and actor who grew up in northern New Jersey. He’s the author of four books of poetry including Disorderly Conduct and Full Count: The Book of Mets Poetry. Messina’s poetry has been featured on the front page of the New York Times, FOX News, PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, The CBS Early Show, SportsNet New York, and Sports Illustrated, and published in several poetry journals, college textbooks, and magazines around the world including Beloit Poetry Journal, Boog City, Ground Zero: New Yorkers Respond, the 9/11 Peach Poetry Project, Long Shot, New York Press, Oxford Magazine, Publish in Heaven Poster Series, Oxalis, Footwork: The Paterson Literary Review, Frank of Paris, Newark Writer’s Journal.
Creeps Incorporated or Creeps, Inc. if you’re searching streaming platforms is a loud rock band led by legendary punk rocker Brent Starkey. The band released a self-titled debut album in 2019 and their sophomore return called “STUCK IN A NIGHTMARE” was released at the beginning of this year. Creeps, Inc. brings high-energy rock & roll performances to the stage that hopefully make you feel something.
Laki Vazakas is a video maker and a senior art specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital. His videos have been screened at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Venice Biennale Retrospectiva, Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, The Beat Museum, and the San Francisco Cinematheque.
David Cambron is the owner of DC CREATIVE. He has worked as director, shooter, post-production, and writer. He is a master editor and is the producer of two films: Corso in Louisville and Thwack.
Kurt Hemmer is the editor of the Encyclopedia of Beat Literature. With filmmaker Tom Knoff, he produced several award-winning films: Janine Pommy Vega: As We Cover the Streets, Rebel Roar: The Sound of Michael McClure, Wow! Ted Joans Lives!, Keenan, and Love Janine Pommy Vega. His essays have appeared in several works focused on Beat writers. In November 2022, he organized The Jack Kerouac Centenary Conference at Harper College. He is currently the Secretary of the Beat Studies Association and working on a biography of Gregory Corso.
Christopher M. Kubick was born and grew in Queens. He’s been known in some circles as, FKR. He’s one of the original GOOSES outta Queens. He formed the hardcore punk band Yo!SCUNT in ’04 w/ a so-called friend. Booked free hardcore/punk all-ages show at The Hill Tap Tavern in Elmhurst, Queens. He later joined Skum City for a few years. Currently, he’s plotting. He has been dubbed “The Wailing-Siren” by Jordan Green. Currently, he contributes to CARPAZINE.
Brandon Harper is a multi-instrumentalist and a folk singer hailing from western Kentucky. His sets are often a mix of somber, mournful tunes and lighthearted humor.
Gui Stuart is a writer of poetry, short stories, and novels. He started writing when he was a teenager and had an epiphany while walking home from high school. He has been writing ever since. He is a student of history and nature, and both those subjects bear great weight on his thinking. He has been influenced by many writers such as Ferlinghetti, Bukowski, Ginsberg, Rimbaud, James Dickey, Joseph Conrad, Steinbeck, Orwell, and many others. Life experience and his travels have also been a major influence on his writing and thinking.
Mark Lipman, founder of the press Vagabond, the Culver City Book Festival, the Elba Poetry Festival; winner of the 2015 Joe Hill Labor Poetry Award; the 2016 International Latino Book Award and the 2023 L’Alloro di Dante (Dante’s Laurel – Italy), a writer, poet, multi-media artist, activist and author of fourteen books, began his career as the writer-in-residence at the world-famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France (2002-2003). He has worked closely with such legendary poets as Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jack Hirschman on many projects. He is the host and foreign correspondent for the radio program, Poetry from Around the World for Poets Café on KPFK 90.7FM Los Angeles
A.S. Coomer is a writer and musician. He likes cats, tacos, & tattoos. He was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel in 2019. Books include Memorabilia, Songs for Leaving, Birth of a Monster, Misdeeds, The Fetishists, Shining the Light, The Devil’s Gospel, Rush’s Deal, Flirting with Disaster & Other Poems, The Flock Unseen, Songs for Leaving, and several others. He writes and performs as a solo artist, as well as with his family band The Coomers. He runs https://lostlonggoneforgottenrecords.wordpress.com/ Lost, Long Gone, Forgotten Records, a “record label” for poetry.
Danny O’Bryan is a poet and musician. Host of “Jazz Insights” at WFPK Radio Louisville. He has published interviews with many famous writers including Gregory Corso, Jim Carroll, Amiri Baraka, Allen Ginsberg, and others.
Lipstick Wars is more than a poetry slam, it is a community. Lipstick is simply a symbol of duality between beauty, strength, and femininity. Wars represent the constant battle to reclaim our power and challenge societal norms using our poetry. https://lipstickwars.com/
Elizabeth Colon Nelson holds an MFA in Physical Theater from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater. She is a poet, activist, and actor. Her broadside “Horizontal Water” was recently published by Cheek Press.
Dan Denton has been a factory worker, union man, and a writer for most of his life. His writing has been published in a lot of places, and in multiple languages, but he’s never been good at keeping track of where, so when you see it, let him know. His latest novel is The Dead and The Desperate (Roadside Press, 2023.)
Kink Head is an experimental pop project that has privately recorded demos since 2018 and has never publicly performed. The performance will be joined by multi-instrumentalist Conner Goldsmith.
PW Covington His work has been featured at The Havana International Poetry Festival in Cuba and The Beat Museum in San Francisco, CA. A multiple Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, in 2019, PW’s collection North Beach and Other Stories was named an International Book Award Finalist in LGBTQ Fiction. Covington lives just off Historic Route 66, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he has appeared in film and television projects such as Better Call Saul and The Cleaning Lady.
Andrew/Sunfrog (he/him) scribbles & spits poems in the Beat-hippy chant & rant tradition, where they exist at the intersections of radical nonviolent activism, spirited disorganized religion, & the chaotic joy of living with neurodivergence & practicing recovery from addiction. When he is not on pilgrimage to concerts, hikes, protests, or used bookstores, he resides in a small city on Cherokee land in the hills of middle Tenasi.
Noel Mitchell is a musician and videographer who lives in Louisville, KY.
Kentucky-based electronic group Bus Hus has been making challenging underground music for over 20 years, and their recent output has been no exception. For years their social media bios just read, “Born. Schooled. Worked. Played.” Recently the group has been releasing a flurry of recordings. Necro Techno (2019) was a gritty cassette-recorded return to studio music, exchanging samples and hip-hop lyricism for more instrumental electronic hardware composition. Two volumes of Reckless Remixes have been unveiled since 2020, with a supposed forty-one volumes on the way. In 2021 the group created a 20th anniversary reissue of their first single Space Raps (2000) that flexes the group’s evolved studio abilities with a full audio restoration, cinematic remix EP, and mastering, all done in-house with an expanded cast of collaborators.
Christ McConnell is an artist and multi-instrumentalist with a wide range of styles from jazz and classical to electronic and rock. His work has been featured in films like The Delano Files. The Louisville Public Media reviewed and promoted his 2022 single “A Ghost Will Follow You Home”. Christ McConnell’s work can be found on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Discovery+, and Apple Music.
Mythagoe ArtHouse Rock duo Mythagoe is masterminded by guitarist Artemus Sumetra and bassist Julia Who. They blend eclectic musical influences, smooth vocal harmonies, and sophisticated lyrics, which, along with their visual art-oriented, do-it-yourself attitude, officially stamps Mythagoe as their brand of groovin’ and movin’, pop-progressive-psychedelic-blues-jam band rock.