FALL 2023 & SPRING 2024 FELLOWS
Grazi Ruzzante is a Brazilian writer based in NYC. She’s also an English-Portuguese translator and ESL teacher with over 15 years of experience. She had her first novel published in Brazil in 2022 and currently pursues an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School.
Cody Tigue was born and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He has a BA from the University of Central Arkansas and is currently in the MFA program at The New School, studying Writing for Children and Young Adults. In his free time, he’s often having impromptu writing sessions with friends, searching for a sweet treat, or reading in bed.
Shelby McDonald is a writer from Berkeley, California. She now lives in New York City where she is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School. She likes to write about the many layers of love and resentment in the folds of families. She holds a BA in English and Hispanic Studies. She has worked as a tutor, art teacher, and event coordinator.
Kate Millar is a poet and writer from Edinburgh, Scotland, currently living in New York City to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School. She holds an MA in English from the University of St. Andrews. She sees poetry everywhere, especially in indie/alternative music, nature, and conversations with friends/strangers. Her work can be found in Gutter Magazine, Ekstasis, BOMB, and Atwood Magazine. When not writing, Kate is likely doing collage-based crafts, psychoanalysing her dreams, or talking-instead-of-working in cafes with her friends.
Em Deimling (they/them) is a professionally agented author with over thirty literary magazine publications. They hold a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from The Ohio State University and are currently an MFA candidate at The New School and a university writing, ADHD, and time management consultant.
Jennifer Cho Salaff is a second-generation Korean American journalist, columnist, and editor who is currently in Act II of her writing life: literary fiction. She earned her BA from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School. Her award-winning work has appeared in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, LA Daily News, Orange County Register and Darling Magazine, among others. A California girl with Midwest roots, Jennifer is a New Yorker at heart and lives in East Harlem with her husband and two teenage children.
Hannah Burns is a Brooklyn based writer from Charleston, SC, studying fiction in The New School’s MFA program. Her work centers around desire, memory, domesticity, and the devastating yet hopeful nature of our little human rituals. You can find Hannah co-hosting The New School’s monthly reading series at KGB bar or haunting various libraries, parks, and museums throughout the city.
Emma Minor is a British writer currently based in New York City. She is studying for an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School and is hard at work on her first novel. Emma also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from a leading university in the UK and previously lived in Sierra Leone, where she ran communications for a healthcare not-for-profit.
A New Yorker born and raised, Caroline Shifke is back in New York City as an MFA candidate in fiction at The New School, where she also serves as a WriteOn Teaching Fellow. After graduating from Princeton University, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Southeastern Turkey. She was a 2018 Stony Brook Children’s Lit Fellow, and volunteers with Girls Write Now. You can find her personal essays about chronic illness and health in HuffPost and Teen Vogue.
Naomi Day is a queer Black human writing Afro-centric speculative fiction that centers those who live in liminal spaces. Formerly an engineer and an editor, she is currently pursuing a dual MFA in Fiction and Writing for Children and Young Adults from The New School. Her short fiction has appeared in FIYAH Literary Magazine, The Seventh Wave, and Black Warrior Review. She believes in the power of stories and the power of nature in equal measure.
Luuk Vulkers is a writer, researcher and curator from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is currently pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) at The New School as a Fulbright Fellow. Before moving to New York City, he studied Art History at the University of Amsterdam, and worked together with contemporary artists on the realization of new works. He regularly contributes essays, features, interviews and criticism to magazines and newspapers.
Young G. Kim is a writer from Los Angeles and holds a BA in American Literature and Culture from UCLA. Born in Seoul, Korea, he has deep interests in bicultural experiences, but enjoys reading and writing all genres from children’s books to horror. Currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School, he is engaged in crafting creative projects that highlight the narratives of underrepresented immigrants.
María E. Schmidt is a poet originally from Mexico City. She is fascinated with Latin American literature and poetry and has actively promoted the literary work of many young voices from the region. One of her biggest dreams is to launch a Creative Writing School in Mexico City for children and people who want to heal through the power of words. Lately, you can find her researching about the history of perfumes and scents.
Emily Elkind is a writer and educator. Currently, she is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the New School where she is writing her first novel. Her fiction centers on queer characters and the complexity of family. She has a Masters in Education from Columbia Teachers College and taught for ten years before pursuing writing full time. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Kelby Clark is a poet and fiction writer, based in Brooklyn, NY, but born and bred across the Hudson in New Jersey. She’s a second-year MFA in Creative Writing student pursuing a dual fiction and poetry concentration at TNS, but over the years her nonfiction writing has appeared in publications such as USA Today and Complex Magazine. She’s also done creative work for mega media brands like MTV, BET, and VH1. Now, she’s focused on expanding her portfolio of poems and finishing her debut novel. Her work explores topics of race and Black identity, as well as topics like the myth of suburban bliss.
Rebecca Molloy was born and raised in the North West of England and now lives in Brooklyn. She holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. Her fiction explores complicated women, queerness, and nature, and she has a crush on the moon. She has never written a story without a dog in it.
FALL 2022 & SPRING 2023 FELLOWS
Haleigh Blackwell is a fiction writer in the Writing for Children and Young Adults concentration of The New School’s MFA in Creative Writing Program. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Film from Baylor University. In her free time, you’ll find her running around Queens and Brooklyn, reading or writing at her local coffee shop, or relaxing in Central Park.
Helena Grande (she/her) is a writer from Madrid, Spain. She is currently living in New York City where she is studying for an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School. Her writing practice combines memoir, scientific research, and magic elements. She is the author of the flash fiction collection Speech Choke (Hocus Bogus Publishing 2020) Her essays and fiction have appeared in Dostoyevsky Wannabe, A*Desk, Fictional Journal, nY, and the Research Catalog, among others.
Younis B. Azeem was born and raised in Islamabad, Pakistan. He is currently a Fulbright Scholar pursuing a third year at The New School’s MFA Creative Writing Program where his concentration is fiction. You can catch Younis co-hosting The New School’s monthly reading series at the KGB Bar, or at a dollar pizza near you.
Maya Moverman is a writer from New York City. She holds a BA in Written Arts from Bard College and is earning her MFA in Fiction from The New School. She writes about Jewishness and New York City, and is currently working on a novel inspired by her time in the wellness industry.
Grace Shields is so excited to return to George Jackson Academy for another semester of WriteOn! Based in Brooklyn, Grace is a third year MFA student at The New School studying fiction and creative nonfiction. Formerly an organic farmer/educator, she enjoys being outdoors, hands-on learning, and working with young people to make education fun. When not curled up with a book and a strong cup of tea, she can generally be found jumping into the ocean, taking her dog to the park, or sketching out graphic memoir drafts in her spare time. Her work has been featured in Sazeracs Smoky Ink literary magazine.
Vibha Balaji is an MFA candidate at The New School. When she is not writing, she can be found in her apartment in Brooklyn, chipping away at an extensive reading list and overwatering her plants. Her short stories are an exploration of South Indian families, mothers and daughters, and the violence of inextricable relationships. She is presently working on a novel that places the same characters in different permutations, drawing on the question of what is altered and what is left unchanged.
Cole Plunkett loves reading and writing even more than he loves the circus he grew up in with his family. He currently lives in New Jersey, and, while getting his MFA in Creative Writing at The New School, he works as a bookseller at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square, New York. There’s nothing he doesn’t want to try – except for skydiving.
Madison Ford is a Brooklyn-based writer and actor, currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at The New School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies and Creative Writing from Columbia University. She is the Editor-in-Chief of The New School’s food writing publication,The Inquisitive Eater and a Production Assistant at The Brooklyn Rail. Among her many fascinations are hauntings, miniature horses and the prolific film canon of Nicolas Cage.
Nicole Baricevic is a YA Fiction writer from Bayside, Queens. She holds a BA in Biological Sciences from CUNY Hunter College and worked as a research assistant in pediatrics, psychology, and cardiology before coming to The New School. Embracing her passion for reading and love of all things magic, Nicole began to write her very own fantasy novel which led her to apply to the Creative Writing Program. She is currently pursuing an MFA in the Writing for Children and Young Adult concentration. As a former pre-med student, Nicole was taught that healing occurs by using one’s hands. Today, as a writer, she wishes to show the world that healing can occur by using one’s words too.
Charlie Dale is a trans-masculine, queer, poet, and writer who is currently an MFA Candidate at The New School. They have tutored in writing for over four year and have spoken at several Cultivating Voices Poetry Pride Parades and the KGB Red Room. They strive to cultivate a world of liberation through vulnerability – both on the page and in the world.
Lizz Dawson is a writer from York, PA living in New York City. She’s a nonfiction MFA candidate at The New School. Lizz worked as an editorial intern at Creative Nonfiction magazine and as an editorial assistant for Story Magazine. Currently, she is an editorial associate at Teachers & Writers Collaborative. You can find her work online at Story, Peatsmoke Journal, Bending Genres, Elephant Journal, and Hayden’s Ferry Review. You can find her newsletter, Hangry Ghost, on Substack.
Sophie Brown is in the MFA Creative Writing program at The New School in the Nonfiction concentration. She is a writer, critic and documentary creative consultant for filmmakers. She reviews projects for the Sundance Institute’s Sandbox Fund and is a Documentary Programme Advisor for the BFI London Film Festival.
Remie Arena is from New Orleans, Louisiana. She is currently living in New York City where she is pursuing an MFA in creative writing with a focus in fiction at The New School. She holds a BA from New York University in journalism and English Literature with a minor in history. In her free time, you can find Remie lounging with a book in a park, painting, or simply listening to music and meandering around the city (one of her favorite activities).
Jason Chun is a writer from San Francisco, California, currently pursuing his MFA in Fiction at The New School. He has, on occasion, skateboarded to work, performed spoken word poetry in front of strangers, and stood on a table to emphasize a point. He loves science fiction, grunge rock, and warm cafes.
Luopu Malakla is pursuing an MFA in creative writing at The New School.
FALL 2021 & SPRING 2022 FELLOWS
Ruth Weissmann is a writer from Upstate New York and a former breaking news reporter for the New York Post. She recently got dual citizenship with Germany and hopes to visit. In her free time she enjoys reading her hometown newspaper, rollerblading, and group chats.
Waverly Herbert is a fiction writer from Memphis, TN. She loves teaching, reading, walking aimlessly, and talking to animals. Her novel-in-progress explores the intersections of psychology, gender, and politics.
Aurora Celestin is a poet, playwright, and fiction writer from Manhattan. She holds a BA in creative writing and religion from Columbia University. She is now an MFA in creative writing fiction concentrator and French Studies graduate minor at The New School; she is also an Impact Entrepreneurship Fellow. Her writing often deals with intersectionality and social identity, mental illness, and theological reimaginings. She is passionate about creating more representation in literature and fostering healthy and inclusive spaces in education and religion.
Stone E. Mims is an MFA Candidate in Creative Writing with concentrations in Fiction and Writing for Children and Young Adults at The New School. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Literary Studies and Creative Writing in 2019. Though Stone’s educational life has
persisted in the northeast, he has lived the entirety of his life below the Mason Dixon Line in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently represented by Serendipity Literary Agency.
Jonathan Keshishoglou often shortens his name to “Jonathan Kesh” or just “Jonny.” He is a writer and journalist from San Jose, California, who is currently living in Queens while pursuing his MFA at The New School. He’s gotten to cover a wide range of news beats from graphic novels to NASA probes to Game of Thrones, and you can find his articles in Mashable, The Rumpus, and Content Magazine.
Gwen Sachs currently lives in New York City where she is studying creative writing with a concentration in fiction at The New School. She received her BA from the College of William and Mary. Her main teaching experience comes from teaching preschool and English as a Second Language lessons. She enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing mini golf.
Crysta Garcia is a NYC native in her second year of the creative writing MFA program at The New School, concentrating in poetry. As a teacher and someone who found writing to be extremely helpful in her mental health, Crysta is very interested in creative writing as a form of expression and therapeutic reflection that can be helpful to children and young adults to process their thoughts and feelings.
Makayla Smith From porcelain clay and other organic minerals of the Earth’s surface came a child: nappy headed, damned but loved, and girlish looking. Raised by devout Christian Baby Boomers, Makayla Smith describes her early adolescence as both experimental and intergenerational. Her small, rural Alabama city, Matthews, was a home full of people who built both tangible and abstract things with their hands: watching her grandparents coddle and caress grandchildren back when they were sad, hearing stories of yesterday from her predecessors of how they unified brick and mortar in the spirit of family when there were only two of them (Bessie Louise Williams and Edward Smith), and where others like herself anxiously anticipated year round to snatch wrapping paper from the bodies of Playstation 2 games long lost to nostalgia. Video games consoles came first, displaying some type of erudition in its nature. Besides, she knew, she understood really, that even if she couldn’t control her reality, then she understood that there was someone else’s that she could. Then, writing came in the seventh grade.
FALL 2020 & SPRING 2021
Tidenek Haileselassie studied communication and worked as a consultant with international nonprofits in Ethiopia, where she is from, before joining The New School, where she is pursuing a dual concentration in fiction and creative nonfiction as a second year MFA student. In her spare time, Tidenek likes to travel and explore the place where she’s local through a traveler’s eyes.
Rob Madison is pursuing an MFA in fiction at The New School. His interests include prose style, depictions of inner life, literary criticism, long-form profiles, and steamed broccoli.
Ladane Nasseri is a journalist and writer living in New York City. She is a former Middle East correspondent for Bloomberg News, and has reported from Tehran, Dubai, and Beirut. Ladane has an MA in international relations from Columbia University and is completing her MFA at the New School, focusing on narrative nonfiction and literary journalism. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Businessweek, Newsweek and McSweeney’s among others. She is a certified yoga teacher and Zen practitioner who likes the sight of foxes, the aroma of coffee beans, the sound of crickets, the taste of matcha, and the fluffiness of her Persian cat.
Jake Steinberg is a comedian and screenwriter based in the East Village. From LA to New York, Jake has appeared in various comedy clubs around the country begging people to laugh at him. His dream is to work with or around the character of Superman or get heat vision–whichever happens first!
Aekta Khubchandani is a writer and poet from Bombay. She is the founder of poetry plant project, a safe and inclusive space to nourish poems. She is currently earning her MFA in creative writing from The New School in New York. Her recent fiction “Love in Bengali Dialect” is the winner of Pigeon Pages Fiction Contest judged by Julia Phillips. Her poems were awarded the winner of honorable mention by Paul Violi Prize. Her work has been feature in Jaggery Lit, Vayavya, The Aerogram, Sky Island Journal, and elsewhere. Besides this, she has performed spoken word poetry in India, Bhutan, and New York.
Andre Broussard is a writer and essayist based in Brooklyn by way of New Orleans. He holds a BA in English from Loyola University New Orleans and is currently studying for his MFA in fiction at TNS. He has worked as a bookseller, an English tutor, an editor, a proofreader, a designer, and a salesman, among other things.
Alex Vara is a writer from Mill Valley, California, currently in the second year of her MFA at The New School. Before moving to New York, Alex spent five years teaching and working with preschool through high school students. Her experience includes the Bay School in Blue Hill, Maine, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, and Deer Isle Arts Camp.
Cassie Archdeacon is a writer living in Brooklyn by way of Oyster Bay, New York. She holds a B.A. from NYU Gallatin, where she concentrated in creative writing and genre studies. Cassie is a literary speaking agent and English tutor by day, and a second-year fiction student by night. Her work has appeared in GEN, Elemental, and the NYT Metropolitan Diary.
FALL 2019 & SPRING 2020
Jude Loscar is a fiction writer from Staten Island with a B.A. in English Literature from Hunter College. They are currently a second year student in the Creative Writing MFA at The New School. Catch them on the Staten Island Ferry, writing the next scene of their novel or crocheting a scarf.
Auriane Desombre is a YA writer currently pursuing an MA in English Literature from NYU and an MFA in Creative Writing for Children & Young Adults from TNS. She holds a BA in English Literature from NYU, and has shared her passion for books through her experience working as an 8th-grade writing teacher.
Zac Ginsburg is a fiction writer from Chicago whose experience as an educator includes teaching creative writing at StoryStudio Chicago, substitute teaching, tutoring, coaching soccer, and volunteering through organizations such as 826NYC. He is in his second year in the Creative Writing MFA at TNS and can be found attending literary events around New York, running on Randall’s Island, and looking for the best chopped cheese sandwich in the city.
Nadja Tiktinsky holds a BA in Creative Writing from Southern Methodist University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at TNS. She also works as a bookseller at Books of Wonder and runs an editorial consulting business.
Olivia-Jane Ureles holds a BA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Writing for Nonfiction at The New School. She hopes to inspire students to write authentically and find joy in expressing their humanity through prose. She also enjoys a nightly scoop of Taro ice cream.
Daniel Goulden is a writer, teacher, and born and raised Brooklynite. He’s a second-year MFA student at TNS, working on a novel based upon the life of Zeppo Marx.
FALL 2018 & SPRING 2019
Cynthia Amoah is a spoken word artist, performer, and writer originally from Ghana, West Africa. She holds a MFA in poetry from TNS and has been featured on the stages of TEDx Drew University and TEDx Ohio State University. When she is not found writing or performing, Cynthia enjoys travelling, spending time with family, and wandering museums.
Kiri Milburn is from Melbourne, Australia. She is a former litigation lawyer and holds a MFA in Fiction from TNS. When she isn’t writing, she’s teaching yoga or tending to her alpacas, donkeys, sheep and goats at her small farm in upstate NY.
Candice Ralph holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She is writing a novella as well as a series of picture books.
Jillian Fraker has an MFA in Nonfiction from TNS. She is writing a memoir and currently teaches in Nantucket.
FALL 2017 & SPRING 2018
Luthfun J. Nahar is a formerly undocumented writer from Sanddwip, Bangladesh. She is a co-founder of Atlas:DIY, an immigrant youth center. Luthfun holds a Bachelor’s in English Education from Hunter College and enjoys teaching in NYC public high schools. She holds an MFA in Fiction from TNS.
Jessica Gross’s writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, Longreads, and The Paris Review Daily, among other places. She holds an MFA in Fiction from TNS. She is working on a novel about Freud.
Yasmin is a MFA graduate from TNS.
Lauren Routt moved to NYC from Miami, Fl to pursue her MFA in poetry at TNS. She studied Latin American Studies and Education at Haverford College and proceeded to work as an educator for Teach for America in Miami. Passionate about education and poetry, Lauren is excited to begin working for WriteOn! as a creative writing teacher. In her free time, Lauren enjoys attending music festivals, wandering the insides of museums, and sharing her musings on being a young woman in NY on her blog.
Grady Granos is a teacher and writer of prose fiction and screenplays with a background in film production. Hailing from Minnesota, he lived for many years in Sweden, England, and China, which has informed both his creative work and his approach to education.
FALL 2016 & SUMMER 2017
José Garcia graduated from the Creative Writing Program at TNS. His writing and interviews have appeared in Guernica, Lit Hub, The Millions, Words without Borders, and Slice Literary Magazine. He is a Fulbright scholar from Guatemala.
Nicole Starczak is a graduate of TNS’s Creative Writing MFA Program. She had taught at TNS and is the former director of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. She is currently working on a novel.
Elise Burchard is an MFA graduate from TNS. She is an unpublished but aspiring writer and her sketch comedy has been featured in the Mary Scruggs Works by Women Festival of the Second City Family Chicago.
Krisanne Madaus, while teaching this course, was a production assistant at Vanity Fair and an MFA graduate in Fiction from TNS. She was working to complete her collection of linked stories inspired by her hometown, and her work has been published by Springgun Press.
SPRING 2016
