Arrie Lane is a multifaceted Detroit native who has made significant contributions to the arts, community, and youth empowerment. An award-winning poet, actress, writer, and founder of Detroit Verses, she uses her creative platform to inspire and uplift others. In 2018, she released her award-nominated spoken word and mental health awareness short film, UnTIE-tled, and her poetry has also been featured in films on Amazon Prime. Her debut poetry album, Organized Chaos Vol. 1, is available across streaming platforms.

Introduced to poetry and oration as a young girl by her grandmother, Arrie would later discover her passion for using writing and spoken word to inspire the world. She is committed to sharing her gifts and empowering messages while encouraging others to find their own voices through writing.

In addition to her artistic endeavors, Arrie is the recipient of the 2023 Motown Mic Spoken Word Artist of the Year award and has earned notable recognition, including second and third-place finishes in 2021 and 2022. As a passionate advocate for youth development, she teaches job readiness and soft skills to inner-city students and collaborates with the community to provide internships and learning opportunities.

Arrie Lane instills in her son and students the value of active faith, demonstrating that with intention, hard work, and belief, we can overcome obstacles and create change. Through her work, she encourages others to embrace their potential, knowing that we are all capable of greatness.

Instagram: @arrielane

Gloria House, Ph.D. (pen name Aneb Kgositsile), Kresge Eminent Artist, 2019, is Professor Emerita at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Associate Professor Emerita at Wayne State University. Since organizing with SNCC in Lowndes County, AL in the 1960s, Dr. House has been an activist in human rights and international solidarity struggles. Her many publications include four poetry collections, Blood River, Rainrituals, Shrines, and Medicine, and a book on the politics of built environment, Tower and Dungeon: A Study of Place and Power in American Culture. She is editor of the Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award Series at Broadside Lotus Press.

Mic Phelps is a poet, rapper, actor and most importantly a father.

Instagram: @microphonephelps

Tawana Petty aka Honeycomb is a mother, social justice organizer, poet, author, and facilitator. She is the founding Executive Director of Petty Propolis, Inc., an artist incubator which teaches poetry, policy literacy and advocacy, and interrogates negative pervasive narratives in pursuit of racial and environmental justice. The organization coordinates an annual artist festival and accompanying artist retreats in historic Idlewild, Michigan and regularly hosts literary workshops in Detroit.
Petty is a 2023-2025 Just Tech Fellow with the Social Science Research Council, a 2024 Rockwood National LIO Alumni Fellow, a 2020 Art Matters Foundation Alum, and she currently serves on the CS (Computer Science) for Detroit Steering Committee.
In 2021, Petty was named one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics. In 2023, she was honored with the AI Policy Leader in Civil Society Award by the Center for AI and Digital Policy, the Ava Jo Silent Shero Award by the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, and with a Racial Justice Leadership Award by the Detroit People’s Platform. In 2024, Petty was listed on Business Insider’s AI Power List for Policy and Ethics.

Instagram: @pettypropolis

Urban Legin’d is a writer, co-author, and spoken word artist, Obasaki-san is a lifelong apprentice of prose. Having spent the past five years writing and performing, he has established himself as a prominent voice on the open mic scene in Detroit. He has placed and won various poetry competitions. Obasaki is the 2023 Detroit All City Slam Champion as well as the 2024 Motown Mic Artist of the Year. One of his most recent writing credits is having co-written and co-starred in Trouble Don’t Last: A Poetic Play. He has also curated poetic events revolving around building better relationships through Christ. He is an advocate against Narcissistic abuse, hoping to raise awareness of NPD with the novel Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes which is currently being adapted for film. Currently preparing for an appearance at the 2025 Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam with the Urban Echo Slam Team, he is also working on many other artistic projects. Stay tuned!

Instagram: @ul_obasaki