JULIA CHRISTGAU

Julia Christgau is an actor, musician and budding filmmaker. She was born and raised in NYC and recently relocated to Asheville, NC.

SHAMEIKA RHYMES

Shameika Rhymes is a journalist of all trades. She’s a former television news producer (WJHL, WLOS, Time Warner Cable News, Spectrum News) who has written for outlets like Charlotte Magazine, Charlotte Happenings Magazine, Creative Loafing, ET Online, ESSENCE, EBONY, JET Magazine, the National Museum of African American Music, Shondaland, Sisters AARP, Soul Train, QC Nerve Vanity Fair, WEtv.com, and her own blog, The Mofochronicles.com.

CHARLES EISENSTEIN

Jessica TomasinMarch 15, 2019Connect Beyond Festival2019 Artists, Filmmaker, Writer, CHARLES EISENTSTEIN, WeRise, WeRiseUp, Clashing Viewpoints

JOCELYN EDELSTEIN

Jocelyn is a multi-medium storyteller who believes that the alchemy of story and community produces the elixirs of wonder, truth and empathy.

JENNIFER TRUDRUNG

Jennifer Trudrung has come a long way from when she used to pray for thunderstorms to get out of presenting campfire programs in front of people when she worked as a Park Ranger in Canyonlands National Park.

MICHAEL SHAUN CONAWAY

Michael Shaun Conaway is the CEO and Director at Storyworks, a social impact creative agency.

ALEX MELNYK

Alex Melnyk is the President of Storyworks, a social impact creative agency helping brands grow purpose, profit and impact.

SCOTT GOODSTEIN

Goodstein is best known for his work with unique political campaigns that blend art, music, and culture. Having co-founded Punkvoter.com, Rock Against Bush, Artists for Obama, Artists for Bernie, DailyAction, CreativeMajority, and LadyPartsJusice; he has truly built impactful programs that have changed the world in which we live.

Jessica TomasinMarch 12, 20192019 Artists, Scott Goodstein, Social Media Revolution, FAKE

KISHI BASHI

Imagine being forced from your home. Imagine being sent to a prison camp with no trial, and no promise of release. Imagine all this happened simply because of the language you speak, the shade of your skin, or the roots of your family tree.

Jessica TomasinMarch 8, 20192019 Artists, Singer, Songwriter, Music, KISHI BASHI, Omoiyari

VIRGINIA PRESCOTT

Virginia Prescott is the Gracie Award-winning host of On Second Thought for Georgia Public Broadcasting. Before joining GPB, she was host of Word of Mouth, Writers on A New England Stage and the I-Tunes Top Ten Podcasts Civics 101 and The 10-Minute Writers Workshop on New Hampshire Public Radio.

FANTASTIC NEGRITO

When you listen to Fantastic Negrito, you’re invited to hear the story of life after destruction. Each song is a real story about a musician from Oakland who experienced the highs of a million dollar record deal, the lows of a near fatal car accident that left him in a coma, and is now in the midst of a rebirth that took him from the streets of Oakland to the Grammy stage. On the way he won the NPR Tiny Desk Contest and toured the world, playing alongside artists ranging from Chris Cornell to Solange to Sturgill Simpson.

DANIEL LEVITIN

Levitin has published more than 100 scientific articles on the cognitive neurosciences of music, in journals including Science, Nature, PNAS, and Neuron. His research has been featured in TheNew York Times, TheLondon Times,Scientific American,and Rolling Stone.

GREGG LEVOY

Gregg Levoy, author of Callings: Finding and Following An Authentic Life (Random House) and Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion (Penguin), is the former "behavioral specialist" at USA Today and a regular blogger for Psychology Today.

Jessica TomasinMarch 6, 20192019 Artists, Author, WRiter, Gregg Levoy, Callings

AMANDA ANNE PLATT

Amanda Anne Platt has been described as "easily one of the best songwriters coming out of Western North Carolina these days" (Martin Anderson, WNCW), with a voice that "sings like Carolina farmlands after a rainstorm" (Harvey Robinson, Monkeywhale Productions). She is the songwriter, lead singer, and producer of the Asheville-based Americana group The Honeycutters.

Jessica TomasinMarch 6, 20192019 Artists, Author, Writer, AMANDA ANNE PLATT, Songwriter, Musicans, NC Music Showcase

LONNIE HOLLEY

Lonnie Holley was born on February 10, 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama. From the age of five, Holley worked various jobs: picking up trash at a drive-in movie theatre, washing dishes, and cooking. He lived in a whiskey house, on the state fairgrounds, and in several foster homes. His early life was chaotic and Holley was never afforded the pleasure of a real childhood.

VICTOR WOOTEN

Wooten, now a five-time Grammy winner, hit the worldwide scene in 1990 as a founding member of the super-group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Continuing to blaze a musical trail with the band, Victor has also become widely known for his own Grammy nominated solo recordings and tours.