Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovann i is a Grammy-nominated American poet, activist and author who has written many books of poetry for children and adults. She is the author of Lincoln and Douglass , The Genie in the Jar , Ego-tripping and Other Poems for Young People, and I Am Loved, illustrated by Newbury Award honoree Ashley Bryan. Rosa is a Caldecott Honor book. She has received some twenty-five honorary degrees, been named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle Magazine , The Ladies Home Journal and Ebony , was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and has been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry. She lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she is a University Distinguished Professor of poetry at Virginia Tech. Find her on Instagram @giovanni.nikki and Facebook at Nikki Giovanni Author.

Erin Robinson is a Fashion Designer by trade but also a trained fine artist from Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of Art. Her daydreamy, magical imagination is inspired by travel, color, texture, the feminine shape and the many shades and coifs of Brooklyn. She currently splits her time between New York City and Washington, D.C. Find her at brooklyndolly.com and on Instagram @brooklyndolly.