Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth graduated from George Washington with a BA in Performing Arts and from Maryland with an MFA in Creative Writing. She won the National Poetry Slam Championship. "Blessed Fruit & Other Origin Myths" is her manuscript that will be published in the Fall of 2016. It was a finalist for the Yes Yes Books' chapbook poetry prize. Her work has also been published in the Notre Dame Review, Callaloo, Puerto Del Sol, Poet Lore and Beltway Quarterly.

Elie Rizk and the Cool Kids

This is a music project made up of Elie Rizk head of the group, Philip Peker the guitarist, and Sarah Lee the vocalist. Elie and Philip are often mistaken as brothers, and they have created a brotherly connection on the stage. The two work together at Elie's  recording studio, One Stone Studios. Outside of work, they spend a lot of time together writing new songs. Sarah joined them when they decided to pursue this project. Elie has influences from White Stripes, Black Keys, and Tom Waits. Sarah has a voice that brings an R&B vibe. Then on the guitar Philip adds a jazzy flair. This makes it tough to identify their genre but they have a high energy feel with deep lyrics.