Dr. Joan Renée Cartwright was born in Queens, New York. She is a musician, composer, author, poet, and historian who resides in Florida. In addition to her music CDs, Cartwright is the author of 12 books, including the poetry collection, GaiaMind Poem, published in 2006, and the Joan Cartwright Song Book, submitted to the Guinness Book of Records for designation as the "First woman in the world with a jazz and blues song book."
Her essays, articles, and interviews are published locally and internationally, online, in magazines, journals, anthologies, and newspapers.