Contributors

JAKI SHELTON GREEN /

WRITER Jaki Shelton Green is the ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina, the first African American and third woman to hold the title. She is a 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 N.C. Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 N.C. Piedmont Laureate and 2003 recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Green teaches documentary poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and has been named the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. Her publications include: Dead on Arrival, Conjure Blues, breath of the song, Feeding the Light, and i want to undie you. On Juneteenth 2020, she released her first LP, poetry album The River Speaks of Thirst. Green is the owner of SistaWRITE retreats for women writers. “I am grateful and humbled to have my words in dialogue with these beautiful images.”

JULI LEONARD /

PHOTOGRAPHER Juli Leonard, who works as a photojournalist at The News & Observer, lives in Raleigh with her daughter, partner and a houseful of creatures. Leonard was delighted to get the assignment to photograph the arboretum during the offseason, a less likely time to admire the gardens, but one of her favorites to document the rich colors before they fade into decay.

KATHERINE SNOW SMITH

/ WRITER Katherine Snow Smith is a journalist in St. Petersburg, Florida, but grew up in Raleigh and makes monthly visits to see her parents and friends. She was a business reporter, parenting columnist and magazine editor during 20 years at The Tampa Bay Times. Her first book, Rules for the Southern Rulebreaker: Missteps & Lessons Learned came out in July. The book highlights the humor and messiness of life—which is what she conveyed in the piece she wrote offering Thanksgiving preparation tips. “In case you can’t tell behind the face mask, it’s written tongue-in-cheek, but also with an appreciative heart for all we do have this year.”

EAMON QUEENEY /

PHOTOGRAPHER A former Ohio newspaper staffer, Eamon Queeney is a Raleigh-based freelance photojournalist who can regularly be found exploring his adopted Southern state for editorial clients like The New York Times and The Washington Post. Eamon believes in moment-based photography and the complex imagery of life's everyday scenes. “It never ceases to amaze me how welcoming and warm people are, and this month’s trip to dine with the Register family was no different—I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging. The stories of Matt and his family shared were heartfelt, funny and uniquely Eastern North Carolina.”