Natashna Anderson

Natashna Anderson (natashNa A.) is a Designer, Illustrator and Bookmaker. A Brooklyn native, she considers herself a creative in all aspects. Her work constantly reimagines itself as murals, board games, and more recently, as patterns. She received her BFA in Visual Communications at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The city of Chicago is where she currently lives and works. Her work explores and interprets the idea of narrative within black portrayal, typography, and fairytales.

Kelley Clink

Kelley Clink is an author, illustrator, artist, and suicide prevention/mental health advocate. Over the years her writing has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals, including Gettysburg Review, Colorado Review, Shambhala Sun, Woman's Day, and The Huffington Post. She’s spoken about her lived experience as a suicide attempt and loss survivor to crowds as big as 4,000 and books clubs as small as 6. In 2014, she won the Beacon Street Prize in Nonfiction, and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In 2015 her memoir, A Different Kind of Same, was published, and was named Book of the Year by the Chicago Writers Association. 

Her artwork has recently appeared in Photo Trouvee Magazine (issues 7 and 10), the Making Space show at the Lill Street Art Center, This is Your Allowance at Positive Space Studios, Tiny Works at the Fulton Street Collective, the 2023 Terrain Biennial, the Angelica Kauffmann Gallery, and more.

She is currently working on a young adult novel and several picture books.

Laura Horan

Laura is a freelance illustrator working in the Chicagoland area. She graduated in 2016 from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a BFA in Fine Art, and has since been pursuing her passion for vibrant and inventive illustration. Her work is heavily influenced by cartoons, impressionism, and the crazy cast of characters that is her pets. She loves cooking up silly ideas and scenarios, and creating bright and warm illustrations that bring out the childish side in all of us.

Lokosh

Lokosh (Joshua D. Hinson) is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.

A fluent speaker of the Chickasaw language and an award-winning artist, he holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Abilene Christian University, a master’s degree in Native American Art History from the University of New Mexico, and a PhD in Native Language Revitalization from the University of Oklahoma. He makes art on the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, Ada, Oklahoma.

Hinson, whose Chickasaw name Lokosh translates as “Gourd,” is of the Imatapo 

(Their Lean-to People) house group and Kowishto' (Panther) clan.

Naimah Thomas

Naimah Thomas is a registered and board-certified art therapist (ATR-BC), and a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in Illinois, with a Master of Arts in art therapy. Naimah graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts, with a focus in graphic design.

She is committed to providing a person-centered approach to healing with a focus on intergenerational cultural trauma that acknowledges the multiple systems of oppression and the impact those systems have on our emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Collaborating with people the with hopes of co-creating brave spaces that invite multiple perspectives, active listening, and opportunities for growth and healing to occur. Using art as a means to fostering connections, empower, and amplify their voices, experiences, and expression.

Weaving traditional talk therapy with elements of art therapy and creative expression, all based on what each individual prefers. Art therapy differs greatly from an art lesson and is grounded in the knowledge of human development, psychological theories and counseling techniques. Art therapy can be beneficial for anyone navigating obstacles, who would like to express emotions, improve focus, relaxation, and self-exploration.