Saeed Jones is an essential author as well as a powerful voice in the world of literary activism, and his writing often engages the questions and nuances of identity. He has shaped his platform into a tool for social awareness, breakthroughs and connections with his no-holds-barred personality and unforgettable voice. Vibe Check, the weekly news and culture podcast he hosts with Sam Sanders and Zach Stafford, has been lauded as one of the Best Podcasts of the Year by the New York Times, Vogue, and CBC Radio.

Saeed was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Lewisville, Texas. His debut poetry collection, Prelude to Bruise, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and was awarded the 2015 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry. The collection also received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, which described the book as, “a fever dream, something akin to magic.” NPR described Prelude as a “book seamed in smoke; it is a dance that invites you to admire the supple twist of its narrative spine; it is hard and glaring and brilliant.”

In 2019, Saeed released his highly anticipated memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives. NPR raved “Jones’s voice and sensibility are so distinct that he turns one of the oldest of literary genres inside out and upside down.” The memoir won the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, a 2020 Lambda Literary Award, as well as a 2020 Stonewall Book Award. His most recent collection, Alive at the End of the World, was published in 2022 and awarded the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Poetry. The New Yorker says, “Jones unravels and reconfigures language like he’s untying a knot, then rethreads the strands in a delicate new construction." They also added this to their “Best Books of 2022” list. Poet Rita Dove calls the book “an aching reminder that a queer Black man leads a meta existence; he cannot live without thinking about living, constantly negotiating the everyday with an eye to the peril that can intrude at any time, from police violence to the minutest reactions from highbrow bigots.” The collection was also a finalist for both the 2023 Lambda Literary Award in Gay Poetry and the Publishing Triangle 2023 Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry.

Sam Sanders is a correspondent and host of It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders at NPR. In the show, Sanders engages with journalists, actors, musicians, and listeners to gain the kind of understanding about news and popular culture that can only be reached through conversation. Sanders is also a co-host of Stitcher’s Vibe Check a weekly podcast where Sam along with his co-hosts make sense of what’s going on in news and pop culture.

Previously, as a key member of NPR's election unit, Sam covered the intersection of culture, pop culture, and politics in the 2016 election, and embedded with the Bernie Sanders campaign for several months. He was also one of the original co-hosts of NPR's Politics Podcast, which launched in 2015. Sanders joined NPR in 2009 as a Kroc Fellow, and since then has worn many hats within the organization, including field producer and breaking news reporter. He's spent time at three Member stations as well: WUNC in North Carolina, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and WBUR in Boston, as an intern for On Point. Sanders graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2009 with a master's degree in public policy, with a focus on media and politics. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, with a double major in political science and music.

Zach Stafford is an award-winning journalist, author, columnist, and Tony award- winning producer of the Broadway musical “A Strange Loop”. He is the current Head of Content at Ampersand and co-hosts the popular news and culture podcast “Vibe Check”. Previously, Stafford held leadership positions at several media outlets, including BuzzFeed, Out Magazine, and The Guardian. He was included in the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and named one of The Root's 100 most influential African-American people.