Tag: BK
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Alice Charlotte Bethke
Instructor Alice joined Writopia Lab as a WriCampia counselor, where she had such a great time she just had to come back and instruct. Alice is a creative writing student at Sarah Lawrence College, where she won the Nancy Lynn Schwartz Prize for Fiction Writing. Her fiction is absurd, satirical, and interested in highlighting the…
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Ashley Parker
Administrative Associate and Assistant Instructor Ashley started her journey with Writopia Lab in 2024 as a WriCampia camp counselor and is thrilled to be joining workshops this fall at the Park Slope location! After graduating from Florida State University in 2022 with a Bachelors in Editing, Writing, and Media (Magna Cum Laude), Ashley moved to…
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Bianca Turetsky
Director of Programs and the Brooklyn Region Bianca is thrilled to be working with Writopia Lab as the Director of Programs and the Brooklyn Region. She is the author of The Time-Traveling Fashionista books, a historical fiction series published by Little, Brown and Company. The books have been translated into nine languages. She is also…
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Carly Polistina
Instructor Carly Polistina is thrilled to be a member of the Writopia Lab team as a creative writing and language play instructor! She is a playwright, screenwriter, stand-up comedian, and actor. Her play Annies and Kleptos premiered at 13th Street Repertory Theatre in 2019, and her play Nosebleed: a “comedy”… had its first full run…
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Dana Herrnstadt
Instructor Dana is beyond excited to join Writopia Lab! She graduated from Brown University, where she studied English and wrote a thesis about vampires, gender, and the entertainment industry. Dana writes creative nonfiction, comedy, and poetry, and she dabbles in fiction when she’s feeling adventurous. She’s drawn to offbeat topics related to the supernatural, history,…
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Di Jayawickrema
Instructor
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Elsa Bermúdez
Director of Specialty ProgramsBrooklyn Regional Manager (Interim) Elsa Bermúdez has loved leading creative writing, essay writing, comedy writing, and graphic noveling workshops at Writopia Lab since 2014! As Associate Director of Specialty Programs, she runs Writopia Lab’s scholarship program, Write to Recognition, and several off-site partnership programs. Elsa is a writer, artist, and educator. She…
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Eva Dunsky
Instructor Eva joined the Writopia lab team in 2022. She has a BA in English and Human Rights from Barnard College and an MFA in Fiction and Literary Translation from Columbia University, where she also taught a section of University Writing for International Students and a multi-genre creative writing course for high schoolers. She now…
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María Elisa Schmidt
Instructor María Elisa Schmidt is a Mexican bilingual writer, translator, and educator who holds an MFA in Poetry from The New School. Her poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have appeared in renowned magazines in Mexico, such as Gatopardo, Tierra Adentro, and Círculo de Poesía, and she was editor-in-chief of C de Cultura, a Mexican magazine, for…
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Matthew Jellison
Director of Education, WriCampia Co-Director Instructor Matthew Jellison is over the moon to be serving as Senior Manager of Education at Writopia Lab. He began as a creative writing instructor in summer of 2017 and since has had the privilege of working on writing with some extraordinary kids. Matthew is playwright, actor, educator, and native…
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Paulina Tesnow
Instructor Paulina Tesnow is passionate about writing and fostering creativity in young people. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in 2024, where she studied creative nonfiction. Paulina has worked with writers across all age groups, from early elementary school to college. She currently teaches college writing at Mercy…
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Rose Foley
Instructor After spending summer and fall 2025 as an intern and assistant instructor at Writopia’s Park Slope Lab, Rose is so excited to be an instructor! Born and raised in Brooklyn, Rose attended Writopia workshops as a young teen. They recently graduated from Hunter College with their Bachelor’s Degree in English, where their Honors thesis on…
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Sam Hurwitz
Instructor Sam is so excited to be joining Writopia Lab as an Instructor! Sam attended weekly Writopia workshops since the age of nine, adoring every moment. In addition to writing poetry and fiction, Sam is also a singer-songwriter and musician, having written over 100 songs since the age of six. He has performed on stages…
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Vanessa Walters
Instructor Vanessa Walters is thrilled to join the Writopia Lab in Brooklyn, teaching creative writing across all age groups. She is a novelist, playwright, poet, and journalist with an LLB in Law and French Law from the University College of London. Her published books are Rude Girls, Best Things in Life (Pan Macmillan, UK), Smoke!…