Linda Bannister, professor of English at Loyola Marymount University, has a Ph. D. in Rhetoric, Linguistics, and Literature from the University of Southern California and was the inaugural holder of The Daum Professorship, an endowed chair at LMU. Bannister co-wrote and produced the world premiere run of Turpentine Jake at the Del Ray Theatre in LA, which was nominated for two 2009 NAACP Theatre Awards, winning one. Bannister and Hurd have also co-authored an award-winning short film, “Poet of the Swingin’ Blade,” which was selected as a finalist at eight film festivals, winning Best Message Film at the San Diego Festival and The Fort Omaha Film Festival and Conference 2009. Bannister is also a Board Member of The World Stage in Leimert Park Village and a founding member of The Kohl Players, www.kohlplayers.com.