Meet our talented family of teachers—each an accomplished writer and trustworthy guide. Leaf through our faculty bios, profiles, book excerpts, and writing advice articles. You’ll like the people you meet.
Rachel Simon

Faculty Profile

Meet Rachel Simon

“Pickleball became a big pandemic pastime.” That’s what Gotham teacher Rachel Simon found, anyways. For Rachel—the Deputy Editor of Hello Giggles and a freelance writer for publications including the New York Times, Glamour, and Vulture—writing is about finding the unexpected connections. “The first story I wrote in the pandemic, which was for the New York Times, was about pickleball.

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Teresa Wong

Faculty Profile

Meet Teresa Wong

“I didn’t pick up a pencil or anything until I had kids,” says Gotham teacher Teresa Wong. “No child is going to let you sit there and write for even twenty minutes. But drawing, kids can sit alongside you or they can watch you and be interested.”

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The teacher is not a pushover, but she definitely is an encourager. She offers sage advice, honest criticism, and a wealth of knowledge from her personal experiences as a published author.

Robin Nielsen, wife/mother/grandmother/business owner

Faculty Excerpts

<em><strong>The Root of Everything & Lightning</strong></em><em></em>

The Root of Everything & Lightning

Scott Alexander Hess
Excerpt from Lightning Arkansas, 1918Chapter 9 I didn’t know nothing about a proper burying in the earth. Still it had to be done. I fetched an old shovel and a pitchfork from the barn cause that’s all we had. I...
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<em>Palm Springs Noir</em>

Palm Springs Noir

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
This is the introduction written by Barbara DeMarco-BarrettBetween the Devil and the deep Blue SeaTen years ago, when my first noir short story, “Crazy for You,” was published in Orange County Noir, my mother-in-law asked me to define the genre....
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Faculty Articles

Josh Sippie

Opening Lines As First Impressions

Josh Sippie
It’s hard to argue that the whole “you only get one chance to make a first impression” logic doesn’t also apply to writing. The first line of a narrative is the first foray into the voice of the author, the...
Josh Sippie

Being Your Own Best Reader

Josh Sippie
One thing so many writers struggle with is letting other people read their work. It’s daunting, nerve-racking, full-on exposure with nowhere to hide. But before you even think about sending your manuscript to anyone else, it should pass by the...