Meet Our Team
Al DeGenova's Bio
Al DeGenova is a writer, poet, teacher and marketing professional from the Chicago area. He has written four books, founded After Hours Press, and is co-editor of After Hours magazine, a journal of Chicago Writing and art. He has taught several workshops for Write On, Door County and teaches an annual summer writing class (originally the Norbert Blei Writing Workshop) at The Clearing Folk School; he has also taught in the MBA program at Concordia University in River Forest, IL.
This is all work he has done in parallel to a 30-year-career as a marketing executive managing people, strategic planning, and budgets. DeGenova will work with Write On’s founding and now artistic director, Jerod Santek, to continue growing the organization’s programs, outreach and reputation as a home for readers and writers on its 59-acre campus.
Al DeGenova's Bio
Al DeGenova is a writer, poet, teacher and marketing professional from the Chicago area. He has written four books, founded After Hours Press, and is co-editor of After Hours magazine, a journal of Chicago Writing and art. He has taught several workshops for Write On, Door County and teaches an annual summer writing class (originally the Norbert Blei Writing Workshop) at The Clearing Folk School; he has also taught in the MBA program at Concordia University in River Forest, IL.
This is all work he has done in parallel to a 30-year-career as a marketing executive managing people, strategic planning, and budgets. DeGenova will work with Write On’s founding and now artistic director, Jerod Santek, to continue growing the organization’s programs, outreach and reputation as a home for readers and writers on its 59-acre campus.
Executive Director
Jerod Santek's Bio
Jerod is the Founding and Artistic Director, overseeing the residency program as well as conferences, festivals, classes, and presentations. He serves on the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission and the national advisory board of Indigenous Nations Poets (In-Na-Po), as well as on the boards of several local organizations. From 2009-2019, he served on the board of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), representing Writers' Conferences and Centers. In 2024, he received the George Garrett Award for Outstanding Community Service in Literature from AWP.
I am proud to be part of the beginning of Write On, Door County. In the summer of 2013, I took what many might consider a huge leap of faith and left my job as Program Director at one of the oldest writing organizations in the country - the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis - to head this new center. It remains one of the best decisions I've ever made. I am grateful to all the board members who joined with me in taking this risk, and to all the wonderful people who have supported us as we moved from dream to reality.
Contact Jerod at jerod@writeondoorcounty.org.
Jerod Santek's Bio
Jerod was the founding director of Write On and serves as its Artistic Director, overseeing the residency program as well as conferences, festivals, classes, and presentations. He serves on the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission and on the boards of several local organizations. From 2009-2019, he served on the board of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), representing Writers' Conferences and Centers. He has published poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in a number of print and online literary journals and magazines, including Ploughshares, Hayden's Ferry Review, and Blithe House Quarterly.
I am proud to be part of the beginning of Write On, Door County. In the summer of 2013, I took what many might consider a huge leap of faith and left my job as Program Director at one of the oldest writing organizations in the country - the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis - to head this new center. It remains one of the best decisions I've ever made. I am grateful to all the board members who joined with me in taking this risk, and to all the wonderful people who have supported us as we moved from dream to reality.
Contact Jerod at jerod@writeondoorcounty.org.
Founding & Artistic Director
Therese Maring's Bio
Therese has been called earnest, a research nerd, perspicacious (which she promptly looked up) and “assertively welcoming.” She takes all these as compliments.
These traits served Therese well during a career in magazine and book publishing that took her to New York; Chicago; Birmingham, Alabama; and Madison, Wisconsin. She has worked at word-y places including American Girl Publishing, Seventeen magazine, Advertising Age and the public library’s children’s department. She has freelance written and edited for national publications, websites and retailers. She is happy to be part of the inspiring community at Write On, Door County.
Contact Therese at therese@writeondoorcounty.org.
Therese Marings's Bio
Therese has been called earnest, a research nerd, perspicacious (which she promptly looked up) and “assertively welcoming.” She takes all these as compliments.
These traits served Therese well during a career in magazine and book publishing that took her to New York; Chicago; Birmingham, Alabama; and Madison, Wisconsin. She has worked at word-y places including American Girl Publishing, Seventeen magazine, Advertising Age and the public library’s children’s department. She has freelance written and edited for national publications, websites and retailers. She is happy to be part of the inspiring community at Write On, Door County.
Contact Therese at therese@writeondoorcounty.org.
Therese Maring
Administrative Coordinator
Board of Directors
James Braza
Jim is a recently-retired attorney, having practiced law as a commercial construction litigator in Milwaukee for 40 years. Jim and his wife, Mary Kay, owned a vacation home in Door County for years, and upon their retirement, built a home in Egg Harbor that is now their primary residence. While they still maintain a presence in Milwaukee, Door County is now their permanent home.
Throughout his legal career, Jim has been active in board leadership roles for nonprofit organizations, particularly in the performing arts space. He now shares that same passion for the Door County nonprofit community. Jim is an avid writer. He has published one nonfiction book (91st Street), and is now writing fiction short stories and a novel. He is a regular attendee at classes provided by Write On Door County as he seeks to morph his legal writing background into more creative pursuits. In addition to writing, Jim is a passionate golfer and an amateur chef.
James Braza
Jim is a recently-retired attorney, having practiced law as a commercial construction litigator in Milwaukee for 40 years. Jim and his wife, Mary Kay, owned a vacation home in Door County for years, and upon their retirement, built a home in Egg Harbor that is now their primary residence. While they still maintain a presence in Milwaukee, Door County is now their permanent home.
Throughout his legal career, Jim has been active in board leadership roles for nonprofit organizations, particularly in the performing arts space. He now shares that same passion for the Door County nonprofit community. Jim is an avid writer. He has published one nonfiction book (91st Street), and is now writing fiction short stories and a novel. He is a regular attendee at classes provided by Write On Door County as he seeks to morph his legal writing background into more creative pursuits. In addition to writing, Jim is a passionate golfer and an amateur chef.
Vice President
Sean Chambers - Poet - Blacksburg, VA
Sean Chambers writes book reviews, other nonfiction, scripts, and poetry. Since his 2023 Write On, Door County Residency, he has been a graduate teaching assistant and PhD student in the interdisciplinary ASPECT Program (Alliance for Political, Social, Ethical & Cultural Thought) at Va. Tech University. He earned his BA in English Language & Literature from the University of Virginia and his MFA in Creative Writing from Manhattanville College. He has taught Creative Writing and Journalism to youth and adults in and outside the university, military college and community college settings. As a board member for Brothers Like Me, an anger management and domestic violence prevention group, and the CommUNITY Breakfast Collaborative, which works to manifest MLK's "beloved community" through education, faith and dialogue, Chambers has worked to create spaces for safe but brave discourse. As an editor and consultant, he has co-facilitated or designed pedagogy for writing workshops on masculinity and race (for Youth Communication/NYC, Inc.), trainings on civic discourse across differences (for Citizen Diplomat International), and curriculum on Black-Jewish relations (for The Dialogue Institute at Temple University).
Sean Chambers - Poet - Blacksburg, VA
Sean Chambers writes book reviews, other nonfiction, scripts, and poetry. Since his 2023 Write On, Door County Residency, he has been a graduate teaching assistant and PhD student in the interdisciplinary ASPECT Program (Alliance for Political, Social, Ethical & Cultural Thought) at Va. Tech University. He earned his BA in English Language & Literature from the University of Virginia and his MFA in Creative Writing from Manhattanville College. He has taught Creative Writing and Journalism to youth and adults in and outside the university, military college and community college settings. As a board member for Brothers Like Me, an anger management and domestic violence prevention group, and the CommUNITY Breakfast Collaborative, which works to manifest MLK's "beloved community" through education, faith and dialogue, Chambers has worked to create spaces for safe but brave discourse. As an editor and consultant, he has co-facilitated or designed pedagogy for writing workshops on masculinity and race (for Youth Communication/NYC, Inc.), trainings on civic discourse across differences (for Citizen Diplomat International), and curriculum on Black-Jewish relations (for The Dialogue Institute at Temple University).
Residency Board
Angie Chatman - Fiction and Nonfiction Writer - Boston, MA
Angie is a freelance writer and storyteller. Her short stories and essays can be found in Taint,Taint,Taint Magazine, Brevity, Literary Landscapes, The Rumpus, Pangyrus, Hippocampus Magazine, Blood Orange Review, fwriction:review, and elsewhere. She has told on The Moth Radio Hour episode “Help Me” and won a WEBBY award for telling on GBH/World Channel's Stories from the Stage episode, “Growing Up Black”. In 2021, Chatman was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her essay “Ode to Poundcake”.
An engineer by degree, Chatman earned an MBA from MIT-Sloan, and an MFA in fiction and creative nonfiction from Queens University in Charlotte. She was welcomed as a Kimbilio Fellow in 2013 and has also received funding from Virginia Center for Creative Arts (2020) and Ragdale (2021).
Born and raised on Chicago’s southside, Angie now lives in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston with her family, including rescue dog, Lizzie.
Angie Chatman - Fiction and Nonfiction Writer - Boston, MA
Angie is a freelance writer and storyteller. Her short stories and essays can be found in Taint,Taint,Taint Magazine, Brevity, Literary Landscapes, The Rumpus, Pangyrus, Hippocampus Magazine, Blood Orange Review, fwriction:review, and elsewhere. She has told on The Moth Radio Hour episode “Help Me” and won a WEBBY award for telling on GBH/World Channel's Stories from the Stage episode, “Growing Up Black”. In 2021, Chatman was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her essay “Ode to Poundcake”.
An engineer by degree, Chatman earned an MBA from MIT-Sloan, and an MFA in fiction and creative nonfiction from Queens University in Charlotte. She was welcomed as a Kimbilio Fellow in 2013 and has also received funding from Virginia Center for Creative Arts (2020) and Ragdale (2021).
Born and raised on Chicago’s southside, Angie now lives in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston with her family, including rescue dog, Lizzie.
Residency Board
Val Clarizio's Bio
Valerie Clarizio is a Door County native who attended Southern Door High School. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree with a Finance emphasis from Lakeland College. For the past twenty-three years, she has worked for the City of Sturgeon Bay as the Finance Director/Treasurer. Valerie has served on the Municipal Treasurers Association of Wisconsin Board in many capacities including holding the office of President during the 2016/2017 term. She continues to serve as a District Director.
When not crunching numbers for the city, Valerie can be found penning romance novels. She has a passion for writing as can be verified by her published accomplishments consisting of ten novels, three novellas, and three short stories. For almost ten years, Valerie was a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America where she served as the Treasurer during the 2016/2017 term.
Valerie is an outdoors enthusiast. In her free time, you'll find her and her husband of thirty years out hiking trails in national parks, state parks, or Door County land trusts. When not on land, you might find them on the water fishing for the ultimate Salmon, or kayaking inland lakes and tributaries.
Val Clarizio's Bio
Valerie Clarizio is a Door County native who attended Southern Door High School. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree with a Finance emphasis from Lakeland College. For the past twenty-three years, she has worked for the City of Sturgeon Bay as the Finance Director/Treasurer. Valerie has served on the Municipal Treasurers Association of Wisconsin Board in many capacities including holding the office of President during the 2016/2017 term. She continues to serve as a District Director.
When not crunching numbers for the city, Valerie can be found penning romance novels. She has a passion for writing as can be verified by her published accomplishments consisting of ten novels, three novellas, and three short stories. For almost ten years, Valerie was a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America where she served as the Treasurer during the 2016/2017 term.
Valerie is an outdoors enthusiast. In her free time, you'll find her and her husband of thirty years out hiking trails in national parks, state parks, or Door County land trusts. When not on land, you might find them on the water fishing for the ultimate Salmon, or kayaking inland lakes and tributaries.
Treasurer
Myles Dannhausen's Bio
Myles Dannhausen Jr. has loved the written word since his older sister gave him a copy of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders when he was 8 years old. An Egg Harbor native and Gibraltar High School graduate, he works as the Content Editor of the Peninsula Pulse and Door County Living magazine, where he has told the stories of Door County for 15 years. His writing has also appeared in Wisconsin People & Ideas, Edible, Chicago Athlete, GapersBlock, OnMilwaukee, Running Times, and several other regional publications. In 2013 he co-founded Peninsula Filmworks with Brett Kosmider and David Eliot to tell stories through video. Like everyone else, someday he'll write a book.
Myles Dannhausen's Bio
Myles Dannhausen Jr. has loved the written word since his older sister gave him a copy of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders when he was 8 years old. An Egg Harbor native and Gibraltar High School graduate, he works as the Content Editor of the Peninsula Pulse and Door County Living magazine, where he has told the stories of Door County for 15 years. His writing has also appeared in Wisconsin People & Ideas, Edible, Chicago Athlete, GapersBlock, OnMilwaukee, Running Times, and several other regional publications. In 2013 he co-founded Peninsula Filmworks with Brett Kosmider and David Eliot to tell stories through video. Like everyone else, someday he'll write a book.
Past President
Founding and Emeritus Board Member
Vinni Chomeau Bio
As Friends of Gibraltar Project Coordinator for the past 18 years at Gibraltar Area School District, Vinni has coordinated many community-based programs and projects with students, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Her projects are for students in grade levels 4K-12 and are based on experiential education.
She also works for the Door Community Auditorium as a project coordinator for youth. She spends summers working at Edgewood Orchard Galleries. She is presently elected as a county board and a town board representative in Door County.
As a Conservationist with the Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department (SWCD) she worked on ground and surface water quality issues, invasive species, and general land management practices, and provided educational programs on water quality and conservation.
Vinni Chomeau Bio
A founding board member, Vinni Chomeau runs the Friends of Gibraltar and has returned to our Board after a year's sabbatical.
Ann Heyse Biography
Ann Heyse Biography
Secretary
Tina Jenkins Bell - Interdisciplinary - Chicago,IL
Tina Jenkins Bell is a fiction writer, playwright, freelance journalist, literary activist, and academic. Bell is a three-time recipient of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events grant, an Illinois Arts Council grant and two fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation. She is a co-founder of FLOW (For the Love of Writing) and has collaborated with numerous writing organizations, authors, and bookstores to offer literary programming on Chicago’s south side. She has collaborated with Janice Tuck Lively and Sandra Jackson-Opoku to produce “A Conversation with Lorraine Hansberry and Gwendolyn Brooks,” a fictitious account of the literary icons discussing race and women’s issues during a chance meeting in heaven. Her prose has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Hypertext Journal, ZYZZYVA Literary Magazine, and Us Against Alzheimer’s.
Tina Jenkins Bell - Interdisciplinary - Chicago,IL
Tina Jenkins Bell is a fiction writer, playwright, freelance journalist, literary activist, and academic. Bell is a three-time recipient of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events grant, an Illinois Arts Council grant and two fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation. She is a co-founder of FLOW (For the Love of Writing) and has collaborated with numerous writing organizations, authors, and bookstores to offer literary programming on Chicago’s south side. She has collaborated with Janice Tuck Lively and Sandra Jackson-Opoku to produce “A Conversation with Lorraine Hansberry and Gwendolyn Brooks,” a fictitious account of the literary icons discussing race and women’s issues during a chance meeting in heaven. Her prose has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Hypertext Journal, ZYZZYVA Literary Magazine, and Us Against Alzheimer’s.
Residency Board
Margaret LeBrun's Bio
Margaret LeBrun grew up in Southern Door County. As co-founder, former publisher and executive editor of Insight Publications, a business-to-business publishing and events company in Northeast Wisconsin, she produced the monthly Insight magazine, featuring the region's top companies and their CEOs. She has worked as a reporter, editor and writing coach for newspapers in Wisconsin and New York, receiving numerous state and national awards for her writing.
Margaret has served on the boards of the Fox Cities YMCA and Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin, as well as the marketing committee for New North, Inc. She received the Athena Leadership Award in 2014 from the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and was named to the Southern Door High School Alumni Hall of Fame in 2015.
She received her degree in journalism from UW-Eau Claire. After living in Upstate New York for many years with her husband, Dave Allen, the couple moved to Appleton. In recent years they have spent time at their cottage in Sturgeon Bay, where they plan to eventually live when they're not traveling. Their young adult sons live in Madison and Colorado Springs.
Growing up on the bay in Door County, I was fortunate to be introduced to the arts at an early age. Words are my passion, and helping other writers hone their craft feeds my soul. Upon selling my business magazine to my partner in 2018, I searched for my new "tribe" … and I think I found it with Write On, Door County!
Margaret LeBrun's Bio
Margaret LeBrun grew up in Southern Door County. As co-founder, former publisher and executive editor of Insight Publications, a business-to-business publishing and events company in Northeast Wisconsin, she produced the monthly Insight magazine, featuring the region's top companies and their CEOs. She has worked as a reporter, editor and writing coach for newspapers in Wisconsin and New York, receiving numerous state and national awards for her writing.
Margaret has served on the boards of the Fox Cities YMCA and Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin, as well as the marketing committee for New North, Inc. She received the Athena Leadership Award in 2014 from the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and was named to the Southern Door High School Alumni Hall of Fame in 2015.
She received her degree in journalism from UW-Eau Claire. After living in Upstate New York for many years with her husband, Dave Allen, the couple moved to Appleton. In recent years they have spent time at their cottage in Sturgeon Bay, where they plan to eventually live when they're not traveling. Their young adult sons live in Madison and Colorado Springs.
Growing up on the bay in Door County, I was fortunate to be introduced to the arts at an early age. Words are my passion, and helping other writers hone their craft feeds my soul. Upon selling my business magazine to my partner in 2018, I searched for my new "tribe" … and I think I found it with Write On, Door County!
President
Denise Low-Weso - Poet and Memoirist - Healdsburg, CA
Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate 2007-09, is winner of a Red Mountain Press Award for Shadow Light. Forthcoming is House of Grace, House of Blood, docupoetry from the University of Arizona Press, Suntracks series. Other recent publications are a memoir, The Turtle’s Beating Heart: One Family’s Story of Lenape Survival (U. of Nebraska Press), a Hefner Heitz Award finalist; Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays (Meadowlark, Coffin Award); Wing (Red Mountain); Casino Bestiary (Spartan); and Jackalope (Red Mountain, fiction). She is co-author of Northern Cheyenne Ledger Art by Fort Robinson Breakout Survivors (U. of Nebraska Press). At Haskell Indian Nations University she founded the creative writing program. She now teaches for Baker University’s School of Professional and Graduate Studies. Board memberships include Indigenous Native Poets (In-Na-Po) and Associated Writers and Writing Programs (AWP, past president). Her heritage includes Lenape/Munsee (Delaware) and European. She lives in California’s Sonoma County, homeland of Pomo people. www.deniselow.net
Denise Low-Weso - Poet and Memoirist - Healdsburg, CA
Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate 2007-09, is winner of a Red Mountain Press Award for Shadow Light. Forthcoming is House of Grace, House of Blood, docupoetry from the University of Arizona Press, Suntracks series. Other recent publications are a memoir, The Turtle’s Beating Heart: One Family’s Story of Lenape Survival (U. of Nebraska Press), a Hefner Heitz Award finalist; Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays (Meadowlark, Coffin Award); Wing (Red Mountain); Casino Bestiary (Spartan); and Jackalope (Red Mountain, fiction). She is co-author of Northern Cheyenne Ledger Art by Fort Robinson Breakout Survivors (U. of Nebraska Press). At Haskell Indian Nations University she founded the creative writing program. She now teaches for Baker University’s School of Professional and Graduate Studies. Board memberships include Indigenous Native Poets (In-Na-Po) and Associated Writers and Writing Programs (AWP, past president). Her heritage includes Lenape/Munsee (Delaware) and European. She lives in California’s Sonoma County, homeland of Pomo people. www.deniselow.net
Residency Board
Morgan Mann's Bio
Graduating from the Art Institute of Colorado and working in the field of advertising and marketing for a decade, Morgan Mann moved to Door County in 2006 after marrying a local 4th generation Door County native. While helping to raise a family, Ms. Mann freelanced in graphic design, web design and SEO marketing, in addition to teaching classes at NTWC within the Business School. She currently works at the Door County Library as Head of Circulation, where she oversees 10 employees. Although she does not consider herself a writer, she appreciates the creative spirit and believes the world needs stories to be told, written, read, and shared.
Morgan Mann's Bio
Graduating from the Art Institute of Colorado and working in the field of advertising and marketing for a decade, Morgan Mann moved to Door County in 2006 after marrying a local 4th generation Door County native. While helping to raise a family, Ms. Mann freelanced in graphic design, web design and SEO marketing, in addition to teaching classes at NTWC within the Business School. She currently works at the Door County Library as Head of Circulation, where she oversees 10 employees. Although she does not consider herself a writer, she appreciates the creative spirit and believes the world needs stories to be told, written, read, and shared.
Benjamin Martin
Ben is a student at Sevastopol High School in the class of 2026. He has written three fantasy novels, all currently unpublished, and is working on his fourth. He is a lover of all things fantasy; J. R. R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, and Patrick Rothfuss are among his favorite authors. Ben serves as the student representative on Write On, Door County’s Board of Directors. He wants to show teenagers the beauty of literature and encourage them to be creative. When not in school, Ben is probably pursuing his love of theology, hanging out with friends, working on novels, or immersed in a good story. His goal in service is summed up by the prophet Micah: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly.
Emily Stousland Bio
Emily Stousland is a Wisconsin native and an educator with over 25 years of experience. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education at St. Norbert College and her Masters at Silver Lake College. Her interests include reading, writing, hiking, and travel, having explored over thirty countries on five continents with her family.
Tori Martinez's Bio
Tori Martinez holds an Art degree from St. Norbert College - DePere, WI, and received her teaching certification from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. A long-time educator, Tori enjoys working with kids of all ages to encourage them to spark their creativity through the arts, reading, and writing. She's taught from Alaska to Mexico and landed back in Door County where she has been an ESL teacher, regular education teacher, and high school Iibrary associate. She makes her home in Sturgeon Bay, where she enjoys its working waterfront and small-town charm.
Tori's favorite thing to do is spend time with family - her personal chef husband, Mauricio, their two teenaged kids, Malaya and Rio, and their dog named "Bird" always have fun walking in the woods and visiting state parks. She loves the outdoors and has been section hiking the WI Ice Age National Scenic Trail over the past five years and hopes to finish someday!
She fancies herself a poet, has always dreamed of writing children's books and has a YA novel in her head that needs to be written.
Tori Martinez's Bio
Tori Martinez holds an Art degree from St. Norbert College - DePere, WI, and received her teaching certification from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. A long-time educator, Tori enjoys working with kids of all ages to encourage them to spark their creativity through the arts, reading, and writing. She's taught from Alaska to Mexico and landed back in Door County where she has been an ESL teacher, regular education teacher, and high school Iibrary associate. She makes her home in Sturgeon Bay, where she enjoys its working waterfront and small-town charm.
Tori's favorite thing to do is spend time with family - her personal chef husband, Mauricio, their two teenaged kids, Malaya and Rio, and their dog named "Bird" always have fun walking in the woods and visiting state parks. She loves the outdoors and has been section hiking the WI Ice Age National Scenic Trail over the past five years and hopes to finish someday!
She fancies herself a poet, has always dreamed of writing children's books and has a YA novel in her head that needs to be written.
Shaun Melarvie
Shaun Melarvie is a rural general surgeon living in Door County, WI. His native state is North Dakota, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of ND with a major in English Literature and minors in Biology and Chemistry. He has been in private practice for thirty years in Sturgeon Bay that geographic sweet spot situated north of the bridge connecting the distal landmass to the proximal that separates the bay of Green Bay from the waters of Lake Michigan. In 2024, Dr. Melarvie partially retired and has had more time to contribute to a lifelong goal of writing a novel. Shaun has published The Fat Thief and The Relativity Diet (out of print), two works of non-fiction in the self-help genre.
Shaun Melarvie
Shaun Melarvie is a rural general surgeon living in Door County, WI. His native state is North Dakota, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of ND with a major in English Literature and minors in Biology and Chemistry. He has been in private practice for thirty years in Sturgeon Bay that geographic sweet spot situated north of the bridge connecting the distal landmass to the proximal that separates the bay of Green Bay from the waters of Lake Michigan. In 2024, Dr. Melarvie partially retired and has had more time to contribute to a lifelong goal of writing a novel. Shaun has published The Fat Thief and The Relativity Diet (out of print), two works of non-fiction in the self-help genre.
Kyoko Mori - Fiction and Memoir - Washington, DC
Kyoko Moir is the author of three books of nonfiction (The Dream of Water; Polite Lies; and Yarn) and four novels (Shizuko’s Daughter; One Bird; Stone Field, True Arrow; Barn Cat). Her fourth book of nonfiction, Cat and Bird: A Memoir, will appear from Belt Publishing in March 2024. Her essays and stories have appeared in The Best American Essays, Harvard Review, The American Scholar, Colorado Review, Conjunctions, and others. She teaches nonfiction writing in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at George Mason University and in the Low-Residency MFA Program at Lesley University. Kyoko lives in Washington, DC, with her cats, Miles and Jackson.
Kyoko Mori - Fiction and Memoir - Washington, DC
Kyoko Moir is the author of three books of nonfiction (The Dream of Water; Polite Lies; and Yarn) and four novels (Shizuko’s Daughter; One Bird; Stone Field, True Arrow; Barn Cat). Her fourth book of nonfiction, Cat and Bird: A Memoir, will appear from Belt Publishing in March 2024. Her essays and stories have appeared in The Best American Essays, Harvard Review, The American Scholar, Colorado Review, Conjunctions, and others. She teaches nonfiction writing in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at George Mason University and in the Low-Residency MFA Program at Lesley University. Kyoko lives in Washington, DC, with her cats, Miles and Jackson.
Residency Board
Dipika Mukherjee - Interdisciplinary - Chicago, IL
Dipika Mukherjee is the author of the novel Shambala Junction, which won the UK Virginia Prize for Fiction, and Ode to Broken Things, which was longlisted for the Man Asia Literary Prize as Thunder Demons. Her short story collection is Rules of Desire. Her work is included in The Best Small Fictions 2019 and appears in World Literature Today, Asia Literary Review, Del Sol Review, The Commons, and Chicago Quarterly Review, among others. She writes a literary column for The Edge in Malaysia and is Contributing Editor for Jaggery. She is on the curating team and a featured writer in My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today, a popular exhibit at the American Writers Museum in Chicago showcasing the vitality of migrant and refugee voices in American discourse. Mukherjee is core faculty at StoryStudio Chicago and teaches at the Graham School at University of Chicago. She holds a doctorate in English (Sociolinguistics). She has received grants and fellowships from Faber Foundation (Catalonia), Sacatar (Brazil), Rimbun Dahan (Malaysia), Gladstone Library (Wales), Centrum (USA), Buffet Institute of Global Studies (USA) and International Institute of Asian Studies (Netherlands) and the Illinois Arts Council Agency (USA). She was featured in the 2018 Lit50: Who Really Books In Chicago, won the Fay Khoo Award for Food+Drink Writing (Malaysia, 2018), and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize (USA, 2018), received the Liakoura Prize for Poetry (USA, 2016), the Gayatri GaMarsh Award for Literary Excellence (USA, 2015) and the Platform Flash Fiction Prize (India, 2009).
Dipika Mukherjee - Interdisciplinary - Chicago, IL
Dipika Mukherjee is the author of the novel Shambala Junction, which won the UK Virginia Prize for Fiction, and Ode to Broken Things, which was longlisted for the Man Asia Literary Prize as Thunder Demons. Her short story collection is Rules of Desire. Her work is included in The Best Small Fictions 2019 and appears in World Literature Today, Asia Literary Review, Del Sol Review, The Commons, and Chicago Quarterly Review, among others. She writes a literary column for The Edge in Malaysia and is Contributing Editor for Jaggery. She is on the curating team and a featured writer in My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today, a popular exhibit at the American Writers Museum in Chicago showcasing the vitality of migrant and refugee voices in American discourse. Mukherjee is core faculty at StoryStudio Chicago and teaches at the Graham School at University of Chicago. She holds a doctorate in English (Sociolinguistics). She has received grants and fellowships from Faber Foundation (Catalonia), Sacatar (Brazil), Rimbun Dahan (Malaysia), Gladstone Library (Wales), Centrum (USA), Buffet Institute of Global Studies (USA) and International Institute of Asian Studies (Netherlands) and the Illinois Arts Council Agency (USA). She was featured in the 2018 Lit50: Who Really Books In Chicago, won the Fay Khoo Award for Food+Drink Writing (Malaysia, 2018), and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize (USA, 2018), received the Liakoura Prize for Poetry (USA, 2016), the Gayatri GaMarsh Award for Literary Excellence (USA, 2015) and the Platform Flash Fiction Prize (India, 2009).
Residency Board
Baptiste Paul's Bio
Baptiste Paul
Baptiste Paul is the award-winning author of The Field, To Carnival, I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon, Peace and Climb On. His works have garnered many starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal, and several titles have been translated into multiple languages. He loves writing stories inspired by his childhood in Saint Lucia, and featuring words from his native language, Creole. Baptiste is also a mentor for We Need Diverse Books and the co-author of several works with Miranda Paul. He lives in Wisconsin with his family. More at baptistepaul.net.
Baptiste Paul's Bio
Baptiste Paul
Baptiste Paul is the award-winning author of The Field, To Carnival, I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon, Peace and Climb On. His works have garnered many starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal, and several titles have been translated into multiple languages. He loves writing stories inspired by his childhood in Saint Lucia, and featuring words from his native language, Creole. Baptiste is also a mentor for We Need Diverse Books and the co-author of several works with Miranda Paul. He lives in Wisconsin with his family. More at baptistepaul.net.
Residency Board
Dee Paulsen's Bio
Dee Paulsen has lived in Sturgeon Bay since 1982, with her husband Eric. They have two grown married children, son Nels and daughter Annika, two grandchildren and one granddog. Dee has a B.S. in Elementary/Special Education from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh and an M.S. in Education with an emphasis on children's literature from Viterbo College. She has taught for 23 years in grades 2, 3 and 6, (her heart is still in 6th grade Language Arts) and has worked as an office manager for Crown Life Insurance and Door County Eye Associates. Her interests include travel, reading, writing poetry, visiting elementary classrooms to read and do writing projects, and organizing gatherings with friends.
"I love encouraging folks of all ages and abilities to 'write it down.' I love words! I believe writing can be interesting, humorous, serious, and healing. I think every person has something to learn about themselves through writing - just to keep to themselves or to share. Everyone indeed has a story to tell."
Dee Paulsen's Bio
Dee Paulsen has lived in Sturgeon Bay since 1982, with her husband Eric. They have two grown married children, son Nels and daughter Annika, two grandchildren and one granddog. Dee has a B.S. in Elementary/Special Education from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh and an M.S. in Education with an emphasis on children's literature from Viterbo College. She has taught for 23 years in grades 2, 3 and 6, (her heart is still in 6th grade Language Arts) and has worked as an office manager for Crown Life Insurance and Door County Eye Associates. Her interests include travel, reading, writing poetry, visiting elementary classrooms to read and do writing projects, and organizing gatherings with friends.
"I love encouraging folks of all ages and abilities to 'write it down.' I love words! I believe writing can be interesting, humorous, serious, and healing. I think every person has something to learn about themselves through writing - just to keep to themselves or to share. Everyone indeed has a story to tell."
Founding Member
Alessandra Simmons Rolffs' Bio
Alessandra and her husband came to Washington Island to grow vegetables for Hotel Washington for the summer season in 2015. After their first two growing seasons on the Island, they decided to move to the Island full-time. They started Hoot Blossom Farm, which now grows veggies, herbs, and flowers for Island residents and restaurants. Alessandra and her husband also helped found Gathering Ground, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating community and learning in partnership with the generous earth through agriculture. She currently serves as its part-time executive director.
Alessandra holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and an MFA in poetry from Indiana University. She has poems published in anthologies and literary journals such as Rewilding: Poems for the Environment, Smartish Pace, Spillway, and others. She writes a column for the Washington Island Observer called Everyday Nature that mixes two of her loves - poetry, and nature.
Alessandra Simmons Rolffs' Bio
Alessandra and her husband came to Washington Island to grow vegetables for Hotel Washington for the summer season in 2015. After their first two growing seasons on the Island, they decided to move to the Island full-time. They started Hoot Blossom Farm, which now grows veggies, herbs, and flowers for Island residents and restaurants. Alessandra and her husband also helped found Gathering Ground, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating community and learning in partnership with the generous earth through agriculture. She currently serves as its part-time executive director.
Alessandra holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and an MFA in poetry from Indiana University. She has poems published in anthologies and literary journals such as Rewilding: Poems for the Environment, Smartish Pace, Spillway, and others. She writes a column for the Washington Island Observer called Everyday Nature that mixes two of her loves - poetry, and nature.