Meet Our Coaches

AKEEM

Akeem (he/him) is a native of LaPlace, LA. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA. He has a passion for inspiring individuals through his writing and believes that "everyone has a story to tell." Akeem is currently studying to receive his Master’s Degree in Communications from Southeastern Louisiana University. 

MATTHEW

Matthew (he/him) was born and raised in Metairie and is a graduate of both Delgado Community College (YAY!!!) and the University of New Orleans where he earned a B.A. in English with a concentration in journalism. He spends his spare time playing soccer, visiting museums and thrift stores, and reading.

ALEX

Alex (he/him) is a graduate of The University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop, where he studied fiction. His stories and essays have been published in Hobart, Expat Press, and others. Originally from the Midwest, his writing has also been included in a forthcoming anthology from the Wisconsin Historical Society. He’s passionate about the many mediums of storytelling from film and television to games and interactive fiction. When he’s not writing, Alex enjoys producing electronic music, a hobby he’s had for over a decade.

EMILY

Emily (she/her) is a writer and content editor from Alexandria, Louisiana. She moved to New Orleans in 2017 and has lived there for the past six years (one year of massive global pandemic excluded). She graduated from the University of New Orleans with an M.A. in English in 2023. On her off days, Emily can be found at one of New Orleans’ numerous indie bookstores, the music venues Gasa Gasa and Siberia, or admiring Modigliani’s Portrait of a Young Woman at the New Orleans Museum of Art.  catches her fancy.

CARLEE

Carlee (she/her) is a proud first-generation college graduate who earned a BA in 20th-Century Poetry and Revolutionary Theory from NYU’s Gallatin School and completed graduate work in poetry and poetics at the University at Buffalo. In her ten years as an educator, she has authored and taught first-year college writing curricula, critical theory, pop-cultural analysis, and cultural historiography. She has also worked with New Orleanian high school students as a reading and college preparation teacher and mentor. Her teaching focus is bridging the gap between high school and college by working with her students to identify their strengths and passions as they grow into their identities and voices as writers and thinkers, both in- and outside the classroom.

SUMNER

Sumner (they/them) is a former Arkansawyer and a New Orleans resident since 2019. Their hobbies and interests range from tabletop gaming, to postructuralist theory, to karaoke. Their focus is to abet every student in finding the joy in writing. They are enrolled in the M.A. program at the University of New Orleans where they also work as a writing coach.

DAVE

Dave (he/him) is a United States Coast Guard veteran, a husband, and a father of two. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in history from the University of South Carolina (or the good USC, as he puts it) in 2012, and earned his Master’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2020. In his free time Dave’s interests include motorcycles, guitars, DIY home projects, and hanging out with his kids.

DAVID

David (he/him) is from Scott, LA. After earning an MA in English in 1983, he worked at the Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans where he was a producer and a performer at the Louisiana Folklife Pavilion. He has been performing as a member of BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet since 1977 and has received two Grammy Awards, recorded 28+ albums, and toured all of the US and at least 20 countries. Since the start of the pandemic, he and his wife have broadcast a weekly performance on Facebook. David has been an English instructor at Delgado Community College since 2017.

HAILEY

Hailey (she/her) is a Bay Area native with a B.A. in History and a Sociology concentration from Xavier University of Louisiana. As a student, she pursued learning about the historical and sociological factors impacting working-class Black and Indigenous People of Color through a racial justice lens. She is passionate about amplifying folx artistic expression through writing as well as serving different learning styles. Hailey has experience writing a 3-year historical archival research project that includes a comprehensive thesis on the first Black college in New Orleans, Straight University, focusing on how formal education aided Black students with the political activism of the New Orleans StreetCar Act and eventually Plessy vs. Ferguson. She writes poetry, roller skates at Crescent City Park and creates art sketches in her spare time. Her favorite authors include Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, and Assata Shakur.

JAKOB

Jakob (he/him) grew up in London in the UK and moved to New Orleans in 2018. After spending several years as a casual construction worker, he enrolled in graduate school at the University of New Orleans where he studies creative writing. Jakob works as a first year writing instructor at UNO and is involved with the independent press Tilted House.

JAMAL

Jamal (he/him) is an experienced high school English teacher who remains committed to helping all students champion their own unique story through the power of writing. He holds a B.A in English and Political Science from North Carolina Central University as well as an M.A in English from Tulane University.  As a lifelong scholar, his interests broadly focus on innovative strategies that push for creative writing. During his spare time, he enjoys cycling and running. 

JAX

Jax (they/them) is a graduate of the University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop MFA program with a focus in Fiction. They are originally from Illinois and have been living in New Orleans since 2019. Their short stories have been published or are forthcoming in Sonder Midwest, Metafore, and Okay Donkey, and in Brain Lag’s True Reflections Anthology. They have worked as Managing Editor for UNO’s student literary journal Ellipsis and hope to continue working in the editing/publishing industry. They have a passion for telling and sharing stories from marginalized voices, and when they aren’t writing, they can be found with one of their two cats in their lap.

KAMISHA

Kamisha (she/her) has been working at the Westbank Delgado Learning Resource Center for 10 years. She has a Bachelors of Arts in English from Dillard University and a Masters of Science in Counseling from Capella University. She is an educator in the public-school system and enjoys working with youth getting them prepared for the next level of their academic journey. Kamisha also loves working with the students at the LRC and witnessing their enthusiasm about becoming better writers and developing a liking for English Composition and Literature.

KATHERINE

Katherine (she/her) is a lifelong New Orleanian and has taught English, grammar, and writing at Delgado Community College and the University of New Orleans, where she received her B.A. and M.A. in English. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Library and Information Science to further support her commitment to higher education. As a writing coach, she particularly enjoys supporting and encouraging student writers in their writing, reading, researching, and overall educational goals.

LAUREN C

Lauren (she/her) is from Upstate New York by way of South Carolina and moved to New Orleans in 2021. She is a graduate of the MFA program in poetry from the University of South Carolina, and her poetry and nonfiction have appeared in The Equalizer, PANK, and others. 

SERENA

Serena (she/her) is an ESL Instructor with a sunny San Diego spirit, now embracing the lively rhythms of New Orleans. A Stanislaus State University alumna, she once co-taught British literature and briefly tackled teaching high school life science and world history. For five years, she masterfully tutored writing at every level with special attention to ESL and nursing students. When not weaving linguistic magic, she's either cooking it up, drumming to life's beats, or unraveling Spotify's musical treasures. Her other loves? She’s always exploring the world whether by plane or by turning novel pages.

MADDIE

Maddie (she/her) is a recent graduate of LSU where she received her BA and MA in Anthropology with a focus on ethnography. Her research and writing has been presented at several academic conferences including the American Association of Anthropology. She is driven by a passion for making education accessible and providing students with the tools they need to successfully communicate their experiences and ideas.

JESSICA

Jessica (she/her) is an English professor and poet from Houston. She is currently attending University of New Orleans' MFA program and is working on her first poetry collection, currently titled Out from the Weirdish Wild. She's also an everyday mom...to a litany of plants, furry children, and a growing roster of adopted students. She won the 2022 Vassar Miller Award for Poetry at UNO for her poems on disability and received Honorable Mention for the 2023 Andrea Saunders Gereighty Academy of American Poets Award. Her work was recently published in Beyond Queer Words' 2023 poetry anthology, and her other work can be found at jessicabowdoinpoet.com

JUDY

Judy (she/her) is a native of Baton Rouge who was a barista in San Francisco and Brooklyn before getting her undergraduate degree in comparative religion from the City College of NY.  She earned a master's degree in political science from the American University of Paris and lived abroad for nearly 9 years teaching and tutoring English to people from all walks of life.  After returning to New Orleans in 2019, Judy worked in the vintage and antique furniture world, first managing an antique shop, and eventually starting her own vintage company.  She now runs a venue that hosts vintage and makers markets twice a month, showcasing local creatives, collectors, and artists.  In her free time she loves lounging on Gulf Coast beaches and singing to her fat cat, Louis.

LAUREN D.

Lauren (she/her) is a proud two-time graduate of The University of New Orleans with degrees in English. She grew up in a small town just outside New Orleans. Lauren hopes to continue her education in the future, but in the meantime, is ecstatic to be helping students with their academic journey. 

MISSY

Missy (she/her)has worn many hats, some with feathers: news photographer and writer, non-profit director, radio personality, and academic administrator, spending some 13 years as manager of the Music Department at UNO. By night she is The Dominatrix of the Blues, playing jazz, blues, and R & B on WWOZ-FM.  Her award-winning essays on nature, family, and music have been published in several literary journals, and she was a contributing author to “Voices Rising: The Katrina Narrative Project.”

NIGEL

Nigel (he/him) is a freelance music writer focusing on hip-hop, culture, and sports. Before graduating with a BA in English with a Journalism concentration at the University of New Orleans, he worked as the Sports editor of the college newspaper, Driftwood, before becoming the Editor-in-chief. Post-grad, he's secured bylines with Okayplayer, Offbeat Magazine, and CentralSauce with articles and interviews centered around emerging trends and unique observations. When he's not writing, Nigel is probably scanning the internet for new music, inhaling a bag of sour gummy worms, or mocking reality tv shows.

ROBERT

Robert (he/him) is a Louisiana certified English teacher with almost 5 years of experience in the Delgado Writing Center. He is also a writer and editor for Antigravity Magazine, a small New Orleans alternative-culture publication. As an educator, Robert believes that education is about guiding students toward their strengths and harnessing that in the context of their education to build their confidence.

KAREN

Karen (she/her) is a New York City native who landed in New Orleans in 2011 by way of Santa Monica, though she had found herself walking the streets of this city many times before that landing. She earned a BA in history from New York University and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. She has worked extensively to promote events and individual artists in New Orleans culture and her writing has been published in a variety of formats ranging from site content to articles and artist bios (and more), including her original work in Talon Review and Scapegoat Review. She’s a writer, poet, musician, artist, and photographer, and her photos and artwork have been featured in a variety of shows, with a selection of her music photos published in Can’t Be Faded: Twenty Years in the Brass Band Game from the University of Mississippi Press.

TAYLOR

Taylor (she/her) is originally from Birmingham, AL, and has lived in New Orleans since 2017. She recently graduated from the illustrious Xavier University of Louisiana with a B.A. in English. Taylor is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English with a concentration on African American literature at Texas Southern University. One of her favorite books is Sula by Toni Morrison. She loves to read, write poetry, and discuss all things literary with those around her.

NATALKA

Natalka (she/her) is a Ukrainian-Canadian writer, visual artist, and educator. She is a graduate of the University of New Orleans, where she earned her MFA in Fiction. She has developed and facilitated student workshops in Art Therapy, Bibliotherapy, and mold-making. Natalka's writing has been published by Goldfish Press and elsewhere, and her sculptural and installation work has been exhibited across Canada and the US. 

ANDY

Andy (he/him) is a New Yorker whose love affair with New Orleans began at first sight.  After receiving his BA in English from Loyola, he trekked back up north to complete his Master's work in education at Hunter College.  From there, he went on to work at the Cooke Center Academy in Manhattan for several years- a school dedicated to servicing neurodivergent students.  As an avid lover of hip hop and a long-time producer, he detoured into the world of scoring and video game soundtracking for a good portion of the last decade.  He also has a passion for all things blockchain, and is eager to discuss this with anyone who will listen.  In his free time, he obsesses over horror movies, vintage sneakers and his beloved New York Mets.  He sees coaching as an opportunity for people to learn from each other's experiences and is fully invested in building dynamic relationships with all of his students.