Julia Andresakis is a writer born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is a former mentee, intern, and digital media producer for Girls Write Now — if you’ve scrolled through the Resources section of the website, you are familiar with her work.  She holds a degree in film and creative writing from Brooklyn College. While an undergraduate, she placed first in fiction in the 2019-2020 CUNYwide LaborArts “Making Work Visible” contest. An aficionado for all things surreal, uncanny, and liminal, her work typically focuses on lonely souls pursuing unconventional obsessions. Julia is excited to support Girls Write Now in a more involved capacity.

Azia Armstead (she/her) is a poet from Richmond, Virginia. She holds an MFA in Poetry from New York University where she received the Goldwater Fellowship. In 2019, Azia was a finalist for the Furious Flower Poetry Prize judged by A. Van Jordan and honorable mention for the Arts Club of Washington’s Scholarship Award for Poetry. Azia was chosen as a finalist for the 2023 Nine Syllables Press Chapbook Contest. Her work has appeared in Boston Review, The Quarry, Obsidian, Rattle and elsewhere. She currently lives in Brooklyn.

Annaya Baynes (she/they) is a Community Coordinator. They graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French. As an undergraduate, she worked on Spelman’s social justice podcast, The Blue Record, and the reproductive justice-oriented podcast Black Feminist Rants. Annaya has interned at various publishing houses, including Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and The Feminist Press. They have a deep love for literature and film. She is a Master’s student at NYU’s Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies.

Kayla Dudley, also known as KayTheePoet, is a poet, teaching artist, creative organizer, and founder of healotry, an initiative focused on healing through poetry, creative expression, and community. Kayla has been writing poetry since the age of 11, using her work to explore identity, belonging, love, healing, and the lived experiences of Black women and queer communities. She is a current mentee and also works with Girls Write Now, contributing to the organization’s mission of empowering young women and gender-expansive youth through writing, mentorship, and creative community. Her experience on both sides of the program has deepened her commitment to creating spaces where young people can develop their voices, build confidence, and recognize the power of their stories. Kayla holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Africana Studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School. Through poetry, education, and community organizing, she continues to use creativity as a tool for connection, empowerment, and healing.

Morayo Faleyimu is a Project Coordinator at Girls Write Now. She has previously served as a mentor, Anthology Committee Member, Editor-in-Residence, and Teacher-in-Residence at the organization. As a former educator, she is passionate about working with children and young people and advocating for education reform, reproductive rights, and environmental justice.

Sally Familia (they/them) is a queer poet and freelance editor. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Washington Heights, Familia has a rooted passion for their community. They spent a year serving as senior editor for La Galería Magazine, a Dominican-based magazine for the Dominican diaspora in Washington Heights. They hold a B.A. in creative writing with a focus on poetry from SUNY Oswego. Most recently, Sally’s passions have shifted; now incorporating a strong desire to work with and for the youth. Sally hopes to merge their love for literature, Queer and BIPOC communities, and the youth as they continue to navigate the artist/ professional dichotomy. Sally has been awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize for the poem, “The Trouble with Reminiscing” (2019). They were also nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Brooklyn Poets for the poem, “Esperanza, Republica Dominicana”. Sally is currently working on their first poetry collection.

Cazzie David is the creator, writer, and star of the critically acclaimed web series Eighty-Sixed. She is a columnist at Graydon Carter’s Air Mail and has written for Vanity Fair, the Hollywood Reporter, Glamour, InStyle and Vogue. She is also the author of the New York Times Bestselling memoir No One Asked for This (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Photo Credit: Katie Mccurdy

New York Times best-selling author Tayari Jones is the author of four novels, most recently An American Marriage. Published in 2018, An American Marriage is an Oprah’s Book Club Selection and also appeared on Barack Obama’s summer reading list as well as his year-end roundup. The novel was awarded the Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly known as the Orange Prize), Aspen Words Prize and an NAACP Image Award. It has been published in two dozen countries. Jones, a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow, has also been a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship, and Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. Her third novel, Silver Sparrow, was added to the NEA Big Read Library of classics in 2016. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is an Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University and the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Creative Writing at Emory University.

Emma Straub is the New York Times-bestselling author of four novels—All Adults Here, The Vacationers, Modern Lovers, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures—and the short story collection Other People We Married. Her books have been published in more than 20 languages, and All Adults Here is currently in development as a television series. Emma and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York.

Abbi Jacobson is an actor, writer and artist based in New York City. She is the Series Creator, Executive Producer and star of the critically-acclaimed show Broad City, premiering its fourth season this summer on Comedy Central. Upcoming, Jacobson will Executive Produce FX’s female-centric half-hour comedy pilot Meaty with Jessi Klein, and will star in the Netflix heroin drama 6 Balloons alongside Dave Franco. Jacobson is a New York Times-bestselling author of her illustrated book, Carry This Book, and has also released two coloring books: Color This Book: New York City and Color This Book: San Francisco.

Rupi Kaur is a poet, author, and performer. Her second book, the sun and her flowers—an instant global bestseller, is an artistic sibling to her debut, milk and honey—one of America’s bestselling books of 2017. milk and honey has sold over 5 million copies, been translated into more than 42 languages, and was on the New York Times Bestsellers List for over three years. Photo Credit: Nabil Shash

Cleo Wade is a friend, community builder, and the author of the books, “Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life” and “Where to Begin: A small book your power to create big change.” She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company. Cleo sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, the National Black Theatre in Harlem, the Women’s Prison Association. When Cleo is not at home in California with her partner, Simon Kinberg, and their daughter, Memphis, she can be found traveling around the country on her sold-out book tours, which have become a safe space to laugh, cry, hug, and offer support to fellow readers. Photo Credit: Rony Alwin

Kalki Beadell-Kaplan is a researcher in the cognitive science of Human-AI Systems, with a focus on preserving and growing critical thinking in the age of AI. She holds a master’s from the University of Oxford, where she created a course pathway to study Neuroscience and Buddhism. Currently, she is applying to PhDs in Human-Computer Interaction and is planning to research metacognitive awareness during AI interactions, with a focus on evidence-based design interventions. Kalki is passionate about raising neurobiological awareness in human-centered AI through interface design and user education. 

Tech Committee Member; Shifali Bose works at Adobe as a Digital Strategist for Automotive, working with senior leaders to identify digital gaps across the end-to-end customer experience and provide recommendations focused on the highest-value opportunities.

Anne (AN-ee) Caceres-Gonzalez is a first generation Caribbean Latina, born in New York and raised in the Bronx, whose intersectional lived experience has led her to advocate and create space for traditionally underrepresented communities in the workplace. Anne’s experience in people work extends across performance management, coaching, recruitment and learning and development, through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion, connecting people, and advocating personal + professional growth. The love Anne holds for her own identity and deep, profound respect she has for others’, are constantly working together to create a space where underrepresented groups feel safe and seen. Anne’s life ambition is to continue to center the voices of underrepresented people, as it’s key in order to decolonize and redefine those narratives. Anne is currently the Director of People and Culture at Mischief, a creative advertising agency in Brooklyn, NY and has previously held roles at other creative agencies like BBDO, 72andSunny and FCB. Anne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communications with a minor in English from Baruch College, is a member and has served on the National Executive Board of Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc, where she has mentored and empowered young women to find their voice.

Lisa Chai is the founder and general partner of Interwoven Ventures, leading the firm’s investment activities in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence. Lisa and her team at Interwoven are investing in mobility, smart cities, digital health, and manufacturing sectors. Lisa has over two decades of investing experience in both public and private markets where she was a SVP and portfolio manager for Palisade Capital, TPG/Angelo Gordon and Credit Suisse Asset Management’s emerging growth funds. Lisa is a long-time supporter of Girls Write Now having been on the Advisory Council, Finance and Audit Committee, Treasurer and a member of the board. Lisa is currently on the Girls Write Now Technology Committee.

Mentor Alum & Tech Committee Member; Felicia Dodge is currently living in the big city (New York) and chasing after even bigger dreams. She is fascinated by learning new things and has trouble staying in the same place for too long. Currently, she serves as the Director of Analytics & Insights at Monks and was previously part of the Audience Insights team at Twitter, leading custom research initiatives and developing data-backed strategies for brands in the sports & entertainment industries. She has spent the last 5 years in the tech industry, working with marketers to tell compelling stories with data.

Mentor Alum & Tech Committee Member; Rose Else-Mitchell leads the education business at Scholastic comprising all the company’s products and services in support of reading development and children’s social-emotional wellbeing created for prek-12 districts, schools, and direct to teachers. With a focus on meeting the highly diverse needs of all students, Education Solutions offers unparalleled literacy content, book collections, instruction, extended/ home learning, curricula and professional learning across print and digital formats. Education Solutions’ innovative, equitable, and effective materials which support children to learn to read and love to read serve over 90% of prek-12 institutions in the U.S. First joining Scholastic in 2000 as an instructional designer, Rose became Senior Vice-President, of Product Development for the EdTech business in 2008, developing READ 180 Next Generation, MATH 180 and System 44, which were sold to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) in 2015. She was later appointed Chief Learning Officer and EVP, Professional Learning, at HMH. Rose also serves as a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and chairs the Industry Council of the EdTech Evidence Exchange. Rose began her career in education as an ELA classroom teacher in Sydney, Australia.

For 27 years Nan worked at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, teaching developmental writing, composition, and women’s literature. She then became Academic Director of the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies for nine years. After retiring, she was part-time Director of Special Projects at John Jay College and consultant for the City University of New York and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation documenting the development of The Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, CUNY. She volunteers at The Whitney Museum, and has edited or coedited seven books. Her family consists of four children and 12 grandchildren.

Annaya Baynes (she/they) is a Community Coordinator. They graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French. As an undergraduate, she worked on Spelman’s social justice podcast, The Blue Record, and the reproductive justice-oriented podcast Black Feminist Rants. Annaya has interned at various publishing houses, including Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and The Feminist Press. They have a deep love for literature and film. She is a Master’s student at NYU’s Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies.

Audrey is a grant writer in her professional life and enjoys writing fiction and poetry about causes she is passionate about, including animal welfare. She tends to write poetry and short stories with fantasy and/or horror elements. She graduated in May of 2024 as an English major with a minor in Creative writing. Some authors who have inspired her are Margaret Atwood, Ellen Hopkins, and Suzanne Collins.

Ashley-Anna Aboreden was born and raised in Miami, Florida to a Cuban mother and Saudi Arabian father. At a young age, she began writing as a form of self-discovery which eventually helped her connect with her queer identity. She received her BA in English Education from Florida International University and an MFA in fiction from The New School. She is a writer for Miami New Times, has work published in Gay City News, and was the deputy editor of The Inquisitive Eater. A former English teacher of five years, she is now the Communications Coordinator at New York County Defender Services where she works on the policy team to advance criminal justice reform. She is also the founder of Beyond the Margins Book Club, a group dedicated to only reading marginalized voices. Her fiction blends elements of horror with explorations of identity and social injustice. Represented by Janklow & Nesbit, she is working on publishing her debut novel. She spends most of her free time going on NYC walks with her fiancée and their weenie dog, Puddles.

Jennifer L. Brown is an author of middle grade and young adult novels. She spent many years as a performer, working in theatres across the country in plays ranging from contemporary musicals to Shakespeare. When not writing, she tutors standardized tests, English, and essay writing. Her novel won a space in an intensive mentoring program called Pitch Wars in the fall of 2017. She has served as a mentor in that same program for the last four years. Her writing is represented by Alyssa Jennette at Stonesong Literary.

Christiane Calixte is a Brooklyn-based Caribbean American freelance writer and public speaker studying Creative Writing at Columbia University. She is passionate about exploring literature and media to shine a light on issues affecting justice-impacted marginalized communities. As a teaching artist at the literary organization Girls Write Now, she has taught multiple community studios exploring writing as a means of cultural expression and advocacy. As a Community Service Director for the Columbia Black Pre-Law Society, she collaborated with CUNY Law School and Books Through Bars to expand access to books in prisons nationwide. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, YR Media, the New York Public Library's Teen Voices Magazine, and the Girls Write Now Anthology.

Jasmine Chvilicek is a writer and advocate. She was born and raised in the Midwest, but longs to live under the California sun one day. Jasmine has been writing poetry since she was 11 years old and continues to write with her heart on her sleeve in hopes of reaching the souls of humanity with her words. Jasmine is a natural storyteller, with many of her poems exhibiting creative story arcs and detailed metaphors. She has a knack for free verse and often writes about all that is life, including trauma and healing, the complexities of mental health and illness, nature, emotional milestones, and the little glimmers of joy. As an emerging poet, Jasmine is currently working on her first poetry collection. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and scrapbooking.

Marya Cohn is a writer/director and film professor. Her feature script, Hurricane Season, currently in development, was invited to The Writers Lab, on the Wscripted Excellent Screenplays by Women at Cannes list, a Sundance Writers Lab finalist, a Nicholls quarterfinalist, and received a Tangerine Fellowship to Stowe Story Labs. She wrote and directed the feature film, The Girl in the Book, starring Emily Van Camp and Michael Nyqvist, which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and was released by Myriad Pictures and Freestyle Releasing. She directed the low-budget feature, Shoplifting Chanel, written by Kate Moira Ryan, which premiered at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and played at festivals worldwide. The short film she wrote and directed, Developing, starring Natalie Portman and Frances Conroy, screened at Sundance, won grand prizes at the Belgian Festival Mondial du Cinéma de Court Métrage and the St. Petersburg Message to Man Film Festival, and aired on The Sundance Channel and 13’s Reel NY. She has also directed plays at numerous off-Broadway venues. Marya teaches screenwriting at The New School and advises students at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she is the Chair of the Film Program. She also mentors at Nostos screenwriting retreats. She received her MFA from NYU.

Kenna DeValor (they/them) is a nonbinary + queer writer, journalist, literary agent, and current graduate student based in Northeast Pennsylvania. They hold a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing from Bloomsburg University. Currently, they attend Wilkes University’s Maslow Family Creative Writing MA/MFA program for Fiction, and they are writing their MA Thesis: a debut YA dark academia novel while working under the incredible YA author Allison Saft as their mentor. In DeValor’s career, they have been published 70+ times in various art/literary journals and magazines around the US, UK, and Australia. They have been nominated twice in 2025 for Best of the Net (1x for visual art & 1x for short fiction) and once for Best Short Fictions 2026. They have their poetry collection DISCOFRUIT available at certain indie bookshops in Pennsylvania! (Friendly Alien Bookstores etc.) They also started their very own nonprofit (501c3) literary arts magazine in 2019 called FlowerMouth Press that uplifts diverse voices, which has amassed over 4,000 followers. When DeValor is not writing, reading, making zines, drawing, analyzing banned books, or performing onstage, they are a journalist for a local newspaper, a professional tattoo artist, and a professional typewriter poet contracted with the Poetry Society of New York. They are a passionate library supporter and proud library card holder. Kenna can also be found occasionally performing their writing live on-stage, performing in theatre, and going on adventures with their fiancé, Drew. Learn more about Kenna: www.kennadevalor.com Kenna’s main instagram @teadragonz, Kenna’s writer instagram @kennadevalorwrites, and their magazine FlowerMouth Press @flowermouthpress.