Meet the folks behind the scenes!
Amy Freeman
Development Director
With years of experience raising funds for nonprofits large and small, Amy brings her trademark zest to growing The Writer’s Center’s vibrant literary community. When not at TWC, Amy’s a freelance writer, with bylines in The Washington Post, Parents.com, Santa Fe Writing Project, HuffPost, Furious Gravity anthology etc. Contact Amy with questions or comments about ways you can support TWC.
Emily Holland
Executive Editor of Poet Lore, Communications Manager
Emily Holland (she/they) is a genderqueer lesbian writer. Their poems appear in publications including HAD, Shenandoah, Black Warrior Review, and the chapbook Lineage. They are the recipient of multiple fellowships from DC Commision on the Arts and Humanities. She is the editor of Poet Lore, the chair of OutWrite, and an adjunct instructor at GWU. She has an MFA in Poetry from American University. Contact her for any questions regarding Poet Lore.
Brandon Johnson
Events Manager
Brandon Johnson (Blue) is a black, queer poet, translator, and educator from the D(M)V. They hold a MFA in Poetry from Arizona State University and their work sits at the intersection of the ekphrastic, the body, the erotic, and the contemporary Black experience. He also holds a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland and has worked with elementary and high school-age students in French and Creative Writing. His work has or will appear in Foglifter, Frozen Sea, &Change, and more. Their work is also featured in the Capital Pride Poem-a-Day event and has received support from Tin House, the Virginia G Piper Center for Creative Writing, and the Aspen Words Conference. His chapbook, Snap.Shot, has been published by Finishing Line Press and was named in Poetry Mutual’s Best Books of 2023. Keep up with their work at brandonbluepoet.com. Contact Brandon for literary event inquiries.
Kevin Montique
Events Associate
Kevin is a DMV native, born and raised in Maryland, who lives and writes in Derwood. After graduating from George Mason University’s BFA program with a degree in Creative Writing and minor in Marketing, Kevin has taken on his fair share of roles, whether that be a copywriting internship or freelancing as a Social Media Manager. Through it all, he has maintained his passion for writing by hosting weekly workshops with former George Mason graduates, where he continues to develop his novel manuscripts. Under the pen name MK Ralston, Kevin primarily writes fantasy that intersects science fiction, dramatic world building, and imaginative but realistic characters who crave justice, acceptance, and meaningful relationships. If he isn’t writing, you can find Kevin indulging his sweet tooth with chocolate chip cookies or Black Forest gummy bears while playing Brawl Stars.
Claude Olson
Operations Manager
Claude (she/they) is a graduate of Smith College and a writer whose work has appeared in two anthologies, Awakenings: Stories of Bodies and Consciousness and Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire, as well as in The Massachusetts Review . She is passionate about literary education, disability justice, and zine-making. Contact her with questions about rentals, workshop registration, or general inquiries.
Zach Powers
Executive & Artistic Director
Zach is a native of Savannah, Georgia, and lives and writes in Arlington, Virginia. He will publish his next novel, The Migraine Diaries, in April 2026 with JackLeg Press. His novel First Cosmic Velocity (Putnam) was published in 2019, and his debut story collection Gravity Changes won the BOA Short Fiction Prize and was published in 2017. He worked in television for a decade, winning four regional Emmy awards. He has worked and volunteered for numerous nonprofits, serving on the Board of Directors for the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home and on the Board of Advisors for Georgia Public Broadcasting, teaching youth creative writing workshops for Deep Center, and co-founding the literary arts organization Seersucker Live, Inc. He was an Adjunct Professor of Writing at University of South Carolina Beaufort and Northern Virginia Community College. He has an MFA in Fiction from National University.
Rhondalyn Primes
Customer Service Associate
Rhondalyn Primes is a practicing attorney with over 25 years of civil litigation experience. For the last six years, she has worked for the federal government in the area of administrative and regulatory law. Rhondalyn is the mother of two boys, Amare and Cameron. In her spare time, she enjoys running, tennis and writing. She is currently working on her first novel.
Caroline “Cara” Siebert
Customer Service Associate
Caroline “Cara” Siebert is a poet and first-year MFA candidate at American University (which is also her alma mater!). Although she is originally from Chicago, over the past four years she has come to consider Washington DC her true home. Her poetry and personal essays have appeared in AmLit, and her poem “Elegy for the Racine County Jane Doe” was published in the anthology Of Our Own Accord by Flying Ketchup Press.
Laura Spencer
Program Director
Laura has worked at the Center for fifteen years, starting as a Night Receptionist and moving on to Office Manager and Program Manager. Laura is the cofounder and former poetry editor of the literary journal Big Lucks. Her poetry and photography have appeared in publications including A capella Zoo, Cosmonauts Avenue, Everyday Genius, and Fifth Wednesday. A Massachusetts native, Laura graduated from Chester College of New England where she earned a BA in creative writing. Contact her about teaching at The Writer’s Center.
Charlotte Van Schaack
Customer Service Associate
Charlotte Van Schaack (she/they) is an early career writer and editor whose work has been featured in AmLit Magazine and WWPH Writes. She hails from Greensboro, North Carolina, but has spent the last few years in Washington D.C., studying Literature and Education at American University. In 2024, they were an Inner Loop writer-in-residence at the Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey Houses.