Ken Pienkos has published in print and online journals including Arts & Letters Literary Journal (Georgia College, 2015), HIV Here & Now (Indolent Press, 2016). His spoken word performances at Skylight Theatre Los Angeles include Shades of Disclosure (2016) and QueerWise’s Aids Us (2018). He is the former Reference & Instruction Librarian, Adjunct Faculty, and Administrative Director for Continuing Education at Antioch University. Pienkos holds a BS and MS in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from Antioch University. He has lived as an AIDS/HIV survivor since 1985.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, and raised in New York and Nevada, Alexander Amato has spent a lifetime translating emotion, place, and perspective into visual art. After establishing his career in Los Angeles, Alex made the Palm Springs area his home and studio. His work—spanning drawing, painting, acrylic, and mixed media—is influenced by the desert landscape and the elegance of mid-century modern design. As Artistic Consultant, Alex brings his distinctive visual imagination to selected Crescent Street Press projects and collaborations.