Meet the Team

The minds behind the hub

Our team of published authors, editors, and educators are passionate about nurturing the next generation of voices in literature.

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Theona Marlowe

Lead Poet & Co-Founder

Award-winning poet whose work has appeared in The Paris Review, Poetry Magazine, and The New Yorker. Theona founded Ink Speaks to build the community she wished she had as a young writer. Her collections have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.

PoetryLyric EssayCreative Pedagogy
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Kate Ellington

Fiction Editor & Workshop Lead

Published novelist with three critically acclaimed novels and a National Book Award nomination. Kate leads our fiction editing program and manuscript development workshops, specializing in literary fiction and memoir.

Literary FictionMemoirDevelopmental Editing
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Noah Bennett

Workshop Director

MFA from Iowa Writers' Workshop. Noah designs and leads our immersive writing workshops, retreats, and online masterclasses. His teaching philosophy centers on radical encouragement and rigorous craft.

Workshop DesignFictionCross-Genre Writing
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Alina Novak

Poetry Curator

Alina curates our poetry anthology series and runs the monthly open-mic showcases. Her own collections have been translated into twelve languages, and she brings an international perspective to every project.

PoetryTranslationAnthology Curation
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Daniel Kim

Prose Editor & Mentor

Debut novelist whose book "When Rivers Remember" was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Daniel mentors emerging fiction writers and leads our long-form narrative workshops with empathy and precision.

Novel WritingNarrative StructureMentorship
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Maya Thompson

Short Fiction Specialist

PEN/Faulkner Award winner for her collection "The Garden at Midnight." Maya specializes in the art of the short story and leads workshops on compression, imagery, and the power of the unsaid.

Short StoriesFlash FictionNature Writing
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Lucas Rivera

Spoken Word & Performance

Best-selling poet and spoken word artist whose performances have been viewed millions of times online. Lucas bridges the worlds of page and stage, leading workshops on voice, rhythm, and performance.

Spoken WordPerformance PoetryCommunity Building
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Emma Caldwell

Nonfiction Editor & Publishing Guide

Author of "The Last Draft" and former acquiring editor at a major publishing house. Emma brings insider knowledge of the publishing industry to our community, guiding writers from manuscript to bookshelf.

Creative NonfictionPublishingQuery & Pitch

Want to join our team?

We're always looking for passionate writers, editors, and educators to help grow our community.

View Open Positions