MAGGIE MESSITT, Editor-in-Chief
Maggie Messitt is an American freelance writer and editor based in Hoedspruit, South Africa. She has a BA in Journalism (and minors in Faith, Peace, & Justice and Photography) from Boston College; and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. Maggie is currently hard at work on her second book — a multi-threaded narrative illustrating the complex story of today’s African elephant, framed inside Kruger and Amboseli National Parks. Maggie is also the co-owner of Transfrontiers Wildlife Walking Safaris, and the Founding Director of Amazwi, a non-profit media arts organization for African women.
MARY LAURA HUSS, Online Content Manager
Laura grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and traveled west about a year ago. She is currently living in Portland, Oregon where she works with a criminal public defense lawyer and decorates cakes and cupcakes at a local bakery. Laura holds a BA in Philosophy from Kenyon College. With a focus on Woman and HIV, Laura recently returned to South Africa to study at the University of Cape Town for an MA in Development Studies. Laura hopes to incorporate her passions of small-scale farming, photography and cooking into her future work.
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LAURA ARENSCHIELD, Writer/Interviewer
Laura is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and a newspaper journalist. Her work has taken her to North Carolina, where she writes about families and soldiers based at Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post. She has studied democracy and development in Brazil and explored the ways in which rural American communities develop. She lives with her fiance, Mike, and a feisty cat named Charley and is pursuing a graduate degree in non-fiction writing from Goucher College.
DANIELA COHEN, Writer/Interviewer
Daniela was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to Vancouver, Canada, at the age of sixteen. She holds a BA in Psychology & English Literature as well as a BEd from the University of British Columbia. For the last seven years, she’s enjoyed teaching ESL to people from diverse cultural backgrounds. She loves discovering new places, learning different languages, and practicing yoga. In 2008, Daniela was based in Hoedspruit, South Africa, working as NPO Manager and Senior Editor of the Amazwi Villager and a columnist for the Canadian Immigrant. She currently resides in Cape Town where she is teaching English.
BRIGET GANSKE, Writer/Interviewer
Briget grew up in Iowa where imagination was necessary to create fun. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in English, Creative Writing before pursuing publishing in New York City. Her passions lie in developing communities through the art of visual and written storytelling. In 2008, Briget was based in Hoedspruit, South Africa, where she was the Managing Editor of Amazwi’s community newspaper, the Amazwi Villager. She is currently studying at the Salt Institute in Portland, Maine.
ALICIA GREGORY, Writer/Interviewer
Alicia is currently a senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in upstate New York, finishing up a double major in English and Africana Studies. In 2007, she lived, traveled, and studied in South Africa for five months and there fell in love with a country and its people. She is passionate about stories—big and small, quiet and loud—and hopes to pursue a career in journalism post-grad. Alicia enjoys writing, the smell of books, traveling, and conversations with strangers. She hopes to return to Africa one day soon for more safari and stories.
MORGAN HARGRAVE, Writer/Interviewer
A native Texan, Morgan has found work and study opportunities that have taken him from the plains of West Texas to slightly more lively locales like Washington DC, South America, and now the Middle East. Yet no matter where he is, Morgan is writing - be it a research paper on foreign policy or a short story that will never see the light of day. Now, he brings that passion to Amazwi and a.magazine, where he is the Assistant Online Content Manager and a contributor to the online interview series.
CORIN HIRSCH, Writer/Interviewer
Corin recently defected from New York City to the colder climes of northern New England, where she works as a freelance writer and designer. She studied journalism at the University of Arizona and is working toward her MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Goucher College. She has been a newspaper reporter in the US, a labor issues reporter in the UK, and an art director for various books and publications. Her writing focuses on art, design, rural issues and natural history.
LOU MANZO, Writer/Interviewer
Lou grew up in Boston, Massachusetts where he developed a love for history and writing. He obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from Boston College while working for multiple community newspapers. He is an avid whiffle ball player, kite flyer, and hotdog connoisseur. In 2008, Lou was based in Hoedspruit, South Africa, where he worked as Senior Editor and Online Content Manager for the Amazwi Villager. Lou is currently based in Boston.
LISETTE OGG, Writer/Interviewer
Lisette Ogg grew up amidst the bushfires and banality of the Australian suburbs. She’s a writer, editor and workshop facilitator, and holds graduate qualifications in publishing and editing. Lisette contributes to a range of magazines and in 2007 was selected for an artists’ mentoring program, where she created a book of short stories. Compelled by the power of storytelling in community cultural development, Lisette is taking part in the 2008 World Youth Congress in Quebec as a writer; an event which examines the role young people play in achieving the United Nation’s Millennium Goals.
DEANNA WYLIE MAYER, Writer/Interviewer
Deanna is a writer, a teacher, and a mother of four. She has published in Sojourner’s Magazine, Motherwords, and other local and national publications. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College.
JENNIFER STEFFENSEN, Writer/Interviewer
Jennifer is a native of Southwestern, Pennsylvania and aspiring writer. She holds a BA in history from the College and William and Mary and currently works as a media relations associate at the American Anthropological Association in Arlington, Va. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys listening to jazz and world music and volunteering as a news announcer at WPFW 89.3 FM—DC’s station for “jazz and justice.” She has lived and studied in China and looks forward to discovering African writers, leaders and artists through her work with Amazwi.
MARIA SCHAMIS TURNER, Writer/Interviewer
Maria Schamis Turner is a freelance writer living in Montreal. She is the nonfiction editor of carte-blanche.org and she works on and off for CBC radio.