Tomasen M. Carey is the Director of the UNH Writers Academy, Field Coordinator for the Learning Through Teaching Program, and Instructor of the New Hampshire Literacy Institutes. Her articles have appeared in the New England Reading Journal and she is the voice behind the blog, conversationeducation.com.
Lauren de Constant has been a literacy educator for more than 25 years and loves working with young adults as they develop their individual voices through the power of language. She works to develop a sense of community and unconditional support when teaching writing so that young people can take positive risks and express themselves with confidence. The Writer's Academy is the perfect place for young adults to explore and share ideas while making new friends who also love to write!
Shelley Girdner teaches at the University of New Hampshire. Her poems have been published in several journals, including most recently Hunger Mountain and Painted Bride Quarterly, as well as The Indiana Review, Mid-American Review, Poet Lore and others. She’s been a featured poet in the Aurorean, a finalist for the Slapering Hol Chapbook Prize, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in poetry. More recently, she was featured for PBS News Hour’s Poetry spotlight.
Dennis Magliozzi and Kristina Peterson have been teaching English Language Arts in public schools for over fourteen years. Dennis has an MFA in poetry and a PhD in Education from UNH, where his work focused on adolescent literacy, poetry, and school programming. Kristina has a Master’s in Teaching from George Fox University and mentored new teachers for over a decade. They’ve supervised teaching interns at UNH since 2017 and co-teach in NH Summer Literacy Institute. They are co-founders of Bookshelf Diversity, a state-wide grant project designed to bring books from diverse authors and content into the hands of NH students. Dennis and Kristina are Ambassadors for NH’s Racial Unity Team’s Art in Action project.
Ashley Healey is a National Board-Certified Teacher out of Stratham, New Hampshire. An avid reader and writer, Ashley strives to build strong literacy identities in her students. She believes in student empowerment, finding joy, and being true to oneself. As a strong supporter of ecowellness, Ashley is always looking for ways to infuse nature into her teaching. For the past 9 years, she has engaged in continual professional growth through the Learning Through Teaching program and the Summer Literacy Institutes of the University of New Hampshire. While she spends her school year with our youngest learners, Ashley has enjoyed writing alongside the 5th-8th grade writers at the UNH Writers Academy for the past ten summers.
David McCormick has been an elementary school educator for more than 20 years. He currently brings his experience to Lee, NH, where he builds learning communities in multi-grade classrooms.
Mark Holt-Shannon has taught middle school in New Hampshire for more than 10 years. He has published a scattering of essays and stories and works as a freelance photographer in the New Hampshire Seacoast.
Sarah Fenerty has taught English at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy (her former high school!) for five years. She received her BA in English at UNH, and has regularly attended the university’s Literacy Institute in the summers. Sarah has a deep love and appreciation for all types of writing, but especially enjoys creative non-fiction. She likes to combine writing and art as often as possible. This is Sarah’s second year as an instructor at the Academy and she is thrilled to be back!
John Klossner is a cartoonist who lives in Maine. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, WIRED, and numerous publications around the globe. His cartoons have also appeared in LOBSTER THERAPY and MOOSE PICKUP LINES, a collection of Maine Cartoons (Down East) and SEND HELP! A collection of Marooned Cartoons (Voracious Books).
John teaches cartooning at the Institute of Art and Design at New England College. He can be sighted at many local coffee shops.
Clark Knowles teaches writing at the University of New Hampshire. The Arts Council of the State of New Hampshire awarded him an Individual Fellowship in 2009. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in recent issues of: The New Guard, RE:AL, Outlook Springs, The Collagist, Northern New England Review, Harpur Palate, Conjunctions, Limestone, Nimrod, Eclipse, and Glimmer Train Stories. If you can't find him, he's probably at yoga.
Lisa Rockenmacher has taught Language Arts to adolescents and young adults in various educational settings for nearly two decades. She enjoys crafting curriculum that allows for creative engagement and nurtures and encourages the voices of emerging writers. Beyond teaching, reading, and writing, Lisa enjoys walks in the woods, foraging, yoga, and spending time with family, friends, and pets.
Karen Atherton was a student of Donald Graves at UNH where she learned to use the Writing Process in her classroom. She has over 35 years of experience teaching elementary and middle school.
