Robert McDowell, The Poetry Mentor, believes that everyone is born with a soul-poem, the prayer-song that awakens each hero's journey, tells each person's unique story, and connects one to divinity. He navigates his life through poetry, and he teaches others to do the same.

Author/editor/translator of ten books of poetry and prose, McDowell has said of his work, "I don't preach, promote one religion over another, psychoanalyze, prescribe drugs, or promise you wealth in (pick your number) easy steps. I can show you how writing poetry and journaling enriches your family life, relationships, and job performance. I can show you how fun writing can be. If you have a specific project you'd like to do (a book of poetry, stories, memoir, family history, essays), I can draw on my experience as a publisher and editor of 250 books to get it done. I teach workshops that benefit everyone--beginners and longtime authors. I'll read your poems and listen to your stories. I'll give honest feedback and compassionate encouragement. I'll stick with you."

McDowell is a sought-after public speaker on a variety of topics from Neurotheology, the hero's journey, and the soul-poem of work to the guide of the spirit horse and living a life of integrity and awareness. He has led workshops at Esalen, Kripalu, Pine Manor Retreat Center, California Poets-in-the-Schools, and many universities and writing conferences here and abroad. He created the community outreach program, The Rural Readers Project, and was co-founder of Story Line Press, which he led as director and editor for twenty-two years.

Dana Gioia is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning poet. Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Gioia is a native Californian of Italian and Mexican descent. He received a B.A. and a M.B.A. from Stanford University and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University. Gioia currently serves as the Poet Laureate of California.

Gioia has published five full-length collections of poetry, most recently 99 Poems: New & Selected. His poetry collection, Interrogations at Noon, won the 2002 American Book Award. An influential critic as well, Gioia's 1991 volume Can Poetry Matter?, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award, is credited with helping to revive the role of poetry in American public culture. In 2014 he won the Aiken-Taylor Award for lifetime achievement in American poetry.