The CCP Team

Melanie Henderson was born, raised and lives in Washington, DC. She is an alumnus of Howard and Trinity Universities. Prior to earning an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, she studied poetry at the Voices Summer Writing Workshops (VONA) in San Francisco, CA. Her debut collection of poems, Elegies for New York Avenue, won the 2011 Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award.

Susan Thornton Hobby is a writer and editor with thirty years of experience. A former newspaper journalist, Hobby received her masters in literature in 1995. A twenty-five year board member of the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo), Hobby has become an artistic advisor to the board, as well as writing grants, producing their television show and organizing events.

As a founding member of the Little Patuxent Review literary magazine, Hobby interviews authors for the publication, such as novelists Michael Chabon and Alice McDermott, former U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall, and poets Lucille Clifton and Joy Harjo. As an editor, Hobby has prepared many manuscripts for publication, rewriting and researching to add historical, legal and cultural context to nonfiction books.

As well copyeditor for Cherry Castle Publishing, she has edited a multitude of poetry collections and works of prose. 

Cory Thomas is an illustrator, graphic designer, and comic artist based in Atlanta. He is the creator of the webcomic "Watch Your Head," and grew up in Trinidad. Thomas studied mechanical engineering at Howard University (where he graduated magna cum laude).  During this time, he became an illustrator at The Hilltop, Howard University's historic newspaper. There, he presented the earliest versions of his "Watch Your Head" comic strip, which has been syndicated and published by as many as 20 national and international publications. 

Truth Thomas is a singer-songwriter, poet, and photographer, born in Knoxville, Tennessee and raised in Washington, DC (the Capitol recording artist once known as Glenn Edward Thomas). He is the founder of Cherry Castle Publishing and studied creative writing at Howard University under Dr. Tony Medina. Thomas earned his MFA in poetry at New England College. His collections include Party of Black, A Day of Presence, Bottle of Life, Speak Water, winner of the 2013 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry and My TV is Not the Boss of Me, (a children's book, by Cory Thomas). He is a former Writer-in-Residence for the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo) and the Inaugural Poet Laureate of Howard County, Maryland. His poems have appeared in over 150 publications, including The 100 Best African American Poems (edited by Nikki Giovanni) and This Is the Honey (edited by Kwame Alexander). He is the creator of the Skinny poetry form and Editor-in-Chief of The Skinny Poetry Journal.