Tag: Administration

Abby White

Instructor Abby White is thrilled to work with young writers through Writopia Lab in Washington, DC. Her debut novel, D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T., earned the 2026 Sydney Taylor Book Award for young adult literature, plus praise from the Rick Riordan. (She hopes Annabeth, one of her heroes, would be proud.) She is currently and…
Aiden Kaplan

Instructor Aiden Kaplan is excited to get to work with Writopia Lab as a Game Leader! Aiden has been playing and running tabletop role-playing games for the past twelve years. He has worked extensively with kids of all ages running games, teaching creative writing, and all sorts of other activities at YMCA Camp Takodah in…
Alexia Nader

Instructor Alexia is excited to return to Writopia Lab as an instructor. Alexia grew up in Miami but has called San Francisco home for the last twelve years. She’s taught creative writing to children and adults in many settings including universities, high schools, middle schools, libraries, rehabilitation centers, and her favorite, Writopia Lab. She earned…
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…
Amalia Oliva Rojas

Instructor Amalia Oliva Rojas (she/her/ella) is a Mexican poet, performer, and theater artivist based in Nueva York. Her work centers and archives the stories, myths, and legends told by her family, her community, and fellow immigrant women. She is a proud alumnus of the Vassar College Powerhouse Theater Apprentice Program and CUNY Lehman College. Residencies…
Amy Dupcak

Instructor Amy Dupcak is the author of Dust, Short Stories (2016) and co-editor and designer of Words After Dark: A Lyrics, Lit & Liquor Anthology (2020). After studying Creative Writing and Film History at Sarah Lawrence, she earned an MFA in Fiction from The New School. She has worked as a music and culture journalist,…
Amy George

Instructor Amy George is thrilled to join Writopia Lab as an Instructor! Amy grew up in India and is a resident of the Bay Area. She graduated from the MFA program in Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, where she was the Kearny Street Workshop Fellow. She was awarded a Fellowship by…
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…
Audrey Fromson

Instructor Audrey is a writer and comedian and is ecstatic to work with young writers at Writopia Lab. Originally from West Hartford, Connecticut, Audrey studied Creative Writing and Spanish at the University of Chicago. She has reported long-form features on the effects of the climate crisis in the Peruvian Andes and what healthcare access looks…
Bailey Blumenstock

Instructor Bailey is delighted to join the Washington, DC Writopia Lab team as an Instructor! She is the author of the poetry collection published by Cathexis Northwest Press, 2025, and her work has appeared in numerous literary journals, including Poet Lore, Nimrod International Journal, The Main Review, Cathexis Northwest Press, Little Patuxent Review, The Northern…
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…
Brittany Wallace

Instructor Brittany Wallace is delighted to be back with Writopia Lab teaching Creative Writing and Essay Writing workshops in Washington, DC. She began her Writopia journey in 2018 as a counselor at WriCampia, where she fell in love with the organization, its mission, and its people. Brittany earned her Bachelor’s degree from Montana State University…
Caitlin Rimshnick

Instructor Caitlin Rimshnick has joyfully led Writopia Lab workshops since August 2025. Writing has always been her safe space to introspect and forge connections. She is delighted to help introduce such a magical craft to young writers. Caitlin holds a B.A. from Kenyon College and an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University, where…
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…
Celine Aenlle-Rocha

Instructor
Cory-Alice André-Johnson

Community Partnership Coordinator and Instructor Cory-Alice André-Johnson enthusiastically joined Writopia in 2026 as a Community Partnership Coordinator and Instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Virginia and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Africana Studies at Tulane University. She writes ethnographic fiction and critical theory, often…
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,…
Danielle Sheeler, LMSW

Founder of Writopia’s Essay Writing Program and Program Evaluation Adviser Danielle has been part of the Writopia Lab team since 2011. Danielle has been recognized by the Scholastic Awards “as an outstanding educator whose dedication, commitment, and guidance are represented by student work selected for national honors.” She designed and launched Writopia’s Essay Writing program at…
Di Jayawickrema

Instructor
Ella Davidson

Instructor Ella Davidson is happily beginning her journey as an instructor at Writopia Lab in New York City. She is a playwright, actor and director from Albany, New York, currently residing in Brooklyn. Ella studied Drama and Dramatic writing at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where several of her plays were…
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…
Emily Duru

Instructor Emily Duru is new to Writopia Lab and is overjoyed to be joining as an instructor! Emily is a third-year PhD student in the department of Literature and Writing at Howard University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of Black womanist thought, hip hop studies, and the digital humanities. Prior to beginning her…
Emily Weitzman

Instructor
Eric Moore

Instructor Eric joined Writopia Labs as a Creative Writing instructor in March 2026. He is a playwright and stage director originally from Dallas, TX. His plays have been presented around the United States and in South Korea. This includes his full-length play, THE DEBASERS, which was produced at the University of Houston under the guidance…
Eunju Namkung

Communications and Recruiting Advisor Eunju Namkung has been part of the Writopia Lab family since 2008. Eunju advises Writopia Lab on aspects of communications strategy and implementation. She is passionate about promoting Writopia Lab’s values around creative writing and creativity, care for children, diversity and inclusion, and social responsibility and ethics. She helps oversee brand…
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…
Fletcher Weiss

Instructor Fletcher Weiss is psyched to be joining the Writopia Team! Fletcher is a writer and educator from Providence, Rhode Island. There, he worked as a school librarian and ran an after-school creative writing program before relocating to New York to pursue an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Sarah Lawrence College. His work has appeared…
Gauri Awasthi

Instructor Gauri is thrilled to be joining Writopia Lab! Born and raised in India, she received her MFA in Creative writing in 2021. She has won fellowships from Yaddo, Hambidge Center, Hedgebrook, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Djerassi Artist Residency, and Sundress Academy for The Arts. Her writing has been published in Best New Poets 2023,…
Genevieve Scott

Assistant Instructor Genevieve Scott is overjoyed to be part of the Writopia Lab team as an assistant creative writing instructor. A Brooklyn native, she is also a writer, visual artist, and actress who has been exercising her creative muscles since she was a little girl in her grandmother’s in-house school. She deeply values the influence…
Harrison Prak

Communication and Education Coordinator Harrison first joined Writopia Lab as a volunteer mentor in Writopia Lab’s Write-to-Recognition (W2R) program. Before finding Writopia, he started his career as a web developer, making websites and creating marketing campaigns for large companies, but he then decided to make a career change to become an educator and help create…
Helena Grande

Instructor Helena Grande is thrilled to be working with Writopia Lab as a writing instructor. Helena is the author of Speech Choke (2020) and she has recently graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. She has taught creative writing to middle schoolers and has experience working in universities, museums, and art…
Holli Harms

Instructor Holli is thrilled to be joining Writopia Lab in New York City as a part-time instructor. She is a writer of plays, screenplays, and short stories and recently graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with her Master’s in Creative Writing. As a playwright, Holli has been awarded the Terrence G. Hall Fellowship, a Dramatist…
Imani Parker

Specialty Programs Coordinator Imani Parker first joined Writopia as a WriCampia counselor in 2019, where she assisted Léna Roy in a creative writing workshop, co-led a dance elective, made meaningful friendships with her fellow counselors, and more. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and a BA in…
Ivory Butler

Instructor Ivory Butler is delighted to be on the Writopia Lab team! Ivory first discovered her love of writing in elementary school when she was tasked with writing a short story that soon evolved into a 50-page novella, and she has adored writing ever since. Throughout her teenage years, Ivory took workshops at Writopia Lab…
Jacquelyn Stolos

Instructor
Jane Young

Instructor Jane Young began teaching Writopia Lab workshops in 2019. Her plays have been seen in over a dozen Off- and Off Off-Broadway venues in New York, and her short film, “River,” was screened in international festivals in New York City, Toronto, Brazil, and Houston. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence…
Jem Werner

Registration Associate Jem is a former student of Writopia Lab’s creative writing workshops and is incredibly excited to rejoin the Writopia family as a registration associate. Jem is a graduate of Ithaca College, where he studied writing and theater. Inspired by Writopia Lab, Jem founded a student theater group at Ithaca College that focused on…
Jeremy Wallace-Segall

Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Wallace-Segall is our Chief Operations officer, bringing together the efforts of our technology, human resources, media, finance, accounting, and facilities management teams to ensure that our program staff have the tools and human support to accomplish their goals. Jeremy joined Writopia Lab in 2009 with 15 years of nonprofit experience building…
Jessica Lipaz

Instructor Jess is an educator and creative who is energized to join the Writopia Lab team as a writing instructor! Originally from Los Angeles, Jess moved to New York City in 2021 to earn her MA in Philosophy and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Throughout her degree, she dedicated herself to merging real life…
Jocelyn Gottschalk

Senior HR Manager
Joey Del Deo

Operations and Program AssociateInstructor Joey has loved every second of being a part of the Writopia Lab team! Since joining Writopia in 2021 as a filmmaking counselor at WriCampia, he has worked in New York as both a filmmaking and creative writing instructor. Based in Toms River, New Jersey, Joey received his B.A. in TV/Film…
Jordan Casomar

Instructor Jordan K. Casomar is delighted to be joining Writopia Lab as an instructor! Jordan is a prose writer with essays in The Kenyon Review, Catapult, and elsewhere. He received a MacDowell Fellowship in 2021, was the nonfiction runner-up in The Pinch’s 2018 Spring Literary Awards, and is an alum of the VONA conference for…
Justin Allen

Instructor Justin Allen is excited to be an instructor at Writopia Lab. Justin is the author of two novels, Slaves of the Shinar and Year of the Horse. He is also the author of three plays. Murder at the Masque: The Casebook of Edgar Allen Poe and Gilbert and Sullivan, The Ballet! were both commissioned…
Kaley Mamo

Instructor Writopia Lab has been a part of Kaley’s life since she was eleven years old and joined her first workshop. Now she’s an instructor and she’s so happy to be back! After receiving her BA in Film and Media Studies at Columbia University (Summa Cum Laude), Kaley went on to earn her MFA in…
Kara Bilello

Instructor Kara Bilello is thrilled to be joining the team at Writopia Lab as a creative writing and debate instructor! As a Korean-American adoptee and an upstate New York native, she is passionate about writing as a means to connect to one’s most authentic voice. She holds two Bachelor’s of Arts from Binghamton University in…
Katarina LaPoll

Instructor Katarina La Poll is delighted to join Writopia Lab! Katarina studied theater arts and dance at UC Santa Cruz and creative writing at NYU. She has received support from the Community of Writers and Columbia University where she holds an MFA in Creative Writing, Poetry. Katarina has ghostwritten memoirs and autobiographies for leading voices…
Kellie Watkins

Instructor Kellie Watkins is a writer and co-owner of Jahphut, a small publishing company. She is the author of If These Shoes Could Talk: The Awakening and Savvy Diva’s Take On…44 Days of Random Thoughts & Observations, under her pen name, Jahzara the Savvy Diva. Kellie possesses her MFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail…
Kelly Hudson

Instructor Kelly Hudson is delighted to become an instructor with Writopia Lab! Kelly is based in Los Angeles, originally hails from Austin, Texas and is a working writer, actor, and podcaster. She co-created the fake takeout menu FUDS, and co-authored the book FUDS: A Complete Encyclofoodia with Dan Klein and fellow Writopia Lab instructor Arthur…
Kendra Jones

Instructor Kendra is a Creative Writing and College Essay Instructor at Writopia Lab, where she offers support and guidance in diverse genres and forms of writing. She is inspired by the energy and imagination of young writers and is thrilled to watch them discover and develop their own unique voices. In 2021, Kendra completed her…
Kohi Kalandrova

Data and IT Coordinator Kohi Kalandarova is very excited to be joining Writopia Lab as Part Time Data and IT Coordinator where she is looking forward to supporting the center with tech and data management. Kohi graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Computer Science with hopes of ethically contributing to the world through…
Lael O’Shaugnessy

Instructor Lael is so excited to be joining Writopia Lab this fall! Lael is a writer, an educator, and a mom to two sweet baby boys. After getting her bachelor’s in Film, Television, and Theater at the University of Notre Dame, Lael spent many years doing stand-up comedy in Chicago. She is a freelance essayist…
Léna Roy

Chief of Education and Program Innovation Léna has been part of the Writopia world since 2009 and has been working with kids and teens in New York City’s northern suburbs since 2010. In 2018, she launched our pre-college program for teens, Creative Portfolio, which became national in 2020. From 2014 to present, Léna has been…
Lil Gellman

Instructor Lil Gellman is over the moon — and probably a number of other celestial objects — to join Writopia Lab. As a former writer here, they are so pleased to be a Writopian in an official capacity once more. Lil comes to Writopia fresh from W. W. Norton & Company, where they worked from…
Lillie Lainoff

Instructor Lillie Lainoff is excited to join Writopia Lab as an instructor! She is a fencer, coach, and the founder of Disabled Kidlit Writers. Her short stories are featured in The Los Angeles Review, the YA anthology These Bodies Ain’t Broken, and the upcoming MG anthology, Boundless, and her non-fiction published in The Washington Post…
Lisa Latouche

Instructor Lisa is elated to join Writopia Lab as a writing instructor! She holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Leicester and an MFA from the University of Maryland, College Park. She taught academic and creative writing at Trinity Washington University and at the University of Maryland. She’s received several awards and…
Liz Lawson

Instructor Liz Lawson is thrilled to be joining Writopia’s DC lab as an instructor! She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas, The Night In Question: An Agathas Mystery (with Kathleen Glasgow) and The Lucky Ones. Her books have been featured by the Today show, People, Buzzfeed, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble,…
Lydia Wei

Instructor Lydia is so thrilled to be joining Writopia Lab as an instructor! She’s long been part of the Writopia family; she first started attending workshops during middle school, and volunteered with Writopia throughout high school. She loves Writopia’s friendly and supportive community and fun writing games—her favorite has always been Hot Laptop! She’s a…
Maddison Whitfield

Administrative Associate & Assistant Instructor Maddison Whitfield started in Writopia Lab’s creative writing programs in the early 2010s. After graduating from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in Filmmaking, Maddison worked on a variety of projects from commercials to 360 VR shoots, short films, MTV TV shows, music videos,…
Madeleine Joung

Instructor Madeleine Joung is a writer who has been leading creative workshops since her own high school days in 2014. Her work has appeared in TIME, The Harvard Advocate, and Tuesday Magazine, and she is a recipient of the Edward Eager Prize in creative writing at Harvard University, where she was nominated for a thesis…
Madeline Arcaro

Administrative Associate and Assistant Instructor Madeline Arcaro joined Writopia Lab as an intern in Summer 2025, and has since been working as an assistant instructor and administrative associate. She is a senior at the University of Maryland studying English Language and Literature with a concentration in Literary and Cultural Studies, and is finishing two minors…
Malcolm Knowles

Associate Director of Specialty Programs Creative Writing and Songwriting Instructor Malcolm Knowles has been part of the Writopia Lab team since 2018. He is a writer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Houston, Texas, where he learned to record and release music during his teenage years. He later attended Sarah Lawrence College with a focus in Jazz…
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…
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…
Matthew Picht

Game Leader Matthew Picht joined Writopia Lab in 2025 as a part-time Game Leader. He has been telling stories with tabletop games since high school, and is eager to introduce these games to a new generation of storytellers. After graduating from the University of Tulsa in 2013 with an English degree, Matt worked as a…
Melanie Howard

Instructor Melanie Howard is excited to join Writopia Lab as an instructor in the Greater Washington DC area. Melanie is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared online and in print in Time.com, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, SELF, Seventeen, Parenting, Good Housekeeping and other major publications. She is the co-author of the satirical novel, Queen of the…
Michael Kozlowsky

Instructor Michael Paul Kozlowsky is thrilled to be a part of Writopia Lab. He is the author of Scarecrow Has a Gun. His children’s novels, written as M.P. Kozlowsky, include Juniper Berry and The Dyerville Tales from HarperCollins, and Frost and Rose Coffin from Scholastic Press. His writing has appeared on The No Sleep Podcast,…
Nathan Mortenson

Assistant Instructor Nathan Mortenson is happy to be joining the Writopia Lab team as an assistant instructor! In 2015, Nathan fell in love with Writopia as a camper at the Dungeons and Dragons Winter Retreat. Over the next few years, Nathan was alternately an intern, camp counselor, and writer in Writopia workshops, discovering his passions…
Niki Fakhoori

Instructor Niki Fakhoori is beyond ecstatic to be joining Writopia Lab as an instructor. A student of both Sequential Art and Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Niki has experience as an independent comic artist, freelance writer, and teacher. She writes feature articles, essays, and reviews for digital publications about various subjects,…
Noah Parnes

Instructor Noah is over the moon to join the Writopia team! A recent graduate of Yale University, Noah is a playwright and drag artist based in New York. As a lover of storytelling in all forms, he can’t wait to help young writers find their voices. Noah’s plays have been produced at the Ethical Culture…
Noah Wilson

Instructor Noah Wilson is thrilled to be joining Writopia Lab in New York City as a writing instructor. He is currently an MFA candidate at Rutgers University-Newark, where he also teaches creative writing and literature classes. His short stories have appeared in Beyond Words, Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine, and the anthology, Ten Ways the Animals Will Save Us, from Retreat…
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…
Rachel Aronson

Associate Director of Program Operations Rachel Aronson is thrilled to join Writopia Lab as the Enrollment Manager. Rachel brings a decade of experience educating and managing operations for education programs. Before coming to Writopia, Rachel organized field trips to the world’s largest landfill, taught elementary schoolers how to build robots, and managed a sustainability certification…
Rebecca Wallace-Segall

Chief Executive OfficerFounder Rebecca founded Writopia Lab in April 2007, and currently directs the national organization. You can read the founding story in The Village Voice. She designed the organization’s mission and no-barriers sliding scale model, as well as its instructional approach, which has been embraced by thousands of children, teens, schools, and nonprofit partners…
Reuben Sack

Instructor
Ricardo Vázquez

Instructor Ricardo Vázquez is excited to be joining the Writopia team as an instructor. He is a New York-based actor and writer who enjoys collaborating on films, plays, musicals, and new works. He recently appeared in the Tony-nominated 2024 Broadway revival of Our Town directed by Kenny Leon. He was also part of the original…
Rita Feinstein

Associate Director of Program InnovationDC Regional Manager Rita has been a part of the Writopia Lab team since 2015. She received her MFA from Oregon State University, where she taught composition and creative writing. Her work has appeared in Willow Springs, Salamander Magazine, and Beloit Poetry Journal, among other publications, and has been nominated for Best of the…
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…
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…
Samantha French

Instructor
Samantha Schnell

Instructor Samantha Schnell has been teaching workshops at Writopia Lab since 2023. Sam is a writer from New York City whose work has appeared in Witness Magazine, Sonora Review, Blue Earth Review, The Marrow, Atlanta Review, Eclectica Magazine, and elsewhere. She has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia University, but these days she mostly…
Samantha Stone

Instructor Samantha Stone began with Writopia Lab as a JLA volunteer in 2016 and has taught creative writing and essay workshops since the summer of 2017. In the Fall of 2019 she joined the administrative team part-time, helping with registration, and is delighted to work more closely with the team. Samantha is a New York…
Sara Lawler

Instructor Sara Lawler is thrilled to join Writopia Lab as an instructor! She is a New York based fiction writer originally from Michigan, amongst some other farther away places. She is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and has previously earned degrees in Political Science and Economics from Vassar College.…
Shanille Martin

San Francisco Regional ManagerInstructor Shanille Martin joined the Writopia team in 2019 as a WriCampia counselor and assistant instructor while studying Creative Writing at Purchase College. Since graduating in 2020, she has been teaching creative writing and debate workshops at camp and at Writopia full-time. Shanille has been published in various magazines and platforms such…
Sophia Marie Lee

Instructor Sophia is thrilled to be joining Writopia Lab, Westchester as a Writing Instructor. Sophia is an author of books for children and young adults. Her first book, What Things Mean, is a young adult novel published by Scholastic Asia (2016). This work won the Grand Prize at the 2014 Scholastic Asian Book Awards, and…
Tammy Scozzafava

Part Time HR & Payroll Associate Tammy Scozzafava is thrilled to be joining Writopia Lab as the Part Time HR & Payroll Associate. Her varied professional experience spans the industries of arts/entertainment, media, and nonprofit organizations, with a focus on operations and human resources. Highlights of her career have been serving as an NBC Page;…
Tom Storch

Instructor Tom Storch has been a creative writing and essay instructor at Writopia since 2023. He was born in Denver, Colorado and lives in Queens, New York. He has a BFA in Creative Writing from CUNY Brooklyn College and an MFA from The Writer’s Foundry at St. Joseph’s University, where he taught composition courses and…
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!…
Yael Schick

Executive Director Yael has been a member of the Writopia Lab team since 2011. As the Executive Director, she oversees programs nationally and supports all instructors and workshops at Writopia’s Upper West Side lab. Yael’s favorite role at Writopia is that of instructor; she works with writers of all ages in all genres, including college…
Zoe Becker

Instructor Zoe is thrilled to be joining Writopia Lab as an instructor! She’s a longtime Writopian, having attended workshops in middle school and been part of Creative Portfolio all throughout high school. Zoe is also a proud alum of Writopia’s inaugural Connecting Across Cultures program. Zoe’s an incoming freshman at Harvard University, where she plans…