Akim Aliu
Greg Anderson Elysée is a Brooklyn born, Haitian-American writer, educator, filmmaker, and model. He has been teaching various forms of filmmaking, including narrative and documentary, from elementary level to the elderly since 2012. A former journalist for theOuthousers.com, he also ran his own column, (Heard It Thru) The Griotvine, where he showcased independent creators of color and LGBTQ creators. He also wrote for the independent pop culture news website Bleeding Cool.
Greg's original comic series "Is'nana: The Were-Spider" is a five-time Glyph Award Winner. His other work includes "The Gentleman: Darkness of the Void" and "Marassa," both published by Evoluzione Publishing, "OneNation: Stronghold" published by 133art Publishing, and work in the Lion Forge graphic novel collection "Puerto Rico Strong." He lives in Brooklyn.
Karen De la Vega was born and raised in the northern mountainous city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. After spending her childhood being grounded for drawing in class, she entered a bachelor's degree in psychology to better understand her creative mind and human consciousness. Upon graduating in 2021, Karen decided to accept her madness and dedicate herself to illustration and comic art. She is always seeking to convey meaningful messages and aesthetics through her art, applying her knowledge in child and adolescent psychology to develop concepts that visually align with the exciting characters, environments, and stories of Middle Grade and Young Adult projects. Dreamer, her first published work, was a 2023 YALSA nominee for Great Graphic Novels.
Akim Aliu is the son of a Nigerian father and a Ukrainian mother. Born in Nigeria, he spent years of his youth in Africa and Ukraine before moving to Toronto. A hockey prodigy, Akim was drafted into the NHL as a teenager and played for the Calgary Flames. He experienced systemic racism, hazing, and abuse at every level of competitive hockey he played in -- from Pee Wee hockey to the NHL -- but has never stopped dreaming of a world where every kid, regardless of background, can be accepted for who he or she is (and play hockey, of course).
In May 2020, Akim wrote an article for the Players' Tribune entitled "Hockey is Not for Everyone," where he identifies the racism and violence he endured as a Black athlete within the sport of hockey. He has since partnered with the Time to Dream Foundation and the Hockey Diversity Alliance to help their mission to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey.
