The River Cow Orchestra is a performing musical group specializing in the art of free aural improvisation.  Their songs, although hard to describe, are based in jazz, but incorporate some poetry, visual arts, and fusion of other musical styles.  Visit them at www.myspace.com/RiverCowOrchestra.

Forrest Whitlow is a Kansas City favorite, contributing edgy, intelligent lyrics to every song, combined with energetic music and guitar work.  His view of the world and our role in it is something he brings to all of his performances.  Whitlow has recently released his seventh CD of original music.  Learn more about him at www.myspace.com/forrestwhitlow.com.

Phyllis Becker is on the board of the Writer's Place and coordinator of the

Riverfront Reading series which features local and regional writers.  Her

poems have been published in numerous literary magazines and  she has published a chapbook, Walking Naked into Sunday (Wheel of Fire Press). Her book How I Came to Love Jazz was published in 2008 (Helicon Nine Editions). Her poems have also been set to jazz on the CD, Poetry of Love, produced, recorded and arranged by national Jazz vocal artist Angela Hagenbach.

Carl Bettis is a database programmer and poet. He started writing at the age of nine. His early poems were imitations of Edgar Allen Poe and the "Celtic Twilight" phase of W.B. Yeats. Since the 1980s he has been involved in writing for, editing, publishing or co-publishing a number of periodicals, including The Slapdash Hackery Factory, The Sixteen Page Review, Hermit CRaB, Crooked Roads, Thorny Locust, Frontier Report and The Same. He is also a member of the Riverfront Readings Committee at The Writers Place.  Carl has spent most of his life in Kansas City, Missouri, where he currently lives with his wife, their daughter, one dog, three cats, a guinea pig and a variable number of fish. His Tumblr blog can be read at http://imagisterium.tumblr.com. 

Kirby Wendler draws on life experiences as he weaves his observations, visions, and emotions into songs we can all identify with. His melodies and lyrics are masterful, well accompanied by acoustic guitar, and occasionally seasoned with Dylanesque style harmonica. They run from deeply thought provoking to romantic to ethereal. You cannot leave without hearing something you liked. His website is www.myspace.com/kirbysongs.

Cynthia Bryant is a recent transplant from Pleasanton, CA where she served her community as their Poet Laureate from 2005 to 2007.  During her tenure spoken word continued to flourish through the Century House Reading Series, an annual Poetry Prose and Arts Festival, open mics, workshops and poetry groups.  Cynthia has performed her poetry in many venues including delis, coffee shops, wineries, book stores, a federal prison, in colleges and high schools.  Her chapbooks can be found in many of the local libraries as well as the Sacramento State Library.   She was keeper of the Literary List of poetic events and continues to maintain the website Poet's Lane www.poetslane.com.

Xánath Caraza is a traveler, educator, poet, and short story writer. She has published her original work and essays in Pilgrimage Magazine, Antique Children, La Bloga, Pegaso, Latino Poetry Review Blog, Present Magazine, El Cid, and Utah Foreign Language Review. Additionally, her work has been published in the following anthologies: Woman’s Work: The Short Stories (Girl Child Press, 2010), Cuentos del Centro: Stories from the Latino Heartland (Scapegoat Press, 2009), Primera Página: Poetry from the Latino Heartland (Scapegoat Press, 2008), and Más allá de las fronteras (Ediciones Nuevo Espacio, 2004). Her most recent published work is scheduled for release in 2010 in the following anthologies and

journals: Poetry Anthology in Nahuatl, English, and Spanish, Aztlan Libre Press, and Without Camels: A Caravan of Latino Writing, Quercus Review #10.

Rick Malsick has more than 25 years of experience as a musician, songwriter, playwright, and actor. He is an accomplished finger-style guitarist, playing mostly ragtime, jazz, and blues, with some sweet and slow tunes thrown in for good measure. Malsick plays regularly in the Kansas City area at a variety of venues, including bars, coffeehouses, and restaurants. His most recent CD, Athena, was released in July.  Malsick is a member of The Writers Place and is listed in the Freelance Directory.  He makes his living writing grants for nonprofit organizations.  You can learn more about his music at www.myspace.com/rickmalsick.