Tayari Jones is the author of the novels Leaving Atlanta, The Untelling, Silver Sparrow, and An American Marriage, which was selected for the 2018 Oprah’s Book Club, the 2019 Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction. Her writing has also appeared in Tin House, The Believer, The New York Times, and Callaloo. She is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers and recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and the 2021 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in Fiction. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, the University of Iowa, and Arizona State University.

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Elyce Strong Mann is a multi-faceted writer and producer who has worked in news, online magazines, scripted television, and independent film for almost three decades. She has produced many short films, including her award-winning directorial debut, Amber & Andre, which she also wrote. She has a M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University and a M.F.A. in screenwriting from the University of Southern California.