Our Staff

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.

Elena Macdonald

Customer Service Associate

Elena Macdonald is a lesbian writer from Northern Virginia. They are one of the founding editors of Aftertouch Magazine. They received their MFA & BFA in Creative Writing from GMU. Their work has been featured in Silly Goose Press, The Ekphrastic Review, and Kitchen Table Quarterly.

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.

Zach Powers

Executive & Artistic Director

Zach is a native of Savannah, Georgia, and lives and writes in Arlington, Virginia. He is the author of the new novel, The Migraine Diaries, the novel First Cosmic Velocity, and the story collection Gravity Changes, winner of the Boa Short Fiction Prize. 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 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. She is the writer in residence at Grow Food Northampton, writing quarterly articles for the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Contact her about teaching at The Writer’s Center.

Veronica Toney

Customer Service Associate

Charlotte Van Schaack

Office Manager

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.