Marcus Amaker // @charlestonpoet

Marcus Amaker served as the first Poet Laureate of Charleston, South Carolina, from 2016—22. In 2024, the South Carolina Academy of Authors inducted him into the South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.

Marcus has published ten collections of his poetry, including 2023’s Hold What Makes You Whole, which the Pittsburgh Post Gazette said “questions our assumptions and forces us to confront the very expressions we take for granted,” (Adriana E. Ramírez, April 2023).

In 2021, Marcus was awarded an Academy of American Poets fellowship. In 2019, he won a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina.

His work has been recognized by airbnb, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Washington Post, The Kennedy Center, American Poets Magazine, The Washington National Opera, The Portland Opera, Button Poetry, NPR,  The Chicago Tribune, Edutopia, Departures Magazine, People’s World, PBS Newshour, SC Public Radio, Charleston Magazine, Charleston City Paper, North Dakota Quarterly, Post and Courier, Garden & Gun, Charleston Scene and several other publications.

In 2024, Marcus was included on a list of favorite poets in America by Literary Hub and WildSam.

Moochie (Brendon Overstreet) // @b_overstreet

Through sound, we remember.
Rooted in a deep respect for ancient wisdom and natural rhythm, my work with Ancient Echoes offers a ceremonial journey into stillness, vision, and resonance. I guide immersive sound experiences using ancient instruments that awaken clarity, emotion, and visual insight within each listener.

This is not a performance, it is a sacred offering. A moment suspended in time where breath becomes prayer, tone becomes medicine, and the vibrations open a space for grounding, expansion, and inner remembrance. Moochie’s calling is to share sound as a pathway to presence, an echo from the past that brings us home to ourselves.

Grace Krauser // @momentofgracefulness

Grace Krauser is a Reiki Master, LMT, and somatic wellness practitioner whose work weaves together body, energy, ritual, and presence. She creates welcoming, intentional spaces where people can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and feel supported through moments of grief, loss, and transition.

For Ritual and Release, Grace will facilitate a grounding ritual practice for the collective experience, offering a moment to pause, breathe, return to the body, and integrate what has been released. Her approach is gentle, intuitive, and rooted in the belief that we do not need to fix or change ourselves... we simply need a safe space to release, receive, return, and remember who we truly are.

Kim Lange // @kimalange

Kim Lange (she/her) is a Producer, Curator, and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher from Hawai’i and California based in Charleston, South Carolina. Her work at WE Coast Studio moves at the intersection of sacred inquiry and creative expression—gathering people into spaces where art becomes ritual, wellness becomes communion, and connection becomes a form of collective healing. Kim’s creative journey as a filmmaker and photographer has taken shape in collaboration with pioneering organizations such as Brave New Films, Google, and the San Francisco Symphony—where she has produced projects exploring everything from war profiteering and social justice to augmented reality and sonic futures in orchestral music.

In service of mental health and artistic empowerment, Kim has served on the board of Mental Health Heroes, which supports the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center, and Art With Impact, a nonprofit that opens space for young people to explore mental wellness through the healing lens of art and media.

Michael Lewis // @fullyexpress

Michael Lewis, MA, NBC-HWC, is a coach and facilitator with a master’s degree in psychology and a genuine love of connecting with people, exploring what makes us human, and helping others discover new possibilities for themselves. Drawing from Positive Intelligence, mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and parts-based approaches, he helps people recognize the patterns that keep them stuck, reconnect with their strengths, and make meaningful changes in their lives.

Michael believes that growth begins with curiosity, compassion, and a willingness to show up as we are. His approach blends practical tools with heartfelt conversation, humor, and a healthy appreciation for the messiness of being human. Whether coaching individuals or bringing people together in groups, he loves creating spaces where people can let down their guard, feel genuinely seen and heard, and explore what it means to live more fully and authentically.

Chelsea Locklear // @chellieburgers

Chelsea Locklear is an aunt, friend, activist, educator and a local poet. Chelsea believes in whimsy and impossible things: that people can change, that the world can become kinder, and that hope is a worthwhile investment. She writes about vulnerability, her experience being a woman and a feminist, and how we can process grief in our precious world. She’s happiest wandering museums, getting lost in unfamiliar cities, and collecting stories along the way. Still under construction, she lives in Charleston with her dog, Moose.

Nora Luce // @criticalritual

Nora Luce is a folk herbalista, ceremonialist, and earth educator. As a graduate at the College of Charleston in tourism and over 6 years of study in herbalism and medical botany, she brings hospitality out into the wild. You’ll see her telling stories about plants, sharing her herbal medicine at the local farmers market, and spinning clay on the pottery wheel. She started her business Critical Ritual to craft ritual into everyday life, and to bring more ceremony and connection between people and the natural world here in Charleston.

Katie Lyon // @katielyonmusic

Katie Lyon is a Charleston-based singer-songwriter whose music is a rich tapestry of Americana, country, and folk influences. Raised in Southwest Florida, Katie grew up surrounded by the sounds of classic country and storytelling songwriters, which laid the foundation for her own artistic voice. Today, her music reflects a deep commitment to honesty and connection, offering listeners a soundtrack for life’s most poignant moments.

Tashi Marshall // @tashitheyogini

Tashi migrated from MA to SC in 2017 and dove right into Yoga Teacher Training as a way to build community in what was then an unfamiliar place. Today, immersed in the world of yoga full-time, she balances being the manager at Holy Cow with teaching classes throughout Charleston. She founded a grassroots wellness project called Rising Rhythm — an outdoor yoga class soundscaped to a live DJ that raises money for different non-profits that help keep our community thriving.

Grounded in authenticity, Tashi’s approach to teaching emphasizes real connection—welcoming the lessons, laughs, challenges, and triumphs that the practice brings both on and off the mat. When she’s not teaching, you can find her at The Pour House, immersed a fantasy novel, or curled up on the couch watching an episode of Survivor.

Rü Māti (Sum Dood) // @a.guide.to.intentional.living

As a boy, Rü felt a strong connection with nature. Rü's interest in spirituality deepened when he studied forest bathing, tai chi, mindfulness, and qi gong at the Om Sanctuary in Asheville. When he returned home from these trips, he would dive into books about yoga, indigenous wisdom, and philosophy. It wasn’t long after this discovery that his spiritual pursuits were sidetracked by the party scene that often surrounds the work he does in the film and television industry. In early December of 2022, Rü made the decision to go to a treatment center in Lake Arrowhead, California, for a 30-day men’s program. This allowed him to regain so much of what he felt he had lost—including talents and practices he had let lay to near atrophy. During this time, Rü learned how to be a better friend, partner, son, and brother.

In 2023, he dove headfirst back into the world of spirituality. Rü traveled to Goa, India, to study yoga, where he obtained his 200-hour YTT, and later completed his 300-hour certification online with the same ashram, achieving his RYT 500. He journeyed to Mexico to study at the Center of the Conscious Dream, where he immersed himself in Toltec and world shamanic traditions about eight hours outside of Mexico City. Most recently, Rü traveled to San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala, to take in the local culture and wisdom. While there, he enrolled in a Healers Academy and participated in several indigenous healing ceremonies. Throughout this time, Rü also journeyed across the United States to spiritual landmarks such as Joshua Tree, Asheville, New Orleans, Hawaii, and the Grand Canyon. He has been realizing his dream of self-empowerment through these travels and has dedicated his life’s efforts to helping those in need.

Jess Morris // @elevenrosestherapeutics

Jess is an earth loving, poetry writing, community-enthusiast. A couple of her favorite Charleston offerings have been ‘Poetry in the Park’, the free poetry writing circle she hosts at Hampton Park, and ‘Magic Hours’, an open mic night she co-hosts at her downtown home. She currently writes a poetry-encouraging column for the ‘Strawberry Moon Tribune’, a magazine run by Hannah Wicklund. Her passion for nature education shines through the ‘Wild Women Retreat’ that she has co-created alongside two of her closest friends, a backpacking retreat that empowers women to feel confident connecting with the natural world. She is a bodyworker by trade, and a joy-seeker by choice. Jess has lived in Charleston on and off for the last 11 years, building community in this magical slice of the earth and in many far away places. She will be one of the performing poets at Ritual and Release, as well as co-creating an installation 'POETEA’, an interactive poetry and tea experience, with herbalist and dear friend, Hanna Livengood. She is also helping with some upkeep behind the scenes. You can keep up with her various creative projects via her instagram @elevenrosestherapeutics, including the collaborative poetry oracle deck she is in the depths of creating. 

Jesse Reiriz // @resurrectedragz

Jesse is a local clothing creator and vending enthusiast.

Wafflez // @wafflez_house

Wafflez has spent 16 years behind the decks and in the studio, digging deep across jungle, drum & bass, breaks, dub, house, and techno. Rooted in a love for underground sound system music and the culture that built it, with sets less about chasing whatever sound is having its moment and more about keeping timeless music alive while pushing it forward. No genre loyalty, no trend chasing, just deep cuts, heavy bass, and vibes for big sound systems.