Naomi Kinsman

Founder And Executive Director

Naomi Kinsman is the author of the From Sadie’s Sketchbook series and Spilled Ink, the award-winning Inklings Writer’s Notebook. She’s also the founder and Executive Director of Society of Young Inklings, where she helps youth writers discover the power of their voices through creativity, community, and story.

Naomi’s background in improvisational and story theatre, along with her arts education work in Chicago, Portland, and the Bay Area, has convinced her that creative play isn’t just fun. Play is transformative. Whether through a blank page, a character in motion, or a conversation between ideas, Naomi believes story is a doorway into curiosity, confidence, and personal growth.

She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Seattle Pacific University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University, and has trained with the Piven Theatre Workshop and ACT. Naomi loves sketching, experimenting in the kitchen, and wandering with her Portuguese Water Dog, Lexi.

BETH SPENCEWOOD

Director of Youth Publication Programs, Mentor

DONald DEA

Board VICE CHAIR

Donald Dea is an experienced board chair, entrepreneur, and nonprofit leader with a long record of helping mission-driven organizations grow and thrive. He has founded and scaled multiple companies, served on numerous nonprofit boards, and brings deep expertise in governance, strategic planning, and organizational development. Don is passionate about supporting young creators and strengthening the communities that help them flourish.

PEGGY FELDMAN 

Board Member

Peggy Feldman is a licensed attorney who works at a financial institution managing a team of fiduciary advisors who administer estates. She earned a Political Science degree from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.  She lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, teenage daughter and two cats. In 2021 the Society of Young Inklings mentored Peggy’s daughter and her best friend in finalizing a fantasy story they wrote together during the pandemic. This experience was so rewarding that she’s now passionate about helping other young writers discover their own voice and creative spark. When she’s not deep in a book, Peggy be found baking, coaxing veggies from her backyard garden or testing the limits of how many library books one person can have on hold at a time.

Kelly Hoy

Board Member

Kelly Hoy has been a public and private school teacher for more than 20 years. After completing her degree at the University of Rhode Island, she started her public-school career as a computer specialist at Crim Elementary in Bridgewater, NJ and as a third-grade elementary school teacher in Dunellen, NJ. She then moved to California private schools: teaching special education at Star Academy in San Anselmo, fifth-grade at Phillips Brooks School in Menlo Park, and currently, fifth-grade humanities at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco. Teaching and writing are her passions. She has published a number of case studies and analyses in several editions of Anita Woolfolk’s best-selling psychology text, Educational Psychology. Her goals as a teacher are to develop an appreciation for the unique stories of her students, strengthen their voices, cultivate empathy, and advance social justice, as they all grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

Ravi Kalkunte

Board Chair

Ravi Kalkunte is a Global Product Manager in the field of polymers and plastic films. He has been involved in new product development all his professional life and continues to develop new strategies and new products. He has a Master’s in Textiles from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Wake Forest University. He came to the US as a student to pursue higher education. Ravi likes to travel and play tennis. He has 3 children and has experienced first-hand how good writing skills can facilitate access to great opportunities. He is passionate about encouraging children into trying new and creative pursuits.

Yegor Kazarin

Board MEMBER

Yegor Kazarin earned a double major in Computer Science and Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He then earned a J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law. He works at a law firm in the Central Valley of California, working within the Civil Litigation and Family Law practices. Yegor enjoys reading, watching movies, and day-dreaming about one day publishing a fantasy novel.

Tracy Piombo

Board Member

Mark Radoff

Board Member

Mark Radoff is General Counsel for the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, representing and advising its tribal government, business entities, various departments and committees. He is a former tribal judge, tribal attorney and public defender, protecting children, parents and tribes in dependency cases. He has written extensively on the Indian Child Welfare Act and argued three Amicus briefs on ICWA before the California Supreme Court. Mark writes fiction, short stories, and participates in regional writing conferences and workshops. He has finished a novel about a century-old Navajo dispute between miners, churches, pawn-brokers, boarding schools, sheep and Colonel Sanders.

Danielle Simmons

Board Member

Danielle Simmons earned her BA in English Literature from the University of the Pacific and has spent nearly three decades working in public relations and communications. A seasoned communications leader, she brings deep experience shaping compelling narratives, elevating mission-aligned brands, and driving measurable impact. She has held leadership roles at organizations including Ancestry and Johnson & Johnson, and has served as a fractional communications and marketing leader for multiple digital health innovators and emerging brands. A proud fourth-generation Bay Area native, Danielle lives there with her husband, two sons, and a lively menagerie of cats. An author by night, she has successfully published several books under a pen name. She is also deeply passionate about youth health and wellness, with a particular focus on education, sports, and the arts.

KERRY ARADHYA

Mentor

Kerry Aradhya has loved puzzling over words and immersing herself in the creative process ever since she was a little girl growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania. She is the author of the picture book biography Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube (Peachtree, 2024) and more than a dozen poems in award-winning children’s magazines such as Babybug, Ladybug, and Highlights High Five.

When not writing for children, Kerry works as a freelance science writer and editor, performs with a quirky modern dance ensemble, and occasionally muses about children’s literature and dance at her blog, Picture Books & Pirouettes. She received a BS in biology from Duke University (where she also fell head over heels for modern dance) and an MS in cell and molecular biology from Baylor College of Medicine.

Kerry lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, their two daughters, and one cute but naughty pooch named Sofie. Learn more at kerryaradhya.com.

Bronté bettencourt

Mentor

Ever since she was a kid, Bronté had been fascinated by the elements of fun and entertaining storytelling. Be it creating stories with friends, dissecting punchlines from anime and cartoons, or falling in love with sounding out written words, Bronté knew that writing would be a core part of her life. She graduated from UCF with a BA English – Creative Writing. She earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. As a creative professional, Bronté has spearheaded murder mystery night productions for UCF’s anime club, contributed personal essays to podcasts and online literary journals, and written and directed learning modules for Fortune 500 companies. Currently, Bronté lives with her husband in Central Florida, where she hammers away at her young adult post-apocolyptic fantasy with the goal of querying next year!

Alex Doherty

Mentor

Alex is a writer based in the Bay Area and has an MFA in screenwriting. He worked as a Story Assistant for film and TV production in Los Angeles before working as an Assistant Producer at LucasArts in San Francisco. He’s querying his first novel, a Middle Grade adventure! He’s inspired by the creativity of others and enjoys theater, movies, reading and finding time to practice his green thumb when he’s not hiking.

Amanda glaze

Mentor

Amanda is a novelist and Emmy Award-winning film and television producer with a lifelong passion for storytelling and mentorship. She is the author of the acclaimed historical fantasy THE SECOND DEATH OF EDIE AND VIOLET BOND, a Barnes & Noble Young Adult Book Club Pick and a selection on the ALA Rise Feminist Book List. Her latest novel, THE LIES OF ALMA BLACKWELL, is a gothic young adult mystery inspired by the haunting lore of the Winchester Mystery House.

As a film producer, Amanda works closely with screenwriters to brainstorm, write, and develop film and television projects for both the big and small screens. Some of her favorite projects include the Academy Award–nominated film THE BIG SICK, the comedies TRAINWRECK starring Amy Schumer, and THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND starring Pete Davidson, as well as the Emmy Award–winning HBO documentaries THE ZEN DIARIES OF GARRY SHANDLING and GEORGE CARLIN’S AMERICAN DREAM. Amanda began her career in the performing arts, earning a BA in Theater from UCLA and working as a director before moving into film and television. She brings her wide-ranging storytelling experience into her work with young writers in creative spaces, encouraging them to trust their instincts, find their voices, and dive deep into the emotional heart of their stories. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University.

Erin Halden

Mentor

Erin landed her first writing gig at age eight, when she named herself editor of Spot News, the leading daily newspaper on Jupiter. After that, she wrote her own book of myths – this time with GIRLS in them – and rewrote scenes from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe so that Lucy led the charge instead of her brother.

After earning degrees in creative writing and journalism, she worked in the grown-up (but still fun) world of documentary television, producing, directing, and writing more than fifty shows and specials. But she missed making stuff up. So she started writing fiction again, and got her MFA in writing for Very Wise People, a.k.a. children and young adults. She’s excited to be a part of the Society of Young Inklings.

Erin lives in a 104-year-old house in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband, three kids, and a dog who thinks she’s a cat.

Avalon Felice Lee

Mentor

Avalon Felice Lee received a nomination for Best Small Fictions 2022. Her words are internationally published or forthcoming in The Boiler, Brain Mill Press, Kissing Dynamite, The Lumiere Review, and elsewhere. She is pursuing a B.A. in Writing & Literature at the College of Creative Studies in UC Santa Barbara.

Tasslyn Magnusson

Mentor

Justin Minkel

Mentor

Justin has known he wanted to be a writer since 2nd grade. He grew up surrounded by the woods, creeks, and hollows of the Ozark Mountains, where he’d go on rambling adventures with characters from whatever fantasy book he was reading at the time.

Justin taught elementary school in New York, California, and Arkansas. He has an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University, and he loves working with young writers as their imaginations flourish and their stories unfold.

Justin’s most recent novel is a fantasy story inspired by the Icarus myth about kids who build their own wings and fly beyond the mountains to discover what lies “beyond beyond.” He lives in a forest-colored house surrounded by trees with his 13-year-old son, his 16-year old daughter, his wife, too many books to fit on the shelves, and a tender-hearted black cat named Smudge.

Lisa Frenkel Riddiough

Mentor

Lisa Frenkel Riddiough is a Northern California-based writer whose projects include picture books, middle-grade, short fiction, and poetry. She earned a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing from UC Berkeley Extension and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. Lisa is the author of ELVIS AND THE WORLD AS IT STANDS (Abrams, 2021), LETTERS TO LIVE BY: AN ALPHABET BOOK WITH INTENTION (Running Press Kids, 2022), PIE-RATS! (Viking, 2024) and the forthcoming EMBARASSED FERRET (Disney, 2025). Lisa is a former sales executive, an avid squirrel watcher, and a frequent baker of chocolate pound cake. Learn more about Lisa at www.lisariddiough.com and on IG @lisariddiough.

sonja solter

Mentor

Elizabeth Verdick

Mentor

Elizabeth Verdick loves to write for all ages, from toddlers to teens. Some of her picture books include Small Walt, Bike & Trike, and Peep Leap. She received her MFA from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has two French bulldogs that (along with her two grown children) are the light of her life. Elizabeth enjoys mentoring because she gets to work with kids who believe in their writing dreams.

ashley Walker

Mentor

Ashley Walker has been a primary school librarian, grad school lecturer, pilot, programmer, and personal trainer, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now—writing.

Her broad life experience and education shape her work. Ashley holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Artificial Intelligence and earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she was a three-time award winner. Ashley is the co-author of a young adult biography collection in the Chicago Review Press Women of Power series (2022), and she is writing a YA book, part narrative nonfiction and part memoir, about AI for Candlewick/MITeen Press (due out in 2026).

Ashley lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is active in the kidlit community and a dedicated mentor in youth art and science programs. Learn more at ashleywalkerbooks.com.

Odette Harris

Advisory Board Member

Inklings Member Advisory Board

Sonia Cripe

Rachel Feldman

Henley Ferguson

Meleah Goldman

Raya Ilieva

Elaine Elizabeth Jinto

Micki Mermelstein

Hari Tharmalingam

Yueling Qian

Collaborating and Contributing Artists

We also partner with a group of professional authors, illustrators, and creatives that we call our Collaborating Artists. Collaborating Artists serve as volunteers and encouragers for Society of Young Inklings and our young writers. Click here to see our featured partners.