Josh Wilkins writes and performs folk and country influenced indie rock. He’s a Durant native who has been writing music and playing in bands in the Texoma area for over twenty years.

Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, River grew up in a blended family as they had never known their father, and their mother remarried when River was 5 years old. In elementary school, they struggled to make friends as they delved too deep into their religion. By the time River was 10 years old. They had developed depression. To this day, River still fights depression, but unlike back then, they have friends who help in that battle and they help in their battles with their mental illnesses. At the age of 13, River was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. To share their story, River started writing poetry when they were 13 and continues to write poetry still at the age of 20. They love to read and write fantasy stories and they love studying and talking about Greek mythology. Today, River is a college student, studying psychology while continuing to write not only poetry but also fantasy books of their own.  as they always say; For the love of Stories, told and untold.

David was born in December of 1952 on his paternal grandfather’s birthday. 

Mr. Thornburgh spent 40 years in the desert in Southern California, before progressively moving to the mountains in Gold Country (Northern California), and then arriving in God’s Country, Durant Oklahoma, on December 25, 2007.

He has 4 grown children and 8 grandchildren.

Among other aspects of his life David is a poet. David’s poems ‘The Gift and The Giver’  and ‘The Skaters’ were included in  ‘The Fires of Sunset’ and ‘Walking in Shadows‘   respectively , anthologies published by the International Library of Poetry.

David pulls inspiration for his poetry from his life experiences, his political and social views, and his observations of life and the human condition.

In 2022 David heard about a poetry gathering in Durant Oklahoma and decided to attend, David says it felt like he had “found a Home with My People”. 

In March of 2024 David published his first book of poetry, poems and prose titled:

The T-Bird Talks

David attends the monthly poetry events, contributes most months, and is a proud member of Lost Street Poets.

Daisy Jackson, better known by her pen name Miss Aster, is a twenty two year old poet from Blue, Oklahoma. She started writing when she was in the sixth grade being highly influenced by her language arts teacher, Mrs. Cheryl Dill. A lot of her poems highlight her struggle growing up with mental illness, a broken family, and finding her identity. She currently has three books out: Reminisce: A Book of Love Hate and Memories, Dear Thoughts, and Adore. She's currently working on her next collection and it should be out in mid February!

The Green School Band is a group of staff and students from Durant Middle School working to spread awareness about environmental issues and sustainability through music, storytelling and poetry.  The band is in its startup phase and is in the midst of composing its work.  The band also hopes to raise funding for the Durant Green School Program which envisions a community of youth and adults working towards sustainable living, in harmony with the world and one another.  

Shyheim Nwadiei – founder and visionary behind The Park Pop-Out, is a Tulsa-based rapper whose style channels J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Common, and MF DOOM. Blending his Nigerian and Native American roots with sharp lyricism, he first broke through on Motown’s Fire In Little Africa, honoring the legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Once masked as a symbol of self-discovery, Shyheim now steps fully into his solo career—unfiltered, reflective, and ready to claim his place among hip hop’s greats.

Ken Hada is the author of twelve collections of poetry, including: Visions for the Night, Come

Before Winter, and Contour Feathers (Turning Plow Press, 2025, 2023 and 2021). His work has

been honored by The Oklahoma Center for the Book, The Western Writers of America, The

National Western Heritage Museum, South Central Modern Language Association and featured

“The Writer‘s Almanac”