Heather McHugh (b. 1948) is the author of nine volumes of poetry, including "Muddy Matterhorn"; "Eyeshot," which was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize; and "Hinge and Sign," which was a finalist for the National Book Award. She is the recipient of the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Grant, and her work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN, and the Guggenheim Foundation. She has been a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2006. For 30 years she held a chair at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Sally Gil is an American artist, born in Vermont, and based in Brooklyn, New York. She received her BA at UC San Diego and her MFA at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Her 2D works are made of primarily of collaged imagery and her subject matter explores the intersection of the everyday mundane natural and man-made worlds with the magic and mystery of the unknown. Her works have been shown at the Brooklyn Museum and the Rotunda Gallery, White Columns Gallery, 571 Projects in New York City, among others. She has been in shows in Vermont at the Bennington and Fleming museums, and at the Helen Day Art Center. The artist was a 2013 fellow of Apex Art to San Paolo, Brazil, and her work was included in the Arts in Embassy Program 2014 - 2016 in Brazzaville, Congo.