Our Team

she/her

Where are you located?

Capetown, South Africa

What do you do in this community:

I’m on the support team. I host co-writing sessions. I recently offered a workshop to the community and the wider public about including objects in our writing. I run Sink or Submit—a game that brings recognition and reward to the importance of submitting and the rejection that comes with this.

What do you do beyond this community?

I’m working on a manuscript of short stories. These stories explore women’s agency, or lack thereof through worlds that are just off from our own. She emphasizes a gender imbalance by taking what might ordinarily be seen as normal and expressing it in a way, and through a world, that invites the reader to look at it differently.  I’m also sometimes a curator and other times a learning designer, and I have a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town.

Why do you love this community?

After I finished my MA in creative writing I found I stopped writing. I had no one to write with or keep me accountable. So I did a search and found this online community. Although most of the members are in the United States or Canada and I am all the way in South Africa, I have never felt more creatively connected to a group of people before! Everyone helps each other out, be it with words of encouragement after a rejection, a second pair of eyes on a story, suggestions on where to submit, or to keep you to your deadlines. It’s been a great help, and I think I’ve written more in the three years I’ve been in this community than I have in my whole life.

they/them

Where are you located?

The traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg (Ottawa, Canada)

What do you do in this community?

I host co-writing sessions and co-moderate the IBPOC channel on Slack.

What you do beyond this community?

My multi-genre writing has been anthologized and published in lit-mags across North America, and my debut collection of poetry, Blood/Belies, is forthcoming Spring 2024 with Buckrider Books (W&W). Outside of the Writerly Love community, I co-founded/co-curate Riverbed Reading Series, am part of Room Magazine’s editorial collective, am a poetry editor for Long Con Magazine, and write collaboratively with the creative poetry collective VII. I am currently trucking along on my second manuscript, a collection of ekphrastic poems.

Why do you love this community?

I love the ether-space this community holds in support of me and my writing. From self-directed programs and co-writing sessions, to accountability buddying, workshopping pieces, and brainstorming ideas, working with Rachel and the members of Writerly Love has become an integral part of my practice.

Find Ellen at ehjchang.com

she/her

Where are you located?
Treaty 3 territory, the occupied and ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabewaki, Attiwonderonk, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (Guelph, ON)

What you do in this community:
I’m on the support team. Gathering community members’ publication wins has encouraged me in my own publication goals. Being part of marketing and outreach has brought more writers to our community.

What you do beyond this community?

I’m a Tiohtià:ke (Montréal) born writer and artist of Chinese and Scottish ancestry. My work has been published in Anamoly, Room Magazine, Body & Soul: Stories for Skeptics and Seekers, The Fiddlehead, and The Nasiona. I’m a graduate of The Writer’s Studio (Simon Fraser University) and former member of Room Magazine’s collective, and a 2021 graduate of the Sequential Arts Workshop comic certification program.

Why do you love this community?

I’ve made genuine connections here. Rachel has fostered a supportive community that has honest conversations and I feel like I can be myself here, that I don’t have to pretend to be anything other than who I am as a writer. It’s a rare gift and I’m grateful to have Rachel as a mentor and to be with all these wonderful writers who are in it with me.

Find Tamara at TamaraJong.com

she/her

Where are you located?

I live on unceded Indigenous territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel ̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.

What you do in this community?

I’m on the support team and enjoy contributing to conversations about community care. I also host co-writing sessions which helps me tune in to my own creative ideas and writing.

What you do beyond this community?
I am working on a memoir that documents how the colonization of India fractured my family. I have an MA in Education and have worked in non-profit organizations for over 30 years.

Why you love this community? 

I’m a part of Writerly Love as I want to be in community with other writers and creators. I’m inspired by Rachel & Meli’s offerings and leave workshops etc. feeling inspired, creative sparks zinging!

she/her

Where are you located?

In a rural community in the Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabeg Territory, near the city colonially know as Ottawa, ON, Canada.

What do you do in this community?

As a member of the support team, I enjoy contributing to the development and health of the community. I provide support for the “Pay it Forward” program. Members of the Writerly Love community support one and other in many ways, including investing financially to increase our economic diversity. In turn, this diversity strengthens our community by broadening the perspectives and experiences we share. I hope writers will consider providing whatever support to this program that their circumstances allow. 

What do you do beyond this community?

As a retired nurse, I use skills developed during my career volunteering for a senior’s organization. I write poetry and creative non-fiction. I am a founding member of the Dandelion Poetry Collection and an active participate in a number of other writing communities. I am also a backyard birder. Much of my work is inspired by the nature that surrounds me.

Why do you love this community?

I cherish this community’s deep commitment to collaboration. Rachel and Meli ensure a welcoming, accepting environment that encourages mutual support. Through sharing, we amplify the joy of each victory and diminish the sting of challenges. Because of my personal interest in the link between physical landscape, culture and art, the world-wide reach of this Writerly Love community appeals to me. On a recent Zoom call, we had participants from three continents. Did I mention I also check time zone information for group sessions?

Find Kimberly on Instagram at @kimberlypetersonpoet​

she/her

Where are you located?

The ancestral and unceded homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. (Burnaby Canada)

What do you do in this community?

I make beautiful content in the form of graphic Design, UX Design, web design and development. I also help with the tech stuff.

What do you do beyond this community?

I was born and raised in the Philippines and completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. I’ve worked in animation, printing, publishing, and now I run Monica Calderon Design, where I design digital and print products for businesses and non-profit organizations.

I am a proud member of the Growing Room Collective as Graphic Designer and Web Manager. And I am part of the team Lara Spence Web Design and Business Writing as graphic and web designer.
I am part of the team that supports the PhilippineCanadianNews.com website delivering news and features from Filipino-Canadians in the Philippines and Canada.

Why do you love this community?

I love working with people who are passionate in developing their creative self. Makes me so happy to see them thrive and be free to be their own self. I see my role in this community as the ‘one who will sweat the tech stuff’ which I am happy to do to nurture my puzzle solving freak side. All while being in design mode.

Find Monica at MonicaDesigns.ca

she/her

Where are you located?
I am located in Lahore, Pakistan, a significant city as it serves as the capital of the Punjab province. Lahore’s historical roots can be traced back to the foundations laid by Prince Loh, son of Rama Chandra, while its diverse past includes rule by the Sultanate, Mughal, Sikh, and British, contributing to its status as a vibrant multicultural city.

What do you do in this community?

I offer transcription services for the Write, Publish, & Shine podcast, as well as other virtual assistance work aimed at supporting the community.

What do you beyond this community?

Apart from working with Rachel, I help small businesses flourish by offering freelance virtual assistance, social media management, content creation, and transcription services. Additionally, I try to help my circle, such as friends, colleagues, and family, through free training sessions where we engage in discussions about technology and work together on learning new skills and polishing existing ones. This collaborative effort is aimed at uplifting and making a positive impact in our lives.

Why do you love this community?

I absolutely love being part of this community and collaborating with Rachel. She’s not only genuinely kind but also a talented writer with a captivating speaking style. Her podcast covers every aspect of writing, and I’ve learned so much from it. Personally, it has been a valuable resource in honing my own writing skills, which I am working on nowadays.

Find Diya on LinkedIn at @diyajaffer​y

he/him

Where are you located?

Cape Town, South Africa, indigenous to the San and Khoekhoe.

What do you do in this community?

I provide audio production for the Write, Publish, & Shine podcast.

What do you do beyond this community?

I run Bespoken Podcasting where I produce content for Podcasters.

Why do you love this community?

I enjoy learning things about writing as I listen to and edit the podcast, details that I wouldn’t normally consider as a reader.

Find Adam at BeSpokenPodcasting.com

she/her

Where are you located?
shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh territories.

What do you do in this community?

I’m the community facilitator of Writerly Love which means I: host and co-host live calls; contribute to monthly and annual programming; perform administrative work; try to make the community more accessible; encourage students working through Rachel’s courses and programs; and work on the Write, Publish, and Shine podcast.

What do you do beyond this community?

I’m an administrator, grant writer, and soil business owner. I’m an aunt and a lover of pollinators and flowers.

Why do you love this community?

It is invigorating and life-giving to witness writers move from some degree of hiding themselves and/or their writing to a place of creative expression and even healing.