The CCP Team

WRITER/POETRY EDITOR/PHOTOGRAPHER/ART CONSULTANT

MELANIE HENDERSON

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.

WRITER/EDITOR/COPY-EDITOR

SUSAN THORNTON HOBBY

Susan Thornton Hobby is a celebrated fiction writer, editor, and copy-editor. She is a Contributing Editor to the Little Patuxent Review and serves as a board member and the recording secretary for the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo).

GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND ILLUSTRATOR

CORY THOMAS

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. 

​MUSICIAN/POET/FOUNDER & MANAGING EDITOR

TRUTH THOMAS

Truth Thomas is a singer-songwriter and poet born in Knoxville, Tennessee and raised in Washington, DC (the Capitol recording artist formerly 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, illustrated by Cory Thomas). The "Skinny" poetry form is credited to Thomas' creation. A former writer-in-residence for the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo), his poems have appeared in over 150 publications, including The 100 Best African American Poems (edited by Nikki Giovanni). He is the creator of the Skinny poetry form, Editor-in-Chief of The Skinny Poetry Journal, and co-Editor of Tidal Basin Review.

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