2020 - 2021 TELLING ROOM ANNUAL REPORT
July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021
Stay tuned for our 2021 - 2022 Telling Room annual report — coming soon!
Dear Friends,
He says “You’re a cracked shell.”
I say, “I am still keeping my shape.”
So writes Telling Room author Simona Ickia Ngaullo in “Cracked Shell,” a poem she wrote in the Young Writers & Leaders program and published in Shadowboxing, a book dedicated to what we lost and what we found this past year.
Like the speaker in Simona’s poem, many of us have learned to see what’s holding us together through the cracks. In fact, we spent the year exploring what it meant to have The Telling Room cracked by COVID and its many crises while still maintaining our shape. What would our afterschool programs feel like outside of our cozy Commercial Street space, with its lime green cabinets and well-worn chairs? We wondered if we would be able to make and maintain connections with students far and wide as we reimagined our operations and events. Were engagement and creativity still possible in an online learning environment?
The virtual world quickly became our space.
We forged connections and broadened our reach. Our staff invented brand new statewide digital programming to connect students in isolated areas of Maine. Our Ambassadors and alums hosted Instagram Live Open Mic Nights, and we held energized student readings over Zoom. These were all such successes that we sometimes even forgot that we were virtual. Sometimes.
In the spring of 2021, we ventured back into a few classrooms, both virtually and in-person. We dusted off our tables and brought our students safely back into our space on Commercial Street. By the summer, The Telling Room studio was abuzz once more with staff and young authors with pens in hand!
By prioritizing community — and community-building — The Telling Room kept and strengthened our dedication to youth empowerment. We maintained hope and held space for one another, even though that space might have looked and felt a little different. Our students continued to write, many of them processing the dual pandemics of COVID and racism. We had a special visit from former president and acclaimed author Barack Obama. And inaugural poet Amanda Gorman wrote the introduction to our best-selling student poetry anthology, A New Land, not just shining a light on youth voices across the country, but embodying what we see young writers doing at The Telling Room each and every day: finding their voices and raising them up to reshape our communities for the better.
Because of all of you — students, readers, teachers, parents, guardians, friends, supporters, partners, volunteers, the list is long — we’ve been able to share youth stories throughout the year. We continue to empower and amplify youth voices that define The Telling Room and our community.
Thank you for helping us navigate these most challenging times. Your support has been a life force for Telling Room students and staff. We hope you’ll see in this report how powerful our voices can be when we join together, how through this year we’ve kept our shape, and how we are emerging even stronger than before.
With hope and gratitude,
Celine Kuhn,
Former Executive Director of The Telling Room
Anya Endsley,
Current Board President of The Telling Room
STEP INTO THE TELLING ROOM
At The Telling Room, we empower youth through writing and share their voices with the world. As a literary arts education organization focused on young writers ages 6 to 18, we seek to build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and provide real audiences for our students. We believe that the power of creative expression can change our communities and prepare our youth for success both now and in the future.
The Telling Room writing studio in Portland, ME
OUR YEAR AT A GLANCE
Students Served Through Our Writing & Publishing Programs and Events: 1472Program Hours: 1117
Books Published: 11
New Authors: 282
Readings & Events: 20
WRITING & PUBLISHING ACROSS MAINE
82 towns were served through our afterschool programs, summer camps, and statewide writing contest in fiscal year 2021.
Augusta
Alfred
Alna
Bangor
Bass Harbor
Bath
Belfast
Belgrade
Berwick
Biddeford
Boothbay Harbor
Bowdoinham
Boston, MA
Bridgewater
Bridgton
Brunswick
Cape Elizabeth
Casco
Corinna
Cornish
Cumberland
Dedham
Dexter
Durham
Dresden
Falmouth
Farmington
Farmingdale
Friendship
Fryeburg
Gardiner
Gorham
Harpswell
Holden
Houlton
Kennebunkport
Kittery
Limerick
Mapleton
Monticello
New Gloucester
New Paltz, NY
New York, NY
North Berwick
North Monmouth
North Yarmouth
Oakland
Old Town
Orono
Owls Head
Palmyra
Peaks Island
Philadelphia, PA
Port Clyde
Portland
Presque Isle
Raymond
Richmond
Rockland
Saco
Sanford
Scarborough
Seal Beach, CA
Springdale
Springvale
South Berwick
South Gardiner
South Portland
St. George
Telluride, CO
Tenants Harbor
Thomaston
Topsham
Unity
Waterville
Wayne
Westbrook
West Gardiner
Windham
Woolwich
Yarmouth
York
IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Oceanside Middle School students hold their chapbook, Here We Are Today, for the first time after their residency.
Despite the pandemic’s disruptions to our usual residency calendar, we successfully ran our first two virtual residencies ever, both with long-time educational partners.
At Oceanside Middle School in Rockland, teacher Catherine Sally was determined to have The Telling Room back after her March 2020 residency was canceled after just one day due to COVID. Students wedged themselves into spaces all over the school and at home to log in and participate, connecting with classmates learning remotely. We celebrated the launch of their chapbook, Here We Are Today, outdoors in a garden planted by the students, whose writing had grown alongside the vegetable patch.
At Shapleigh School in Kittery, we led a personal narrative residency for a 6 - 8th grade group and two 4th - 5th grade groups. Though it created long days online for our teaching artists and students alike, the writers were fired up and published a beautiful chapbook, Excited to Look Around. The book is 164 pages of short fiction featuring 134 authors, as well as dragons, playgrounds, and the worst-tasting food ever.
Lead Teacher Marjolaine Whittlesey leads a writing workshop at Marcia Buker Elementary in Richmond, ME.
With some of the technology wrinkles of spring 2020 ironed out, our Mast Landing virtual poetry workshop in Freeport was a smooth success. To accommodate hybrid schedules and students attending at home, we split the usual group into two smaller cohorts. Throughout, we witnessed students passionate about writing develop their craft alongside reluctant writers, and all produced work they could be proud of. Although our six meetings were virtual, we were excited to be able to gather socially distanced and masked in the elementary school’s cafeteria for a heartening final reading.
One of the highlights of our year is collaborating with the 4th and 5th grade teachers at Marcia Buker Elementary School in Richmond. After a long hiatus from inviting outside groups to come in, we jumped at the opportunity to visit as soon as the doors reopened to visitors in spring of 2021. Using our theme of “Mystery,” we got kids outside investigating mysterious places and inanimate object characters around the school grounds. The two mystery poems they wrote were wonderful, but the most fun thing was the shared delight of being back in the classroom with students — and having a blast writing and sharing in community.
Another highlight of our long-awaited return to schools was a college essay workshop at Cape Elizabeth High School, and it was worth the wait. Through the hybrid format, we were able to spend multiple sessions with each student teasing out potential topics and writing. We can’t wait to check in with them this fall to see how their essays have been coming along!
AFTERSCHOOL WRITING & PUBLISHING PROGRAMS
WELCOME BACK, WRITERS BLOCK
Lead Teacher Marjolaine Whittlesey leads Writers Block students in a game at The Telling Room.
14 students served in:
1 program
10 program hours
After many months of isolation, we joyfully (and safely!) reopened our doors in April of 2020 to bring one of our most in-demand programs back from hiatus — Writers Block! For the first time in over a year, we welcomed students into our space to write and connect in-person in a low-pressure, fun, creative way. Two cohorts grouped by age (students 9-12 and 13-18) joined us in a supportive environment to meet new friends and engage in writing through choose-your-own prompts suitable for multiple genres and levels. A diverse group joined us from Kittery, Westbrook, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Portland, and South Portland, and we were so glad to hear the sound of pencils scratching on paper once more!
SWARM! swag to get our students inspired.
153 students served in:
17 hives
190 program hours
54 towns
In summer of 2020, we launched SWARM! (Student Writers And Readers Meet!) to connect students from all across Maine virtually during the pandemic. It was our first foray into virtual teaching, and a big success! Our first SWARM! was led by four teaching artists and offered a platform for students to write and publish a piece about their experiences during this unprecedented time. After the first four ‘hives’ met and were published in their chapbook, we’ve offered this program every semester since, broadening our focus to include other genres and themes so students can submit their writing to our annual anthology. We will continue to offer SWARM! moving forward so that youth living anywhere in Maine have a way to connect with The Telling Room and write with one another.
Young Emerging Authors students hold their published books at book launch (From left to right: Maya Denkmire, Leigh Ellis, Lead Teacher Kathryn Williams, Lerman Abdoulkader Waiss, and Sofie Matson).
4 students served in:
1 program
75 program hours
Writing a book in a year is a tall order — writing a book in a pandemic year is a monumental feat! In a time when many writers struggled to put words on the page, our four Young Emerging Authors students prevailed against the challenges COVID presented. Each student grew as a writer, and was pushed to think more deeply about their prose (we had four novels this year!), story structure, and audience. Through weekly Zoom sessions, we shared writing with each other and mentors, building community amongst our cohort. The mentorship component was paramount, and because of Zoom, mentors were able to join us from near and far. Our meetings became a bright spot for students during a year of remote learning and limited in-person interaction.
Check out this year’s Young Emerging Authors books:
Young Writers & Leaders alum Andy Mugisha signs a copy of this year’s chapbook, No Time for Rehearsing.
““...all of you are voices that I can’t wait to hear.””
Young Writers & Leaders co-teacher Hipai Pamba greets President Barack Obama for his conversation with this year’s students.
““He was in our shoes at one time. Your path isn’t always clear, and look at him, he became president, and he’s here talking to us. It gave me inspiration . . . anything is possible and he made that very clear.””
44 students served in:
3 programs
120 program hours
Young Writers & Leaders (YWL) began in July 2020, when we held a virtual one-week intensive, serving eight students who then submitted their work to two of our online publications, “Voice of a Pride” and “Stories.” In October 2020, we began our nine-month program virtually, meeting with two cohorts of sixteen students who represented seven high schools in Greater Portland and eleven different nations, including Angola, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Iraq, Jordan, Kurdistan, Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan.
Students began to write together, exploring their cultural identity and various literary genres, composing original poems and personal narratives with the help of their individual volunteer writing coaches, four of whom were YWL alums themselves! They had engaging visits from guest writers, and we celebrated their writing twice for virtual audiences, in collaboration with the Portland Public Library — sharing their words with 165 people in all. Students concluded the year by writing short fiction pieces inspired by portraits by fine art photographer Séan Alonzo Harris.
One of the highlights of our year with the YWL students was the opportunity to have a special conversation with acclaimed author and renowned world leader, President Barack Obama. Ahead of his visit, Crown Publishing sent a free copy of his presidential memoir, A Promised Land, to every student enrolled in the program and made the audiobook available as well. The 44th President of the United States conversed over Zoom with our students, and shared insights on writing, leadership, what’s on his favorite playlist, and the experience of growing up between cultures. He encouraged the students to continue to seek mentorship and education, and to continue writing beyond this program, leaving them inspired.
In June, we gathered at Thompson’s Point for a joyous launch of their chapbook, No Time for Rehearsing, and students were able to meet each other and their writing mentors in-person — many for the very first time! Friendship, warmth, and hope was in the air that sunny afternoon, and these students continue to inspire through their writing and leadership, joining the incredible family of YWL alumni in our community.
““I’m not in this [writing] alone. I’m going to get better with time. You just have to keep going.” ”
Second Story students meet over Zoom.
““The world needs us.” ”
11 students served in:
2 programs
30 program hours
Nine students wrote with us in the fall as we fell in love with poetry and spoken word. Three poets (all current or former Telling Room mentors, staff, and/or Ambassadors), Nyamuon Nguany Machar (Moon), Amanda Dettmann, and Samaa Abdurraqib, joined us as guest artists and inspired our students by sharing writing and performance tips. The semester culminated in a Zoom performance, open to the public, to celebrate these dedicated young authors.
Spring welcomed new students to our program with different writing goals and needs. Youth across Maine were feeling the effects of an extended year of remote learning, lockdowns, and virtual programming, and many craved a less structured creative space where they could feel supported and safe. Poets Myles Bullen and Maya Williams, whose work is often steeped in topics of mental health and identity, joined us as guest artists, and we found inspiration from other youth writers in A New Land. We pivoted to more collaborative writing exercises like drafting group poems, and each participant was floored by the enchanting final product. As this young program continues to grow and evolve, we were proud of how our flexible staff and students pivoted to meet the moment during a challenging year.
Authors published in our 2021 anthology, Shadowboxing, celebrate at Fort Allen Park on Portland’s Eastern Promenade.
12 students served in:
2 programs
32 program hours
In the fall semester of Publishing Workshop, seven students and one Telling Room alum worked virtually with the program leads, Molly McGrath and Clare LaVergne, to brainstorm innovative marketing ideas for The Telling Room’s newly published collection of best-of youth poetry, A New Land. We looked at marketing trends in the U.S. publishing world and developed strategies that eventually became part of the comprehensive promotional plans for A New Land, in tandem with the 25th anniversary of National Poetry Month.
In the spring semester, three students and two Telling Room alumni worked with the program leads to serve as editors of The Telling Room’s annual anthology of student writing, which centered on the theme of “Lost and Found” this year. We flexed our typically very interactive process of reading and discussing submissions, weighing in on cover design decisions, and planning a launch celebration in a virtual format. Thirty student voices spanning Telling Room programs, residencies, and workshops, are collected in this new book, including the three Publishing Workshop students, along with an introduction collaboratively written by program participants and a cover designed by Publishing Workshop participant, Telling Room author and Ambassador Alicia Brillant.
After losing the chance to work together in The Telling Room’s physical studio, in June we found our connection with each other once more as twenty-two authors, their families, and friends gathered with us on Portland’s Eastern Promenade to celebrate the launch of Shadowboxing. Nearly all of the authors came up to take the mic and read from their selections in the book and signed each other’s copies, while two of our authors, all-star alumni from Publishing Workshop, emceed the event. This collection brings together writing from all of our programs and the young authors who came together to produce published work stayed the course throughout the pandemic. We couldn’t imagine a higher note to end the year on!
YOUTH PUBLISHING SPOTLIGHT:
A NEW LAND
““I find it ridiculous when poets are automatically waved aside as ‘aspiring’ or ‘emerging’ due to their age. If I ever doubted my conviction, this collection just further verifies it.””
A New Land was an Anthology Book Award finalist at this year’s Maine Literary Awards.
A New Land: 30 Groundbreaking Poems by Youth Poets
Featuring 30 poems by Telling Room authors and an introduction by the incandescent Amanda Gorman, A New Land was released in November of 2020 and celebrated in April of 2021 in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of National Poetry Month.
Maine Poet Laureate Stu Kestenbaum records a podcast episode with Telling Room alum and A New Land author Salar Salim.
Over 600 Downloads & Countless Listens
The poets in A New Land hit the airwaves through a podcast aired as a special broadcast on Maine Public Radio and co-created with Maine’s Poet Laureate Stuart Kestenbaum, who sat down with our poets last summer at The Telling Room as they read their work aloud and discussed the themes and inspiration behind their words. This series was generously made possible by the Academy of American Poets with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The educator toolkit sent to each high school in Maine with copies of A New Land.
224 Copies Mailed to Maine High Schools
A New Land was mailed to every single high school in Maine, and was a hit with each one! It was an incomparable joy to get to work closely with the poets in the book, many of whom came back as engaged alumni to create an educator toolkit for teachers of writing prompts, videos, and audio resources to accompany the book, which received endorsements from the Maine Department of Education, Governor Janet T. Mills, Maine Humanities Council, Indigo Arts Alliance, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, and The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center.
Our 2021 Founders Prize winner Leaticia Hannah.
Winner of the 2021 Founders Prize
The Founders Prize is awarded annually by the three founders of The Telling Room: Susan Conley, Sara Corbett, and Michael Paterniti, to the author of the best piece of writing to come out of a Telling Room program.
Leaticia Hannah was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and she grew up in Kinshasa. As a teenager, she moved to Luanda, Angola, where she went to the French school. Now she’s a senior at Deering High School in Portland, Maine. Leaticia is also the oldest sister in her family and an adventurous traveler. Her goal is to go as far with her education as she can, and she dreams of being a lawyer and an author so she can speak for people who don’t have a voice.
Excerpt from “Samosa Story” by Leaticia Hannah, Written in Young Writers & Leaders
When I was five years old, I was really close to my grandparents. We lived together with the rest of my family in Mwene Ditu, a big city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I was supposed to help my grandma on small things around the house, like going to buy bread or milk or anything she needed for cooking. This allowed me to leave our family’s compound and walk on the street, which young children normally weren’t supposed to do, according to my grandpa’s rules. I liked having the responsibility. But only when I wasn’t already busy with my toys or my friends. Sometimes, my grandma would ask me to buy something for her, and I would refuse because I was more interested in playing with my friends. And if she really insisted, then I would start crying. And my grandmother would smile at me and say, “Even if you are crying, you are still going forward.”
I didn’t realize how important those words would become in my life. Going forward would always matter.
SUMMER CAMPS
Summer campers write along Portland’s waterfront.
Youth from all over the state joined us for a mix of virtual and in-person camps at The Telling Room in the summers of 2020 and 2021! What we saw in these summertime writing and publishing experiences was humbling and energizing as youth throughout Maine picked up their pencils, pens, laptops, and iPads and wrote with us no matter where they were, from their homes to a city farmer’s market to a farm in the countryside.
VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMPS STATS
114 students served in:
15 camps
274 program hours
27 communities, 21 cities and towns in Maine, including: Bass Harbor, Belfast, Boston, MA, Bowdoinham, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Fryeburg, Gorham, Harpswell, New Gloucester, Bridgewater, NJ, New Paltz, NY, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Portland, Raymond, Saco, Scarborough, Seal Beach, CA, South Portland, Topsham, Waterville, Wayne, Westbrook, Yarmouth
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS
We heard time and time again that this was by far the most challenging academic year that teachers of all experience levels had faced. To support our schools and students, we strove to collaborate in creative new ways throughout the year with one of our most vital partners — our educators.
Writing and art supplies at The Telling Room.
Program Director Nick Whiston and Lead Teacher Marjolaine Whittlesey teamed up with the Maine Department of Education on their initiative, Maine Online Opportunities for Sustained Education (MOOSE). These online learning modules are aligned with the Maine Learning Results, project-based and student-centered, free, and open to all for use. Catch Telling Room student writing and our teaching philosophy in several units, including the The Poet Tree, A Whole New World: Constructed Language and Worldbuilding, and Cultural Connections: Understanding Elements that Contribute to Cultural Identity modules.
Alongside our National Poetry Month campaign to send A New Land to each high school in Maine with tools for educators, we hosted two virtual statewide workshops in the spring for teachers across the state exploring how to teach poetry and short story writing. Students and alumni joined us to share their work, experiences, and classroom tips from those now teaching themselves. Educators were particularly curious about how to support students through constructive feedback and the revision process, and excited to learn different ways to approach writing when the empty page looms large. These short sessions were a wonderful way to connect with educators in our state and build connections that led to author classroom visits, curriculum collaborations, and more!
In June we shifted our Summer Institute for Educators to a virtual setting and met with twelve teachers and community members from across the country to share The Telling Room’s approach to empowering students through writing. This intensive three day workshop left our group feeling uplifted, inspired, and well-equipped to support youth through the challenges ahead.
““You really inspired so many young, thoughtful people and you have such a welcoming, authentic presence while presenting remotely. . . I really appreciate your willingness to visit my class, share your stories and invigorate so many minds!””
Thank you to our educational program partners:
Brown Elementary
Cape Elizabeth High School
Colby College
Dexter High School
Dyer Elementary
Ironwood Maine, Therapeutic School
Kaler Elementary
LearningWorks
Mahoney Middle School
Marcia Buker Elementary School
Mast Landing School
Memorial Middle School
Oceanside High School
Oceanside Middle School
Portland Public Library
Shapleigh School
SidexSide
Skidompha Public Library
Skillin Elementary
Small Elementary
70 Educators accessed Telling Room virtual professional development workshops
224 High schools in Maine received A New Land and the poetry month educator toolkit
169 Views of The Telling Room’s MOOSE learning modules
AMBASSADORS
Telling Room staff member Rylan Hynes and Ambassador Alicia Brillant join the Tandem Coffee Roasters team for a poetry month Instagram Takeover.
In 2020, we reimagined our Ambassador program to engage Telling Room program alumni to advise and engage on strategic organizational decision-making opportunities across The Telling Room, ranging from programming, publications, development, and curriculum design. Our five Ambassadors, Edna Thecla Akimana, Alicia Brillant, Amanda Dettmann, Rachel Iradukunda, and Ladislas Nzeyimana, shone throughout the community in so many different ways!
Ambassador Edna Thecla Akimana hosts a discussion with Telling Room alumni as part of the Greater Portland Council of Governments’ Momentum series.
Ambassadors Amanda Dettmann and Rachel Iradukunda host an Open Mic Night via Instagram Live.
From creating and hosting presentations with community members as Telling Room alumni and authors to celebrating National Poetry Month at Tandem Coffee Roasters through an Instagram takeover, and as key members of our Executive Director search Hiring Committee, these alumni were essential and innovative envoys of The Telling Room’s mission, values, and students. We are so grateful to them for bringing their time, creativity, and enthusiasm to the following events and partnerships:
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Academy of American Poets
Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival *
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine
Greater Portland Council of Governments *
The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center
Indigo Arts Alliance
LearningWorks
Leavitt Area High School Arts Gala *
Maine Bicentennial Commission
Maine Department of Education
Maine Humanities Council *
Maine Initiatives *
Maine Philanthropy Center *
Maine Public Radio
Maine State Library
Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
Maine Youth Action Network *
NAACP in Maine *
Natural Resources Council of Maine
New England Youth Identity Summit *
The Office of Governor Janet T. Mills
POETRY Foundation
Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce *
Portland ConnectED
Print: A Bookstore
Side x Side
The State Theatre *
Tandem Coffee Roasters *
Waynflete *
WERU *
*Indicates Ambassador collaboration
Partnerships enrich our community, help us cultivate readership, create vibrant events, and amplify the voices of our students and authors. Thank you to these organizations for their collaboration!
SHOW & TELL: A LITERARY SPECTACULAR
Necessity drove us to new heights of creativity as we re-imagined our signature literary variety show to be a virtual event! Fearless filmmaker and director Sean Mewshaw adapted one of our largest performances of the year into an intimate evening at Portland’s historic State Theatre that Telling Room community members could tune into from home. We were joined by the talents of Lady Lamb, authors Phuc Tran and Kelly Corrigan, and the evening was joyfully emceed by two Telling Room alums — Amanda Dettmann and Salim Salim. Poems by A New Land authors Lulu Rasor, Benedita Zalabantu, and Siri Pierce came to life through video as our community rallied around The Telling Room’s mission and students in a whole new — and highly successful — way!
THE FINANCIAL STORY
FISCAL YEAR: JULY 1, 2020 - JUNE 30, 2021
Take a look at our books to learn more about how we brought the power of storytelling alive this fiscal year.
INCOME
Total: $710,222
EXPENSES
Total: $694,540
Notes: Total Income does not include $100,000 in grant funds received in fiscal year 2020 - 21 and restricted for use in the 2021 - 22 fiscal year.
Donors
Huge thanks to the generous individual, corporate, and foundation donors who supported us this past year.
OUR 2020 - 2021 TEAM
STAFF
Celine Kuhn, Executive Director
Peyton Black, Program & Volunteer Manager
Keith Cormier, Teaching Artist
Rylan Hynes, Communications Manager (2021)
Amy Kimball, Teaching Artist
Blaire Knight-Graves, Communications Manager (2020)
Clare LaVergne, Publications Manager
Moon Machar, Young Writers & Leaders Teaching Artist
Molly McGrath, Publications Director
Jenny O’Connell, Teaching Artist
Hipai Pamba, Young Writers & Leaders Co-Teacher
Laura Poppick, Teaching Artist
Rachele Ryan, Operations & Development Manager
Sarah Schneider, Development Director
Sonya Tomlinson, Young Writers & Leaders Lead Teacher
Meghan Vigeant, Teaching Artist
Nick Whiston, Programs Director
Marjolaine Whittlesey, Lead Teacher
Kathryn Williams, Lead Teacher
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tim Schneider, Board President
General Counsel and Principal Consultant
Tilson Technology Management
Anya Endsley, Board Vice President
Associate, Private Clients Group
Verrill
Donna Simonetti, Board Treasurer
Retired
Beth Stickney, Board Secretary
Executive Director
Maine Business Immigration Coalition
Ekhlas Ahmed
Vice President and Co-founder
Chance to Advance
Chris Bicknell
Executive Director
New Beginnings Inc.
Chelsea H. B. DeLorme
Writer
Dan Edwards
Principal
Edwards Creative
Rob Gould
WEX
Tanuja Desai Hidier
Author
Ninette Irabaruta
Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
United Way of Greater Portland
Alisan Kavookjian
MSW
Kate Malin
Co-Founder
Sassy Media Group
Peg Smith
Partner
Pierce Atwood
Sean Tabb
Senior Marketing Manager
L.L. Bean
ADVISORY BOARD
Susan Conley
Sara Corbett
Gibson Fay-LeBlanc
Anja Hanson
Patty Howells
Lily King
Ari Meil
Genevieve Morgan
Michael Paterniti
INCOMING BOARD MEMBERS
Moises “Mo” Nuñez
Senior Associate
Great Schools Partnership
Catherine Richards Olney
Volunteer
Partners for World Health
Laura Shen
Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
WEX
Bob Zager
Chief Financial Officer
Greater Portland Health
COMMITTEES
Executive Committee
Anya Endsley, Board Vice President
Patty Howells, Ex Officio
Celine Kuhn, Executive Director
Tim Schneider, Board President
Donna Simonetti, Board Treasurer
Beth Stickney, Board Secretary
Marketing and Development Committee
Chelsea DeLorme, Chair, Board Member
Ekhlas Ahmed, Board Member
Mary Baumgartner Jones, Community Member
Rob Gould, Board Member
Tanuja Desai Hidier, Board Member
Rylan Hynes, Staff
Alisan Kavookjian, Board Member
Celine Kuhn, Executive Director
Rachele Ryan, Staff
Sarah Schneider, Staff
Laura Shen, Community Member
Heather Shields, Community Member
Peg Smith, Board Member
Ruth Story, Community Member
Emma Wilson, Community Member
Finance Committee
Donna Simonetti, Chair, Board Treasurer
Ruth Charron, Community Member
Celine Kuhn, Executive Director
Rachele Ryan, Staff
Sarah Schneider, Staff
Tim Schneider, Board President
Sean Tabb, Board Member
Pam Wheeler, Community Member
Bob Zager, Community Member
Show & Tell Committee
Alisan Kavookjian, Co-Chair, Board Member
Kate Malin, Co-Chair, Board Member
Peyton Black, Staff
Renee Cabot, Community Member
Susan Conley, Advisory Board Member
Rob Gould, Board Member
Ann Hayes, Community Member
Samar Jumali, Community Member
Lily King, Advisory Board Member
Celine Kuhn, Executive Director
Sean Mewshaw, Director
Rachele Ryan, Staff
Sarah Schneider, Staff
Sonya Tomlinson, Staff
Governance Committee
Dan Edwards, Chair, Board Member
Celine Kuhn, Executive Director
Catherine Richards, Community Member
Tim Schneider, Board President
Rachel Stettler, Community Member
Human Resources Committee
Beth Stickney, Chair
Chris Bicknell, Board Member
Celine Kuhn, Executive Director
Jennifer Pelletier, Community Member
How to Support The Telling Room
Donating to The Telling Room is about believing in our students.
Our vibrant and generous community makes it possible for The Telling Room to be what it is today. All donations help us advance our mission to empower youth through writing and share their voices with the world. We are a registered 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible. Thank you for your support.
Tax ID # / EIN: 74-3136956