Mark Lipman – US National Beat Poet Laureate (2024-2025), founder of the press Vagabond, the Culver City Book Festival, the Elba Poetry Festival; winner of the 2015 Joe Hill Labor Poetry Award; the 2016 International Latino Book Award and the 2023 L’Alloro di Dante (Dante’s Laurel – Italy), a writer, poet, multi-media artist, activist and author of fourteen books, began his career as the writer-in-residence at the world-famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France (2002-2003). He has worked closely with such legendary poets as Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jack Hirschman on many projects. He is the host and foreign correspondent for the radio program, Poetry from Around the World for Poets Café on KPFK 90.7FM Los Angeles