Literary Arts is thrilled to announce some recent staff changes, including welcoming a new Associate Director of Communications, and Interim Director of Youth Programs.
In November, 2019, Jyoti Roy joined Literary Arts as the new Associate Director of Communications. Prior to working at Literary Arts, Jyoti was the Communications Manager for the stop-motion animation studio LAIKA, and previously was the Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications for the PSU Foundation. Jyoti is a writer, editor, and communications professional and has been an avid supporter of Literary Arts since she moved to Portland in 2008. As a graduate of Portland State University’s Book Publishing program, Jyoti is looking forward to re-connecting and immersing herself within Portland’s vibrant writing and book community and connecting others to Literary Arts’ programs.
Emilly Prado is the new Interim Director of Youth Programs at Literary Arts. She began her work with the organization in 2017 as a Writer in the School before joining the staff in 2018 as a WITS Program Specialist and Apprentice Program Supervisor. At Literary Arts, Emilly enjoys “working alongside a team of compassionate, incredibly talented colleagues. We all care deeply about providing access to the arts and bring many unique perspectives and strengths to the table with our respective programs. As a writer and long-time educator, I’m thrilled to see the marriage of what I see as my own life purposes in one position—I get to surround myself with all things writing while also serving the youth my community, and doing so with equity at the forefront.”
Maggie Allen has been working at Literary Arts since 2016, and was recently promoted to Development Manager. Hired initially as Donor Relations Assistant, in January 2018 Maggie was promoted to Development Coordinator, before being promoted to Development Manager in November 2019. One of her favorite things about working at Literary Arts is “being part of an organization that creates opportunities for exchange of ideas and conversations, and that values curiosity. ”
Allegra Lopez started at Literary Arts as a Development & Marketing Intern in fall of 2017. She officially joined the team as Development Assistant in spring 2018, and was recently promoted to Development Coordinator in November 2019. Allegra is excited to be doing more writing in this new role. Allegra enjoys “working for an organization that brings people together through the shared love of reading and writing. It’s so inspiring to see people from all kinds of backgrounds join together through classes, lectures, readings, the Festival, and more. Literary Arts doesn’t just give the opportunity for a variety of voices to be heard, it amplifies them.”
Jules Ohman recently joined the staff of Literary Arts as a Writers in the Schools (WITS) Program Specialist. This is Jules’ third year teaching with Writers in the Schools. She has taught fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry at Grant, Madison, and Wilson High Schools, respectively. Jules is excited that her new role gives her “the opportunity to support other writers in their teaching practices, as previous WITS Program Specialists have done for me, so students across the Portland area can tell their stories and share their writing.”
We are thrilled to have them all on the Literary Arts team.
