Maryann is thrilled to be teaching creative writing at 826NYC! She works across genres and with students of all ages. Maryann has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from New York University and master of fine arts in writing from Sarah Lawrence College. She’s also pursuing a master’s in mental health counseling at Hunter College. Originally from Montana, she now lives in New York City with three cats. In her free time, Maryann loves writing, running, and learning to play piano.

Kwesi Jamiah Baird (J'miah) is a Brooklyn born and raised spoken word poet-actor-artist. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a BFA in Acting. J'miah has performed in theatrical productions as well as open mics. He loves anime and his favorite color is turquoise.

María Alejandra Barrios is a Pushcart-nominated writer born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has an MA in Creative Writing from The University of Manchester and currently lives in Brooklyn. Her stories have been published in places such as Hobart Pulp, Reservoir Journal, Cosmonauts Avenue, Jellyfish Review, Lost Balloon, Shenandoah Literary, Vol.1 Brooklyn, El Malpensante, Moon City Review, Fractured Lit, and SmokeLong Quarterly. Her work is forthcoming in Pidgeonholes and The Offing.  She was the 2020 SmokeLong Flash Fiction Fellow and her work has been supported by organizations such as Vermont Studio Center, Caldera Arts Center, and the New Orleans Writing Residency.

Amanda Dettmann is a poet, teacher, and performer from Maine who's taught writing to students all over the world, including in Italy, Nicaragua, and New York. Her work can be found in her poetry book Untranslatable Honeyed Bruises as well as The Emerson Review, The Amistad, South Florida Poetry Journal, The Oakland Review, and The National Poetry Quarterly, among others. She is currently crossing off her bookstore bucket list and calling Brooklyn her second home of crazy stories and sprained subway ankles.

Amy Dupcak is a writer, editor, tutor, and longtime writing instructor who loves working with kids and teens. She's the author of the short story collection Dust and co-editor of the anthology Words After Dark. Her writing has also been published in Entropy, Phoebe, Sonora Review, Hypertext, Pangyrus, District Lit, Passengers, and other journals. She earned her MFA in Fiction from The New School and studied fiction and poetry during undergrad at Sarah Lawrence. Aside from reading and writing, she loves playing chess, drinking tea, making playlists, and taking photos of street art on long, aimless walks.

Daniel Goulden is a writer, teacher, and climate organizer living in Brooklyn NY. They love biking, cooking, baking bread, brewing kombucha and telling absolutely terrible jokes. They're working on a novel based on the life of Zeppo Marx and can't wait for you to read it! 

Varud Gupta is the award-winning author of the graphic novel Chhotu: A Tale of Love and Partition (Comic Con India “Best Writer”) and the travelogue Bhagwaan Ke Pakwaan: Food of the Gods (Gourmand award for “Peace”). His words also frequently appear in National Geographic and Mint Lounge. 

His career as a writer began after quitting a short-lived career as a management consultant to travel and eat his way across the globe. When not writing, he is usually experimenting in the kitchen, collecting Instant Noodles, or playing Dungeons & Dragons. He received his bachelors in Finance from New York University and is a Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Art and Design.

Di Jayawickrema is a writer, educator, and Sri Lankan New Yorker. Her cross-genre writing has appeared in New Delta Review, The Pinch, Wildness, Entropy, and elsewhere.  A Kundiman fellow, and a VONA and Tin House alumnus, her writing has been nominated for Best of the Net and anthologized in Best Microfiction.  She is also an Editor for fiction at The Offing and for features at The Rumpus. When she’s not working with words, you can find her hunting down a new hole-in-the-wall restaurant, park, beach, music venue, and everything else our city has to offer!

Nandi Maunder is a current first year graduate student at Columbia University’s Fiction Writing program. She was 2023–2024 U.S. Fulbright student to South Africa. She is a graduate of San Diego State University, where she earned her degree in English Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies, as well as a certificate in Children’s Literature. Hailing from Oakland, California, Nandi has been involved with theater and creative writing for most of her life.

Magellan J. Pfluke is a Brooklyn-based educator and creator with nine years’ experience as a humanities instructor, teacher leader, and professional learning specialist. By day, they facilitate workshops for NYC’s public school social studies educators to support them in centering young people’s curiosity, criticality, and creativity. By later-in-the-day-and-also-night, Magellan co-hosts a long-running TV “book club” podcast (Chatz: A Television Podcast); plays all the tabletop games they can; and spends time with their partner taking care of their foster kittens. They hold a BA in History with a Creative Writing Minor from Stanford University, the exact degree combination they needed to become the APUSH teacher who also ran the D&D Club.

Reuben Sack is a multi-genre writer, teacher and ghostwriter. His children’s fiction includes a dozen novels in the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mystery series for Simon and Schuster, and a Batman picture book for Penguin Random House/DC Comics. Reuben teaches creative writing to kids of all ages in schools across NYC and beyond. At the college level, he has guest lectured at Full Sail University Film School and Hunter College School of Education. Reuben is also a dedicated gardener who can often be found outside discussing new story ideas with his plants.