Jonathan McCrory has served as the artistic director at the National Black Theatre for over ten years. Along the way, he earned three Obie Awards, the highest honor for off-Broadway theater. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on love, joy and the pursuit of happiness.

Steven Waldman is the founder and president of Rebuild Local News, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to counter the collapse of local news and strengthen local democracy. He is also the co-founder of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in newsrooms across the country. Waldman shares his Brief But Spectacular take on how to rebuild local news.

Megan Fernandes is a writer and assistant professor at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, where she teaches courses on poetry and environmental writing. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on humor and humiliation in poetry.

Deesha Philyaw is a writer whose debut short story collection, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award. Her works touch on themes of race, sex, gender and pop culture. Philyaw shares her Brief But Spectacular take on Black women, sex and the Black church.