Dez'Mon Omega Fair is an interdisciplinary artist and poet living in Long Beach, California. Their work explores storytelling and self-reflection, through several different processes, including: painting with water, brushless watercolor, ink on washi, collaborative documentary film projects, and experimental forms of poetry. http://www.dezmonomegafair.com/

Colin Asare-Appiah is a world-renowned bartender and brand ambassador in the world of spirits and cocktails. One of the founders of the London Academy of Bartending, he even starred in his own show on the Discovery Channel, "The Cocktail Kings." Born in Ghana, and raised in the U.K., Colin currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife and sons.

Louisa Brown is a screenwriter, content producer, and a mentor for youth and film. Born and raised in London, Louisa has lived and worked in New York City for over 20 years, and has been screenwriting for over 10 years. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. https://www.louisabrownfilm.com/ https://www.katcroft.com/native-sisters instagram: @lulub1

Toyin Ojih Odutola is a visual artist, currently living and working in Brooklyn, and known for her multifarious, detailed drawings that play with storytelling. Her works are included in the public collections of MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and Studio Museum Harlem to name a few. http://toyinojihodutola.com/ https://www.instagram.com/toyinojihodutola/

Nick Groepler is a screen printer by trade, sometimes artist, and the guy who does all of the web-related stuff for us here on Mister Welfare. He forgot to mention that this took place a day or two before Hurricane Sandy hit New York. When he's not screen printing, he's in a band called DORKS (@dddorks) along with the two friends mentioned in his story. https://dorksdorksdorks.bandcamp.com/

Patricia A. Patton, a.k.a. the CannaBoomer, is a Market Consultant for wellness companies looking to reach out to baby boomers, who may be uncertain about what cannabis & hemp legalization means for them. https://cannaboomer.net/

Rahsaan Gandy is the founder of Gandyland LLC, and our illustrious host here on Mister Welfare and New York Minute. http://www.gandyland.co/ https://www.misterwelfare.com/

In this New York Minute, learn what it takes to get into high school in NYC; a free lesson from Wyatt & Jedediah Sahl. Wyatt is a middle school student. When he's not reading and listening to podcasts, you can find him stressing about the NYC high school process. This is his first time on a podcast. Jedediah is currently enrolled in an NYC high school. He is a keen observer of the teenage culture around him, and while he enjoys his classes, he is not very fond of the resulting workload.

Jerome Lagarrigue is an artist who currently lives and works in Brooklyn. Born to a French father and an American mother, he was raised in Paris and moved to the U.S. in 1992. His work can be found in the collections of Swizz Beats, Alicia Keys, Carmelo Anthony, and Reginald Lewis, to name a few. Instagram: @jlagarrigue http://www.jeromelagarrigue.com/

Yayoi Shionoiri is an art lawyer. She currently serves as Executive Director to the Estate of Chris Burden and the Studio of Nancy Rubins, where she is responsible for stewarding Burden’s art-historical legacy and promoting Rubins’ artistic practice. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yayoi_shionoiri/