David M. Odorisio, PhD, is Associate Core Faculty and Co-Chair of the Mythological Studies program at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA. David received his PhD in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and teaches in the areas of theory and method in the study of religion, psychology and religion, and Christian mysticism. He is editor of Merton and Hinduism: The Yoga of the Heart (Fons Vitae, 2021), and co-editor of Depth Psychology and Mysticism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), and has published in numerous journals in the fields of Jungian and transpersonal psychology.

Jennifer Maile Kaku is currently a doctoral candidate in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She received a BA in English from Stanford University and an MA in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She holds a French postgraduate degree (DEA, Diplôme d’études approfondies) in Histoire et Sémiologie du Texte et de l’Image from the Université de Paris-Diderot. In addition to Hawaiian and Indigenous myth, her research interests include the mythological underpinnings of everyday life, the power(s) of story and narrative, and a focus on issues of gender, ethnocentricity, alterity. Several of her essays have been published in the Mythological Studies Journal. She is also a dancer and a teacher of hula who divides her time between Paris, France and Honolulu, Hawai’i.

John Bucher is a mythologist, storyteller, and writer based out of Hollywood, California. He has served as Creative Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and is currently the Interim Executive Director for the organization. John is an author, podcaster, and speaker. He has worked with government and cultural leaders around the world as well as organizations such as  HBO, DC Comics, The History Channel, A24 Films, Atlas Obscura, and The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation. He has served as a producer, consultant, and writer for numerous film, television, and Virtual Reality projects. He is the author of six books including the best-selling Storytelling for Virtual Reality, named by BookAuthority as one of the best storytelling books of all time. He holds a PhD in Mythology and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and has spoken on 6 continents about using the power of story and myth to reframe how individuals, organizations, cultures, and nations believe and behave.

Amy Slonaker is a doctoral candidate in the Mythological Studies program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara, she attended Seattle University School of Law and subsequently practiced as an attorney for over 20 years in the areas of criminal defense and securities litigation. Since 2012, she has worked with the Morbid Anatomy Library of Brooklyn, New York, by contributing programming and serving on its board.