Our Teachers
Our creative writing workshops are taught by an all-star group of teachers ranging from poets to illustrators, filmmakers, novelists, performers, clothing designers, and comedians – many of whom hold several of these titles!
Above all, they are experienced classroom practitioners. Uptown Stories teachers write terrific curricula, are dynamic and engaging in the classroom, can tailor their lessons to different age groups and abilities, and most importantly, are passionate about the craft and art of writing.
To top it off, most of our teaching artists are residents of upper Manhattan. Discover more about the fantastic Uptown Stories teachers below!
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Amanda is a Caribbean writer, journalist, voice actor, and educator with experience ranging from teaching ESL to college lecturing.
Author of Chula and How I Became a Mermaid, Amanda’s work is in NPR, Rolling Stone, LatiNext, and more. Amanda also recorded the Spanish version of Amanda Gorman’s The Hill We Climb.
Amanda really like mermaids, she's trilingual, and she made a rap song once!
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Stacy shares her expertise in creative writing and musical theater with kids of all ages, drawing from experience as a performer and published author.
With a rich catalogue of plays, musicals, and award-winning children’s books like Chance to Fly, she's acclaimed for her Camp Rolling Hills series.
Stacy once sang the National Anthem solo for a NY Jets game! She was 16 at the time.
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Nicholas, a versatile artist skilled in production, art direction, mural painting, and writing comic books, shares his expertise through education.
He created a comic book that released issues monthly for all of 2022, has illustrated for brands such as Marc Jacobs, and paints murals here in NYC.
Nicholas worked as a production specialist in Takashi Murakami and Frederico Solmi’s studios!
CJ lives the filmmaker's dream, as a producer's assistant, indie filmmaker, and educator! He shares his passion and creative expertise with students.
CJ has served as a producer's assistant at Robert Altman's Sandcastle 5 Productions and assisted world-renowned director Noah Baumbach!
Ally is an emerging educator, writer, actor with a background in comedy. What they find most interesting about storytelling is the dance between expanding a world and keeping it focused.
Currently they are venturing into playwriting, having written full-length play "Nothing Nothing It's Nothing" through the Voices of America Writers Workshop. As an actor Allyson recently guest starred opposite Rachel Weisz in "Dead Ringers" on Amazon Prime!
Ally played a bad guy on TV, has three cats, and is good at basketball (minus the stamina part).
Miss is a published author and illustrator of celebrated graphic novels and comic books. She specializes in teaching comic writing and illustration.
Her graphic novels such as Henni and Escape From “Special” have made top book lists, The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, and been nominated for awards.
Miss once played a zombie in a low-budget horror movie.
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Jane - poet, performance artist, and educator - publishes student work and teaches writing, literature, and performance across all age groups.
Jane's published poetry book Names is part of the award-winning ABC Chapbook Series. One of her poems has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Jane fronts the band The Icebergs and was a part of Sister Spit, the famed west coast women’s poetry troupe!
Tess Michaelson is a writer, interdisciplinary artist, and educator with an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University.
Tess’ articles have been published by The Chicago Review, independent online magazine The Rumpus, The Brooklyn Rail, and more.
Tess has an identical twin!
Abigael Puritz is a graphic novelist, printmaker, illustrator, and educator with a BFA from SUNY Purchase, and an MFA at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
Abigael's hand made art books have been collected by libraries such as the Columbia and Stanford Rare book archives. Abigael has also been teaching drawing and comics to students since she was still a student herself.
Abigael grew up in a veterinary hospital, has had pink hair for 16 years straight, and is a pretty good singer.
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Our deputy director, Dorkys currently educates students of all ages in writing and art across Washington Heights and Inwood.
Her bilingual works have appeared in Time Out NY Kids, BET, Parents Latina, Syracuse Post-Standard, and the Manhattan Times.
Dorkys keeps the gears of Uptown Stories turning, but when she's not at US she spends her time painting and illustrating!
A Puerto Rican, published, and award-winning playwright, Alejandra is a dedicated teacher with Uptown Stories.
The 2020 winner of Miranda Family Voces Latinx Playwriting Competition, she has multiple published plays and recent off-Broadway triumphs.
Alejandra achieved a 2021 Emmy nod for Voice Over Actress in La Cucarachita Martina’s Musical Adventure!
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Kate, a dedicated educator, taught middle and high school humanities in both public and private schools for over 25 years before founding Uptown Stories.
Her own fiction has appeared in The Madison Review, Brain Child, Salamander, and The Ledge!
Kate is a lifelong New Yorker and has lived in Washington Heights since 2003 with her two kids. Thank you Kate for the gift of Uptown Stories!
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Luis, a Puerto Rican actor and educator, holds an MFA in acting from Brown University. Proudly bilingual, he creates vibrant spaces for fun, learning, and growth.
Luis has taught writing, acting, and speech in Puerto Rico and at Brown University. His acting credits include “The Glass Menagerie”, “Nicky Jam”, and more!
Luis’ first job was at Cold Stone Creamery where he performed mini ice cream ball juggling shows while preparing orders!
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Dave is an author, illustrator, and teacher at the School of Visual Arts. He shares his artistic skills with our young writers here at Uptown Stories.
He is the author/illustrator of the Astronaut Academy series and writer of graphic novel, Teen Boat! Race for Boatlantis (with John Patrick Green).
Dave is a former editor at Nickelodeon Magazine, current editor for First Second’s Science Comics and History Comics series...and he loves waffles!
Kimberly
Parent
Xanthe
Student
Annie
Parent
Kayla
Student
Nina
Parent
Susannah
Student
Graydon
Alumnus
Lori
Parent
Ready to Join a Workshop?
You know it, love it, you can’t get enough of it - and neither can we. Whether it’s Speed Racer or Dragon Ball, Naruto, or My Hero Academia, we are OBSESSED. The only thing better than watching anime the entire week of February break would be drawing our own anime characters and adventures. Grab your pens, and let’s ikō!
We’ll learn traditional techniques using the boldest of colors, creating unique casts of characters with the best hair, and putting them into action in the world and arc of your dreams. Whether you’re new to drawing classes or an experienced artist, there are always skills to learn that will help you tell the story you want told.
Craft the world of a novel on a single page — yes, you can do it! In the The One-Page Wonder workshop, we’ll look at the shortest stories from around the world, and explore the limitless possibilities of flash fiction. Starting small, we’ll build from the sentence, to the paragraph, and then finally to the page. These stories are all about building mood and mystery, painting clear images, and dropping the reader into a world that is already alive, and ready for exploration. Surprise yourself with writing that packs a punch in your own piece of microfiction.
Calling all kid-journalists and fiction writers! With a home base at the Cornerstone and an adventure-scape of the entire neighborhood, Our Uptown will be the perfect avenue for diving into our community. In this workshop, we will hone our journalistic skills by interviewing the people who run, work at, and visit our favorite neighborhood spots. Every place has a story, especially in Washington Heights, and we’re eager to learn it! Once our research is complete we’ll write poetry, fiction, and more, inspired by these vibrant visits and interviews. From Buunni Coffee to Oasis Deli, meet people who connect you to our community, feed our souls, and inspire you to write your best work.