Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher, and the author of four books of poems for adults, including American Sublime , one of three finalists for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize and an ALA Notable Book of the Year. She is a professor of African American literature and culture at Yale University. Dr. Alexander lives in New Haven, Connecticut. Marilyn Nelson is a past poet laureate of the state of Connecticut and a three-time National Book Award finalist. She is the author of two award-winning books for young people, Carver: A Life in Poems and Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem . She lives in East Haddam, Connecticut.

Floyd Cooper is a well-known children's book illustrator whose laurels include three Coretta Scott King Honor Awards, ten ALA Notable Book Awards, and an NAACP Image Award. He lives in Easton, Pennsylvania.