Tavárez, R. R.: - R.R. Tavárez is an artist, writer and speaker local to Grand Rapids, MI. He is an Afro-Latino of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, and proudly part of the Queer community. Tavárez writes poetry, essays, and short fiction. He acquired an M.Div. from Calvin Theological Seminary with a concentration in Missions. As a multi-disciplinary visual artist, he uses photography, paint, charcoal, and graphite pencil as extension of his storytelling. He is recognized preacher, often bringing his storytelling methods to bear from the Sunday morning pulpit. As a reverend, he is a bivocational pastor, leading a non-profit called New City Neighbors as its Executive Director, while pastoring En Vivo Church, a Queer-affirming church plant he founded in 2016. He is a member of Grand Valley Artists and an artist with ArtXchangeGR.