Writer's In Residence
The Writers in Residence at the Bronx Academy of Letters adds depth to the school’s approach to literacy by leading intensive writing workshops one day a week, brainstorming with teachers to infuse the curriculum with writing exercises, and serving as overall writing advisers staff members students can turn to for both criticism and encouragement. The writers in residence are also faculty advisers for the school's quarterly newspaper, The Raven, and the biannual literary journal, One Pen.
Elana’s first collection of poetry, Eyes, Stones was selected by Fanny Howe as the winner of the 2011 Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets, and was published by Louisiana State University Press in 2012. She is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, the Edward Albee Foundation, and the Brooklyn Arts Council. Her work has recently appeared in AGNI, Harvard Review, and the Massachusetts Review. Elana leads creative writing workshops for women in prison, for educators, for high school students in Israel-Palestine and throughout the five boroughs of New York City, as well as for the pioneering peace building and leadership organization, Seeds of Peace. She was a recent finalist for the Freedom Plow Award for Poetry & Activism, an award which recognizes and honors a poet who is doing innovative and transformative work at the intersection of poetry and social change. In addition to serving as the writer in residence for the Bronx Academy of Letters, Elana also teaches literature and creative writing at CUNY College of Staten Island and curates public art installations with Poets in Unexpected Places. www.elanabell.com
Caits Meissner is an award-winning poet, educator and vibrant creative force dedicated to transformation and healing through storytelling. For over ten years, Caits has extensively facilitated youth and adults in poetry and multi-media expression in prisons, schools and community centers, and has worked long-term instituting innovative arts education programming at cultural institutions such as Tribeca Film Institute, Urban Arts Partnership, The Facing History School and the Lower Eastside Girls Club. Currently, Caits works with organizations to develop creative approaches to art and justice curriculum, team building and best practices in educational settings.
Caits’ poetry of witness has been awarded first place prizes from the Pan-African Literary Forum and the Ja’Nai Foundation and she serves as a Founding Editor of The Wide Shore global women’s poetry magazine. Published in various journals and anthologies including The Feminist Wire, The Literary Review and Simon&Schuster’s CHORUS anthology, her poetry/music album, the wolf & me, was released in 2010 to online acclaim on platforms such as Okayplayer. In 2012, The Letter All Your Friends Have Written You, Caits’ collaborative poetry book with poet Tishon, arrived on the Well&Often imprint. Caits has performed at venues such as Joe’s Pub, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Highline Ballroom, NYU, Columbia University, The Kitchen and the Blue Note Jazz Cafe.
Caits developed and creatively directs the #GrowFierce community, centered around Digging Deep, Facing Self – a 30 day online intensive writing course designed to uplift, heal & transform women into their boldest selves. Widening access, Caits has facilitated the powerful curriculum in live spaces to reach women in need, including incarcerated inmates, adolescents and various communities of women across the globe.
To learn more about Digging Deep, Facing Self and #GrowFierce, visit www.growfierce.com
Actors In Residence
One of newest additions to the BAL community, the Actors in Residence initiative brings two talented artists from the Labryrinth Theater Company. These amazing actresses help begin the "Making Theater" afterschool program and this year will be teaching an elective theater class to our students.
Maggie Bofill is a seasoned New York stage actor and produced playwright. She is a founding member of Labyrinth Theater Company, member of Ensemble Studio Theater, and the Actors Studio Playwright Directors Unit. She got her M.F.A. from Temple University, and is thrilled to be back at BAL this year.