Eve Becker founded Leaf and Pen to offer educators protected time and space to write and to practice what we teach. Eve taught middle school English in NYC for two decades, and currently teaches in the Comp and Rhetoric and the Creative Writing programs at Pace University, and supervises student teachers at Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to teaching, she was a writer and editor in both print and digital publishing. She is the author of over thirty young adult novels, and was awarded a Pushcart Prize for her personal essay "Final Concert." She holds a BA from Oberlin College, an MSEd from Cambridge College, and an EdM from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Affiliation: Leaf and Pen

Christine Feliciano-Barrett has been teaching high school English in Queens, NY since 1999 where she has recently been recognized by her students as one of her school’s most “trusted adults.” She is entering her third year of the doctoral program in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and is also an adjunct professor at Pace University where she teaches Composition. As an emerging Latina feminist scholar, and as a mother to four daughters, Christine’s work is focused on how Latina/Chicana/Black feminisms, specifically the methodology of testimonios, can be utilized in the secondary ELA classroom as counterstories and acts of resistance. 

Affiliation: Queens High School of Teaching and Teachers College, Columbia University

Diana Liu is currently a secondary ELA/ ENL educator in the New York City public school system. Diana is entering her fourth year as a PhD student in the English Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She also serves as an instructor to preservice teachers , teaching mentor, curriculum developer, and serves as a member of several professional organizations including NCTE’s Standing Committee on Diversity and Inclusivity and the Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English. She is currently one of NCTE’s 2020-2021 Early Career Educator of Color Leadership award recipients. 

Affiliation: Brooklyn Technical High School and Teachers College, Columbia University

Lauren Nappi has been teaching high school English since 2005, spending most of her career in the New York City Department of Education where she has been dedicated to increasing student access to diverse texts in the curriculum and classroom libraries. She has focused on empowering student voice through creative writing and founding her school’s online newspaper with a group of dedicated students. She has served as adjunct lecturer at Queensborough Community College where she taught Fundamentals of Reading and Composition. Currently serving as both teacher and UFT Teacher Center Instructional Coach, she works with teachers to hone their craft and continue their journey as lifelong learners. In her spare time, she writes Young Adult novels. Her debut, The Fear of Falling Apart, was released March 2022.

Affiliation: Queens High School of Teaching and UFT Teacher Center