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BLR Team
Suzanne McConnell
Fiction Editor
Suzanne McConnell taught writing at Hunter College for thirty years. Her most recent book is “Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style” by Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell.
Kate Falvey
Associate Editor
Kate Falvey teaches literature and writing at City Tech/CUNY. Her most recent poetry collection is “The Language of Little Girls.”
Abba Belgrave
Assistant Poetry Editor
Abba Belgrave is an avid writer based in Brooklyn. She is also a recent graduate of the Juniper Summer Writing Program at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Omotara James
Assistant Poetry Editor
Omotara James is a multidisciplinary artist, poet and editor, based out of New York City. Her debut poetry collection is "Song of My Softening."
Saleem Hue Penny
Assistant Poetry Editor
Saleem Hue Penny is a “rural hip-hop blues'' poet and Cave Canem Fellow with single-sided deafness, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, and Lowcountry roots. He's the 2021 Poetry Coalition Fellow at Zoeglossia.
Doris W. Cheng
Assistant Fiction Editor
Doris W. Cheng is an immigrant Taiwanese American writer. Her debut short fiction collection is “Earthling."
Melissa Pagnotta
Social Media Manager
Melissa is a Digital Marketer who's worked with entertainment brands like SundanceNow and Stand Up NY comedy club. In her free time she performs stand-up comedy.
Rosalind Aparicio-Ramirez
Editorial Assistant
Rosalind Aparicio-Ramirez is a nonfiction writer and multimedia artist. She is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at Hunter College.
Amanda Chen
Editorial Assistant
Amanda Chen is a writer from California now based in New York City.
Board of Directors
Marit Vagstad
Vice-Chair
Marit Vagstad is the trade sales director for the Americas at Springer Nature. She is an avid reader and volunteer.
Ashley McMullen
Ashley McMullen is an assistant professor of medicine at UCSF. She is the host and producer of the Human Doctor podcast.
Perri Klass
Perri Klass is professor of journalism and pediatrics at NYU, and national medical director of Reach Out and Read. Her newest book is “A Good Time to Be Born."
Frank Clark
Frank Clark is a psychiatrist at Prisma Health and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville.
Michael Myers
Michael Myers is a professor of psychiatry at SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, NY. His most recent book is “Becoming a Doctors' Doctor: A Memoir.”
Myrna Blyth
Myrna Blyth is Senior Vice President & Editorial Director at AARP Media. She is the author of four books.
Jodie Corngold
Jodie Corngold was the communications director for the National Hemophilia Foundation. She is a member of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and a marathon runner.
Allie Nava
Allie Nava was an executive and writing coach at Amazon. She spent over two decades advising boards in the health and education sectors and is currently writing a novel
David W. Bloom
David W. Bloom is a management consultant who reads a lot and writes a little.
Helene Atwan
Helene Atwan is a publishing executive with extensive experience. She is currently a contributing editor at Beacon Press and an advisor to nonprofit literary organizations.