As these things so often do, Family And Friends began as a lowly seedling of inspiration. “Good music, good people.” A stalk gave yield to branches. One became six, a collective of musicians by trade, lovers by spirit. Inspired by a life worth living, the Fam and Pals remained rooted with three ambitions in heart, mind, and soul: the people, the music, the memories. The reflection represented by blend of earnest folk rock and a communal spirit pouring a collective heart into something bigger than itself. An intangible force of an unfaltering love worth giving away. A Family And Friend tree ever-growing, ever-lasting.

The songs of the south have a storied way of traveling out west, and Sarah Langley is the next in line to search for gold in California. Like the sounds of her Blue Ridge heritage echoing off the walls of Laurel Canyon, Sarah's warm, clear voice sparkles amidst a bed of guitar and piano – a classic American sound with lyrics that are like gold in the pan - full of possibility and fragility, beauty and dirt. As she puts it, "I want to hear songs that sound good on a porch or by a fire." Earnest and raw, Sarah's lyricism possesses an undercurrent of humor that is hard to find in the modern music landscape. Her family’s musical history is evident in her colorful songs, with traces of mountain gospel and church music in everything she writes. ”At the end of the day I crave laughter, harmonies, and stories. So I write songs that recreate those campfire moments." That's not to say her music is lacking in complexity - she just believes in the power of "craft and simplicity. I build every song from the ground up, log by log."

With an angelic voice and lyrics laid bare, Emily Scott Robinson is pioneering her own brand of roots music: Southern Gothic folk . She enchants audiences with stories and songs that are equal parts playful, darkly funny, heart-wrenching and redemptive.

In 2017, Emily was featured on PRI's show "The World" for her single, "Traveling Mercies." She was also named a winner of the 2017 Wildflower Festival Performing Songwriter Contest. In 2016, Emily won the Grassy Hill New Folk competition at Kerrville Folk Festival, in addition to an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Telluride Troubadour Contest. In 2015, she won first place and her Gibson guitar in the “American Songwriter” May/June Lyric Contest, as well as an Honorable Mention in the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase.

Emily released her debut album, “Magnolia Queen,” in February 2016. She is currently touring full time, living on the road with her husband in their motorhome, writing and performing across the country.

Adam Shead, who holds a BM in Percussion Performance from Columbia College Chicago, Graduate Certificate in World Performance Studies, and MM in Improvisation from The University of Michigan specializes in interdisciplinary performance, composition, and improvisation. Adam has performed at renowned music festivals such as The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Ann Arbor Edge Fest, and The Present is Present Festival in Amsterdam. Adam has performed alongside such musicians as Mary Oliver, Andrew Drury, John Dikeman, Jasper Stadhouders, Tim Daisy, Josh Berman, Ed Sarath, Ada Rave, Benny Green, and John Hollenbeck. Adam has recorded and published over eight hours of improvised music with such groups as the John Dikeman/Adam Shead duo, the Aenigmata Trio, the Jasper Stadhouders/Adam Shead duo, the Adam Shead Octet, the Adam Shead String Quartet, the Columbia Improvised Music Ensemble, and Dod Kalm.

I was born in Macon, GA and studied Theatre at Furman University in South Carolina, Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York, and Improv at the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. I spent the majority of my twenties performing with different regional theaters from Alaska to North Carolina, and everywhere in between. I'm now rounding out my second year in Los Angeles where I've been active with the Groundlings Theatre and the American Immersion Theatre Co.

Choreographer and scholar, Cynthia Ling Lee instigates postcolonial, queer, and feminist-of-color interventions in the field of experimental performance. Trained in US postmodern dance and North Indian classical kathak, she is committed to intimate collaborative relationships, ethical intercultural exchange, and foregrounding marginalized voices and aesthetics.

Cynthia’s interdisciplinary performance work has been presented at venues such as Dance Theater Workshop (New York), REDCAT (Los Angeles), East West Players (Los Angeles), Indonesian Dance Festival (Jakarta), IGNITE! Festival of Contemporary Dance (New Delhi), and Chandra-Mandapa: Spaces (Chennai).

Charles Murdock Lucas is a scenic and projection designer based in San Diego, CA working for theatre and opera companies across the United States. In previous seasons he has been Resident Scene Designer for the Ohio Light Opera, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Luna Stage and Duke City Repertory Theatre.

He teaches Scene Design and Projection Design for the B.A. and M.F.A. programs at San Diego State University. He has has served on faculty at Southern Oregon University, taught courses at University of North Carolina School of the Arts and has lectured at Temple University, The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, University of Alabama, the Associated Colleges of the South Conference, the North Carolina Thespian Festival and Furman University. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Scenic Design at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he was the A. J. Fletcher Opera Fellow in Scene Design. He is a proud member of USA 829.

See the latest work at www.sketchbook.charlesmurdocklucas.com

Above all I value community and wade deeply into both Jewish, partnered social dance, and concert dance communities and from them draw material for my choreographic process and body of work. Building community among collaborators from multiple disciplines begins before the crafting of work, often presented as a series of improvisational scores mounted upon a skeleton of set choreography. My movement style is influenced by functional anatomy and kinesiology, Gaga textures, balance and line from Maggie Black ballet philosophy, and physical connection techniques informed by contact improvisation and partnered social dances. My projects are research-based and emphasize deconstruction of ideas both through theme and variation and chance reorganization, as well as re-contextualization through costume, performers, set and performance venue.

I am in a constant state of introspection and transformation, relentlessly seeking ways to fuse my many identities into one. Diverse movement vocabulary, language, ritual, costume, history, race, etiquette, and gender dynamics all provide fodder for my work. By sharing and presenting content from communities in which my artists and I are immersed, it is my hope that my work sparks introspection and dialogue among diverse audiences about their own journeys and suggests that journeying is a state of being and provides a basis for unity and universality.

We are an intersectional, cross-sectoral, social impact consultancy that leverages collective expertise and networks to support strategic initiatives, organizational development and leadership nuturance.

Our mission is to support changemaking and changemakers to be more effective, impactful and connected to the communities they serve, to policymakers and funders and to each other.

Caroline Griggs empowers you to boldly expand your belief of what is possible and pursue your greatest desires.

She captivates with her engaging smile and booming laugh creating an environment filled with joy, happiness, and warmth. Working with Caroline, you will feel safe, cared for, encouraged, and capable. It is her belief that people are whole as they come to her. This enables her to help ignite the spark within and empower people to live with bold desire.

Caroline works with clients from various backgrounds to discover their bold desire and encourage living a life driven by passion. She eliminates barriers that block abundance, prosperity and success by creating a path of achievement, and ultimately a life they love.

As a Life and Business Success Coach, her background includes patient care, program development, public speaking, business development, marketing, and team building. Caroline has her doctorate in pharmacy, masters in business administration, and is double board certified in pharmacotherapy and ambulatory care services. She is highly engaging and coaches from a place of joy and positivity in order to facilitate success.

We are two passionate lifestyle coaches helping women create a reality that is in line with their highest selves by reconnecting with their intuitive guide

My name is Brita Long. That’s pronounced bree-tuh. Like the bree in “brie cheese” and the tuh in “ta-da!” If you’re looking for Brita long-lasting water filters, then you’re in the wrong place.

But if you’re looking for real advice on dating, relationships, sex, and marriage, this is the place for you.

I founded Christian feminist lifestyle blog Belle Brita in July 2014. For years, friends and family had suggested I start a blog–my livejournal (yes, it still exists) didn’t count. I have always been fairly opinionated, and my loved ones thought I should offer those opinions outside of Facebook!

I offer a unique perspective on marriage, relationships, travel, pop culture, and more. No topic is off-limits for my blog, but I am most passionate about advocating for gender equality and inspiring strong relationships of all kinds.

From Atlanta to Washington DC to Rio de Janeiro and finally settling in Vitoria, Brazil. For now. In high school, I studied French. In college, I studied Arabic. In grad school, I studied political campaigns in India. I considered a lot of life possibilities but living in Brazil, anywhere in South America, was never one of them. Then I met and married the smartest man I’ve ever known, who happened to be from Brazil. You can read the full story here.

After four years in Rio de Janeiro, we now live in Vitoria. I taught Brazilian high school students American economics for four years. Thanks to me there are at least 200 Brazilian teens who understand how the US Federal Reserve System works. I’ve left teaching for the time being to focus on building a career as a writer. I’m trying to publish a graphic novel set in Rio, which was admittedly an odd format to write in considering I can’t draw at all, and I’m about to begin querying my first YA novel. My guest posts and articles include Multicultural Kids Blog, Pack-N-Go Girls, and Hackwriters.com.

Oh, and I’m also raising a bilingual, multicultural daughter. She speaks better Portuguese than I do. She’s five.

P.L. Thomas taught high school English in rural South Carolina before moving to teacher education. He is a column editor for English Journal (National Council of Teachers of English) and series editor for Critical Literacy Teaching Series: Challenging Authors and Genres (Sense Publishers), in which he authored the first volume—Comics and Graphic Novels: Challenging Genres (2010)—edited Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction: Challenging Genres (2013), and co-edited with A. Scott Henderson James Baldwin: Challenging Authors (2014). He has served on major committees with NCTE, and has been named Council Historian (2013-2015), and formerly served as co-editor for The South Carolina English Teacher for SCCTE.

He has served on major committees with NCTE, and has been named Council Historian (2013-2015), and formerly served as co-editor for The South Carolina English Teacher for SCCTE. Recent books include Beware the Roadbuilders (Garn Press), Ignoring Poverty in the U.S.: The Corporate Takeover of Public Education (Information Age Publishing, 2012) and Parental Choice?: A Critical Reconsideration of Choice and the Debate about Choice (Information Age Publishing, 2010).