JD is an award-winning creative, journalist, and policymaker with extensive experience in design & technology, sustainability, culture, and art.

She is the Founder & Director of the Center for Creative Sustainability consultancy in San Francisco and is a professor in Design at San Francisco State University.

Jared is a Pakistani-American who has been writing for over 20 years on technology and sustainability. He’s written for companies like Google and Waymo, and for nonprofits like the Linux Foundation and Open Data Kit.

He’s the author of the book Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing, and a zealous attendee of Bay Area literary events. 

Jack is co-founder, with Jane Ganahl, of Litquake. He is author/co-author of three nonfiction books, including the Bay Area punk oral history Gimme Something Better (Penguin), which was basis for the documentary film Turn It Around. He is a San Francisco Library Laureate, and has received several awards. He grew up in rural Montana, amidst cattle ranchers and excellent storytellers.

Evette is a science fiction and fantasy writer. She is the author of 48 States, which Kirkus named one of the Best Indie Books of 2022, as well as The Others and The Gift, the first two installments of The Council Trilogy, which will be released beginning in September 2024 by Spark Press. When not writing novels, Evette advises some of the country’s largest corporations, nonprofits, and institutions as a consultant and co-owner of BergDavis Public Affairs. She splits her time between San Francisco and Sun Valley, Idaho.

Karyn is a nurse with a specialty in health policy and clinical research. Currently, she is the Chief Collaborations Officer for Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative (QLHC), a healthcare non-profit that develops and sponsors cutting edge research in cancer, COVID, and other diseases.

In her spare time, she indulges guilty pleasures that usually involve food, wine, books, and design. Karyn lives in San Francisco with husband Steve, and Lovey, the cat.

Grant is the co-founder of 100 Word Story, co-host of the Write-minded podcast, and an executive  producer of the upcoming TV show, America’s Next Great Author. He recently published The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story. He's also published All the Comfort Sin Can Provide; Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories; Nothing Short Of: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story; and Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo. 

Jane co-founded Litquake with Jack Boulware in 1999. She has also worked as a journalist, authored one book, and edited another. In her spare time she rescues homeless animals, works on a children's novel, and dotes on her granddaughter.

Scott is a veteran journalist and author. His reporting has appeared in The New York Times, and he is the recipient of three Emmy Awards for his work in television news. His most recent book Trial by Fire won the 2021 top prize for nonfiction at the New England Society Book Awards and became an episode of the CBS News program 48 Hours. He’s also the author of two bestselling novels, The Sower and SoMa, finalist for the LGBTQ Lambda Literary Award for debut fiction.

Michelle is the chief of Community Programs and Partnerships for the San Francisco Public Library, overseeing all public programs, classes, exhibits, and special events. She also engages in partnerships with cultural, educational, civic, and private institutions. A former journalist, she has served as a staff writer, bureau chief, reporter, and editor for numerous magazines, newspapers, and radio stations.

James is an award-winning writer, educator, producer, and media maker. He is also the Founding Executive Director of Youth Speaks, a position he held for 21 years (1996-2017), and is widely credited with helping to launch a global youth spoken word movement, working with tens of thousands of young people from across the country - and helping launch close to 100 programs nationwide. James is an advocate for arts, youth, equity, access, and inclusion. 

Jacqueline is the author of the novels Searching for Tina Turner and Passing Love. Her screenplay adaptation of Passing Love was an Official Selection of the 2024 Essence Film Festival. Her writing has appeared in Kweli Journal, The Best Women’s Travel Writing, and the Huffington Post. Jacqueline received her MFA from the University of California Riverside/Palm Desert. An avid reader, she lives in Oakland and travels frequently to find another city that mesmerizes her as much as Paris.

Byron is the author of Rounding Up a Bison: Stories. He retired as the Literary Director of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, where he produced literary events for many years. His writing has been published on a variety of platforms and won Honorable Mention in the 2021 Dillydoun International Fiction Prize competition. He currently serves on the boards of the California Public Library Advocates and the Advisory Board of the Beat Museum. He lives with his wife, writer Judith Ayn Bernhard, in San Francisco.

Jody is the current Board President of the Litquake Foundation. He wrote the
novel Prisoners of Truth, drawing from his experiences defending criminal cases in Chicago. He also co-authored Kinship With Animals, in which he writes about serving as attorney to Koko the signing Gorilla, and Peoplescapes, My Story From Purging To Painting, an illustrated memoir by Nancy Calef. His new novel Raise Your Other Right Hand will be published February 1, 2025. Jody’s been collaborating with his wife and partner for thirty-five years: American figurative painter, Nancy Calef