Jawad Al Amiri emigrated from Iraq in 1980, fleeing the country after threats to himself and his family for their resistance to the Baath party. During that time, Al Amiri lost two brothers and a sister to the regime. He moved to Philadelphia after attending the University of Pittsburgh, and now owns Ameri Motors, a car dealership in North Philly. Almost 40 years after leaving Iraq, he lives in North Wales with his wife and four children.

A husband and father of two children, Lawrence Davidson is a US Army veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since leaving the military in 2008, he’s directed his personal, professional, and academic pursuits toward understanding, serving, and building the veteran community. He has worked with Warrior Writers for five years, and conducted a qualitative exploration of participation in Warrior Writers for his Masters of Social Work capstone research. Davidson recently started a writing group at the Chester County Prison for incarcerated veterans, using Warrior Writers materials and methods.

Major support for Radio Silence has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from The National Endowment for the Arts, and the Hummingbird Foundation. Project collaborators and partners include a host of agencies and nonprofits that work on refugee and veteran issues, as well as independent community-driven media nonprofits.