Mallory Hellman (she/her) has served as the Director of the Iowa Youth Writing Project since 2015. Prior to that, she received an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a BA in English and American Literature from Harvard. Mallory's nonfiction has appeared in Tuesday Magazine, Forbes, and elsewhere. She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, the Duke University Talent Identification Program, and at K-12 schools, community centers, residential rehabilitation facilities, and shelters throughout the Midwest. Mal's favorite part about life with the IYWP is hearing students read their work aloud. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, solo (or group!) dance parties, and cooing to the nightshades in her garden. Her favorite word is "robust."

Gwyneth Forsythe graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with BAs in Theatre Arts and History, honors in both. In 2020, she worked as a Development Intern at Cartel Pictures (Los Angeles). In the spring of 2021, she completed her MFA in Writing for the Stage and Screen from Northwestern University, where she won the Krevoy Screenwriting Prize for her television pilot, White Dog Rises. While in Chicago, Gwyneth produced several theatre productions, worked as a freelance writer, teaching artist, and adjunct faculty for the City Colleges of Chicago. Recently, she has returned to Iowa City to work with the IYWP and to write and produce more plays.

Brayan Salinas (he/him) is a poet and translator from New Mexico. He holds an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, a BA in Social, Political, and Economic Thought from Hampshire College, and is currently an IYWP Rydson Fellow at the University of Iowa. Brayan’s favorite part about working and volunteering with the IYWP is introducing kids to his favorite artists and poets. His favorite picture books are The Wall by Peter Sís and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. His favorite poets are Emily Dickinson and June Jordan.