Mediha Saliba is an international poet and writer, living in Northern California. She has published two nonfiction books, Shadows of the Puppet (Santa Barbara Review Press) and Stone Secrets (StonePeople's Press). She is president of Studio 299-Center for the Arts, where she helps promote art and art education.
Jay Draco was born in Redwood City, California in 1997. Throughout her life, she has always been fascinated with wildlife and artistic expression. Having grown up in close proximity to the sea and several national parks, her love for nature grew tremendously. Her interest in art was cultivated during her teenage years and further developed when she was selected for a scholarship to the Community School of Music and Arts in 2012. There, she explored a range of mediums and styles that helped her gain proficiency using charcoal, chalk pastels, and paints. In the years following, Jay established her own unique style by incorporating the spontaneity found in nature and her passion for nature itself.
Jay's abstract landscapes aim to capture the interconnection and balance of life on Earth. Silhouettes of trees and people emphasize a sense of urgency to protect our disappearing wildlife. With a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Science, she hopes to contribute to wildlife rehabilitation and conservation through both the sciences and the arts.
Jay was selected as a featured artist with the 'Community Advocacy Through Art' throughout 2016 and 2017. During May of 2017, several of her drawings were exhibited at Flywheel Press in San Mateo. Her murals inside Backyard Coffee painted in August 2016 are still viewable today. For more, visit her website at jaydracoart.tumblr.com.