Katie Della Mora is a writer, producer and sketch comedian. Her work has appeared online, at festivals and onstage at UCB and Peoples Improv Theatre NY, Planet Ant in Detroit and more. She has performed Off-Off Broadway, at PIT NYC SketchFests, Quickie Film Fest, UCBT’s Sketch Cram, Del Close Marathon and many more. She’s written for four sketch comedy teams and the short comedic play she co-wrote appeared at UCBT NY in fall of 2019. She has also created content for national brands and digital platforms. She is proud to be a Girls Write Now mentor and enjoys teaching writing and acting.

Kayla Dudley (she/her) is a poet, educator, and artivist dedicated to using storytelling as a tool for social change. A recent graduate from John Jay College with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Africana Studies, she explores the intersections of identity, justice, and healing through her work. She is the CEO/Founder of Healotry, a workshop series that invites participants to confront silence and reclaim their voices through creative expression. Her poetry often centers on love, resilience, and the lived experiences of Black women and queer communities. She aspires to continue blending art and advocacy as she pursues her graduates in creative writing and Africana Studies.

Mariah Dwyer is a Girls Write Now mentee alum and a member co-chair of the Editorial Committee for the Print Anthology. She previously worked as a Publicist at Little, Brown and Company and Fortier Public Relations.

Gabriela Galvin is a health journalist based in Washington, D.C., whose work focuses on the relationship between policy and people. Her reporting has taken her across the country, including California’s Central Valley and the Texas-Mexico border, as well as rural communities in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Washington.

Fiona Hernandez graduated from college last year with her B.A. in Journalism. Ever since she was a child, she watched the Today show every morning with her family. That inspired her to go into journalism because she wanted to travel around the world and share other people's stories. She loves to read, write, travel, and meditate. Her passion for journalism, communications, and public relations has shown her that storytelling is a powerful tool. She is excited to share her writing with all of you and create new stories!

Mentor Donna Hill is a multi-published author with more than 90 published titles to her credit. Three of her novels were adapted for television. Most recently, her novel Confessions is B-Flat is be adapted for the screen with Amblin Partners and Executive Producer Octavia Spencer. Donna has an MFA in Creative Writing and is currently an Assistant Professor at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.

A native Brooklynite, Kayah Hodge is a Digital Creator at Macmillan Publishers and member of the Girls Write Now Anthology Committee. The recent alumna of Hamilton College specialized in Creative Writing, honed her voice as a lover of literature, and was recently featured in Carnegie Hall's Afrofuturism display. Outside of writing mixed genre material, Kayah enjoys spending time learning new recipes and cooking with love. Her favorite authors include Jacqueline Woodson, James Baldwin, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She particularly appreciates work that sheds light on immigrant experiences and the vastness of underrepresented cultures.

Becca James in an editor living in Astoria, Queens.

This is Lauren Kiel’s third year as a mentor with Girls Write Now. She works at Bloomberg Media, where she is general manager for Bloomberg Green, an editorial brand focused on climate news and analysis. Lauren enjoys reading and caring for her plants, and she looks forward to getting to travel again soon.

Vahni Kurra (she/hers) hails from disparate parts of the American Midwest with roots in Southern India. She recently earned a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Kenyon College, where she co-edited Hika, Kenyon’s oldest, student-run literary magazine. Vahni’s work centers on themes of displacement, and her personal essay, “Banana Republic,” was published in Oyster River Pages. She is currently the book review editor for Sweet: A Literary Confection. Vahni has always been a strong advocate for the rights of women and trans* folks, as she has interned for NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and helped facilitate a peer support program for Kenyon students impacted by sexual assault. Vahni is excited to blend her passions for gender equality and creative writing as she works with Girls Write Now to ensure that all mentees have the same opportunities that she did to pursue their artistic and personal dreams.

Alejandre Lamas-Nemec is a Cuban-American poet and writer, and a member of Bryn Mawr College’s class of 2029.