J^ayne C^ortez ( Keynote Speaker and Poetry Evaluator )

is the acclaimed author of 10 books of poems, most recently Somewhere in Advance of Nowhere, and nine CD recordings of poetry with music, most recently Taking the Blues Back Home (Harmolodic/Verve). Her numerous awards include the American Book Award, and New York Foundation on the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts awards. Her poetry has been featured in such films as "Nelson Mandela Is Coming," "Women in Jazz," and in the Fox Television series, "Tribeca."