Dr. Burton, also known as Lyric the Poet, was born and raised by a single mother in Houston, TX with roots descending from Louisiana and Los Angeles, California. Her love of poetry began at the early age of 7, when she started writing at the Phoenix Outreach Youth Center in 5th Ward, Houston, TX. At this center she found her passion for writing about personal experiences in her childhood and life, and began performing her poetry at events for the youth center as well as for weddings and private family events. At age 17 she began studying at Sam Houston State University where she joined Sam Houston’s Slam Poetry Team, traveling to national Poetry slams in Philadelphia and Corpus Christi. Her stage name Lyric was born at this time, inspired by the movie Jason’s Lyric, and reflecting her own use of singing and song lyrics within her poetry. After graduating from Sam Houston State University, Lyric became involved with the Houston poetry scene and entered her first slam competitions at Cypher House and The Secret Word Café. Dr. Shiarnice Taylor has written over 5 poetry books and short stories including The Released, The Quarantine Cure, and The Forgiveness Letters, to name a few. Dr. Taylor taught creative writing to middle and junior high students through WITS for 3 years, and also worked as an instructor of Psychology at Houston Community College. She credits her love for books and writing to her family and life experiences that have helped her to become who she is.