Heather 'Byrd' is an award-winning author of Mahogany: A Love Letter To Black. Byrd’s work has appeared ​in several festivals including The Chicago Theatre Festival and the St. Louis Fringe with HERstory of HIStory and inHERitance: the stories we carry. Her work has also a contributor in Expressions of ​Englewood, Hope Ignited: Stories of Hope By Women For ​Women, and Trouble The Waters: Tales from the ​Deep Blue. Most recently, she won the 2022 International Anthem ​Award in diversity, equity, and inclusion ​for her ​work on the “I See You” issue of the Cornell Report ​alongside Google, HBO Max, BBC, ​National Geographic, Netflix, and The Daily Show with ​Trevor Noah.

She is the giver of giggles and ​hugs. Catalyst of voice, story, and ​badassery. ​Queen of quirky. Creator of legacy and ​possibilities. Writer of inspiration and ​word ​witchery. Believer of magick and rebirth. Holder of ​sun and moon. High priestess of ​HummingByrds. ​Winner of awards. Lover of tacos, bubbles, ​balloons, and tea. Defier of ​gravity and language. ​Spreader of wings and dreams.

Byrd’s work is rooted in the need to unlearn, affirm the Black experience, and live in creative joy. Each of her coaching style tastes like ripe mangos, ​cayenne pepper, or an eclectic combination of ​the ​two. Her favorite words are balloon and bubble.