Jessica Rowshendal
Light-skinned Afro-Indigenous (Boricua/Taíno/Puerto Rican) and Persian (SWANA). Child of immigrants. BIPOC in majority white spaces. LGBTQIA+, non-binary trans, bisexuality, pansexuality, asexual spectrum. Christian fundamentalism (Pentecostal), atheism. PTSD, c-PTSD, depression, anxiety. Visual processing disorder, ADHD, autism, intellectual disability. Chronic illness/pain/fatigue, medical trauma. Fat bodies.
Experience
Lived experience, B.A. in forensic psychology. M.S. in social work focused on social justice issues of creative workers. Significant coursework in geoscience. Poet, visual artist, musician. Professional and volunteer experiences in houseless and lupus communities; racial, economic, housing, non-human animal justice. Decolonial framework.
Reading Interests
All genres, all age groups. Fiction. Non-fiction. Poetry.
Crystal Shelley
Chinese and Taiwanese cultures, being Asian American, woman/feminist, experience with hospice/end-of-life care, experience with those with Alzheimer's/dementia
Experience
Lived experience, social work career, and education
Reading Interests
Fiction
Renee Harleston
Black women and girls, Urban Black culture, Suburban Black culture, Black in majority white spaces, Chronic illness/pain
Experience
Lived experience, Masters degree in Cultural Anthropology with a focus on identity, immigration, nationality, and race. American History, race, and DEI educator and trainer
Reading Interests
All genres welcome. Particularly fond of historical fiction and magical realism