Our Team
We’re committed to honoring and strengthening communities through the arts. We dream and we do.
-
LILLIAN FENZIL
Co-op Program Assistant
LILLIAN IS A THIRD YEAR DREXEL STUDENT WITH A CUSTOM DESIGNED MAJOR IN ACADEMIC COUNSELING AND ADVISING, AND IS WORKING WITH WRITERS ROOM FOR HER SPRING/SUMMER CO-OP. HER YEARS WITH TRIPOD ENCOURAGED HER INVOLVEMENT WITH PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. -
NOEL GANTT
AmeriCorps VISTA
NOEL IS A POET, SPOKEN WORD ARTIST, AND AUTHOR CURRENTLY PURSUING A B.S. IN PSYCHOLOGY. SHE HOPES TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE THERAPY AND ART MEET TO ENCOURAGE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND SELF DEVELOPMENT. SHE WILL BE WORKING WITH SECOND STORY COLLECTIVE.
-
JESSICA GREEN
Operations Manager
JESSICA IS THE OPERATIONS MANAGER AT WRITERS ROOM SUPPORTING THE GREAT IDEAS AND SMALL DETAILS. THE THREAD THAT TIES TOGETHER HER LIFE EXPERIENCES AND PULLS HER FORWARD IS THE DESIRE TO CREATE SOCIAL CHANGE AND UPLIFT THE HUMAN HEART THROUGH ART AND CREATIVITY.
-
VICTORIA HUGGINS PEURIFOY
Community Engagement Liaison
VICTORIA HUGGINS PEURIFOY IS A RECENT GRADUATE OF PEIRCE COLLEGE RECEIVING A BS IN ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP. SHE IS A WRITERS ROOM FOUNDING MEMBER, AN AUTHOR, PHOTOGRAPHER, POET, AND SPOKEN WORD ARTIST. FOR 14 YEARS, SHE FACILITATED A SENIOR CITIZEN POETRY AND DISCUSSION GROUP AND CO-FACILITATES A STORYTELLING GROUP CALLED THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE SO FAR. SHE IS THE MOTHER OF THREE AND GRANDMOTHER TO TEN. -
LAUREN LOWE
Adjunct Instructor & Managing Editor
LAUREN LOWE IS A WRITER AND A TEACHING ARTIST WITH FAMILY ROOTS IN PHILADELPHIA’S CHINATOWN. SHE’S WORN A LOT OF HATS WITH WRITERS ROOM SINCE JOINING AS A STUDENT IN 2015. CURRENTLY SHE’S THE MANAGING EDITOR FOR ANTHOLOGY 10 AND TEACHES THE COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING COURSE, WRIT 290: WRITERS ROOM EXPERIENCE. SHE RECEIVED AN MFA IN CREATIVE WRITING FROM NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. -
CAROL MCCULLOUGH
Archivist and AmeriCorps Seniors Researcher
CAROL RICHARDSON MCCULLOUGH IS A RETIRED ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER BY TRADE AND A POET/MEMOIRIST AT HEART. SHE IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF WRITERS ROOM AT DREXEL UNIVERSITY AND A FORMER TRIPOD WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE. SHE IS CURRENTLY A COMMUNITY RESEARCHER WITH THE JUSTICE-ORIENTED YOUTH (JOY) EDUCATION LAB AT DREXEL’S SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, AS WELL AS WRITERS ROOM ARCHIVIST. HER WRITING INCLUDES A CHAPTER BOOK (IMPLOSION); POEMS, ESSAYS, AND MEMOIR. SHE’S PUBLISHED IN (WR) ANTHOLOGY, VOL. 1-9, AND THE 33RD; AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTION TO THE JOURNAL OF TRAUMA STUDIES IN EDUCATION (2022). THIS “WV MOUNTAIN MAMA TURNED PHILY JAWN” LOOKS FOR THE LYRICISM OF LIFE AND USUALLY FINDS IT IN A POEM. -
TEDDY PONEMAN
Programs Manager
TEDDY IS THE PROGRAMS MANAGER AT WRITERS ROOM, BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH PUBLIC PROGRAMMING. HE IS AN ARTIST, EDUCATOR, AND ADMINISTRATOR, AND IS EXCITED TO WEAR ALL THOSE HATS WITH WRITERS ROOM. TEDDY COMPLETED HIS MFA IN CERAMICS AT TYLER SCHOOL OF ART & ARCHITECTURE, AND HIS CREATIVITY IS CURRENTLY SPLIT BETWEEN THE STUDIO AND KITCHEN - BOTH PRACTICES CENTERED ON BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER OVER A MEAL.
-
GABRIELE PRESTON
Teaching Artist
GABRIELE ENJOYS TRYING (AND FAILING) TO PREDICT THE FUTURE, TRYING (AND FAILING) TO VISIT PLACES FOR THE FIRST TIME WITHOUT CONSULTING A MAP, AND ALSO LEARNING (BUT THEN FORGETTING) RARELY USED REGIONALLY-SPECIFIC IDIOMS. WHEN NOT WRITING, YOU WILL MOST OFTEN FIND THEM EITHER IN A KITCHEN AT THE STOVE OR SAT NEAR A BOOKCASE WITH A PILE OF MARKERS AT THEIR FEET. THEY ARE A PESSIMIST IF THEY'RE NOT CAREFUL. SOME THINGS THAT GABRIELE HAS WRITTEN HAVE BEEN PERFORMED/WORKSHOPPED ON STAGES IN BOSTON, NEW YORK, WINSTON-SALEM, BERLIN, AND PHILADELPHIA: IF YOU'RE CURIOUS, FEEL FREE TO ASK THEM ABOUT IT.
-
IOANA RACU
Student Engagement Liaison
IOANA IS FROM BUCHAREST, ROMANIA AND SAYS SHE HAS FOUND HER TRUE CREATIVE SELF IN PHILLY. SHE IS PART OF DREXEL'S RADIO STATION, WKDU, AND THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER, THE TRIANGLE. SHE LOVES ALL THINGS MUSIC AND JOURNALISM.
-
SOFIE SEYMOUR
Arts Operations Coordinator
SOFIE IS AN EDUCATOR, ARTIST, AND SOMEONE WHO LIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE TWO. THEY ARE INTERESTED IN HOW COMMUNITIES CAN USE ART TO DESCRIBE AND TO TANGIBLY BUILD THE WORLD THEY WISH TO LIVE IN. A FORMER PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER, THEY ARE THRILLED TO CONTINUE SERVING THE PHILLY COMMUNITY. -
JAYLA WASHINGTON
Americorps VISTA
JAYLA SERVES AS AN AMERICORPS VISTA AT THE LINDY CENTER FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT COLLABORATING WITH WRITERS ROOM TO SUPPORT UNMAPPING COURSES THIS YEAR. SHE IS DEDICATED TO UTILIZING THE ARTS AS A FORM OF ACTIVISM, COMMUNITY BUILDING, AND AS A VEHICLE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE.
-
RACHEL WENRICK
Founding Director
RACHEL HAS WORKED AS A WAITRESS, A ROOFER, AND A TEACHER. ALL OF THESE JOBS REQUIRED PAYING ATTENTION. BEING A WRITER HAS TRAINED HER TO LOOK FOR THE THROUGH-LINES THAT INTERSECT TO MAKE A LARGER NARRATIVE. SHE RECEIVED AN MFA FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF THE ARTS AND IS CO-AUTHOR OF SINGER AND ACTIVIST ANGELIQUE KIDJO’S MEMOIR, SPIRIT RISING.
Our Fellows
-
UK JUNG
UK JUNG IS AN ARCHITECT WORKING IN MARYLAND AND AN ADJUNCT IN THE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM AT DREXEL UNIVERSITY. HE FOUNDED A DESIGN AND CONSULTATION PRACTICE IN 2016 IN PHILADELPHIA. HIS RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES UNDERGOING RAPID DEVELOPMENT AND GENTRIFICATION.
-
KIRSTEN KASCHOCK
KIRSTEN IS A WRITER AND A DANCER. SHE HAS DEGREES IN DANCE AS WELL AS LITERATURE AND BELIEVES THAT ART IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF BEING HUMAN. SHE IS THE MOTHER OF THREE SONS AND THE AUTHOR OF FOUR POETRY BOOKS AND A NOVEL. BUT WHEN SHE IS BLUE, SHE IS HORRID.
-
ANDREA WALLS
ANDREA “PHILLY” WALLS IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST, INFORMED AND INSPIRED BY THE WRITERS AND VISUAL ARTISTS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE AND BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT. SHE IS AMONG THE FIRST COHORT OF ARTISTS TO BE DESIGNATED AS PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL TREASURES AND IS SERVING IN HER THIRD YEAR AS AN ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE AT WRITERS ROOM. IN ADDITION TO THE MUSEUM OF BLACK JOY, ANDREA IS THE CREATOR AND CURATOR OF THE D’ARCHIVE.COM, AUTHOR OF THE POETRY CHAPBOOK, ULTRAVIOLET CATASTROPHE (THREAD MAKES BLANKET PRESS) AND THE DIGITAL WEB-COLLECTION, THE BLACK BODY CURVE. COM