Morgan J. Sammut is a nonbinary interactive fiction writer and recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where they studied English and computer science. Their hypertext work re: definition was selected for the 2022 International Conference on Interactive Digital Narrative’s art exhibition “Hops Ahead: The Art of Alternate Histories, Presents, and Futures.” They are a member of both the Amatryx Gaming Lab & Studio and the Palah 파랗 Light Lab. They also are a co-curator of the 2023 Buffalo satellite exhibition of Michigan State University’s Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 and the layout designer for the accompanying catalog What We Made During the Pandemic: A Marginalized Response to COVID-19. In their spare time, you can find Morgan fencing, baking pies and tortes, or crocheting yet another sweater.
Harper Zacharias (they/them) is a mission-centric fundraiser, driven by a dedication to economic, racial, and gender justice. Harper believes resource mobilization and advocacy are inseparable. This means the best fundraisers view themselves first and foremost as educators, storytellers, and organizers working to ethically redistribute resources and build relationships. Zacharias has experience advocating for sex workers’ rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the value of literary arts. As the Director of Development at the Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center, they transformed the organization’s relationship to philanthropy by implementing a three-year strategic plan, increasing and diversifying revenue, and streamlining project management. At PEN America, Zacharias helped grow programs that uplifted the voices of marginalized and emerging writers and was integral in securing over $3.5m in revenue. At Trans Student Educational Resources, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving the educational environment for transgender youth, Harper supported programs at more than 500 schools, quadrupled the size of the organization, and raised over $500,000 for transgender youth. Zacharias received their BA in political studies with a focus on international relations and political theory at Bard College. Zacharias also received the prestigious Point Foundation Scholarship and was named a Hannah Arendt Scholar and Ralph Ellison Scholar.
Iyana Gallen (she/her) is an advocate, educator, and book enthusiast born and raised in Stamford, CT. Her life objective is to help construct a safe space for marginalized groups to be uplifted and brought to the forefront of conversations. She attended Sacred Heart University, where she majored in Psychology and had a minor in Music. Prior to joining Lambda Literary, Iyana worked as a corporate paralegal, and an early childhood educator. She currently runs an Etsy shop – CosmicallyAdorned. Iyana can be seen pulling tarot cards or reading astrological birth charts.
Jada Foster (she/they) is an education coordinator born and raised in Birmingham, AL. Their professional and personal goal is to cultivate arts-educated environments that acknowledge and celebrate those in marginalized communities. Before joining Lambda Literary, Jada was an Assistant Coordinator for the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium, introducing Alabama’s African American history to high school students using various forms of Art History that centers the African diaspora. Utilizing their experience navigating performing arts spaces, Jada aims to instill social awareness amongst youth and artistic communities. Also, they are a self-proclaimed astrology enthusiast.
Mai Tran is a genderqueer Vietnamese American writer and communications strategist based in New York. Their work has appeared in Apogee, Vox, i-D, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. They previously served as a nonfiction coordinator for MFA App Review, increasing underrepresented writers’ access to fully-funded MFA programs, and as the Poetry Coalition Fellow for Lambda Literary.
Chloe Feffer (they/she/he) is an educator, poet, and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Their poetry and fiction have appeared in or is forthcoming in The B’K, Sledgehammer Literary, Stone Fruit, FEED Literary Magazine, JADEN, and elsewhere. Prior to joining Lambda Literary, Chloe worked as an educator, as an educational program coordinator, and as a facilitator for memoir writing workshops with incarcerated women. She holds a BA from Stonybrook University and an MA in Education from CUNY Hunter.
L.D. Lewis (she/her) is an editor, publisher, and Shirley Jackson award-nominated writer of speculative fiction. She serves as a founding creator and Project Manager for the World Fantasy and Hugo Award-winning FIYAH Literary Magazine. Other hats include Founding Director of the Hugo-nominated FIYAHCON, Researcher for the (also award-winning) LeVar Burton Reads podcast, Chair of the 56th Annual Nebulas Conference, and concurrently, the Awards Manager for Lambda Literary. She is the author of A Ruin of Shadows as well as a number of pieces of lauded and long-listed short fiction and poetry including an appearance in Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming. She lives in Atlanta with two cats, her coffee habit, and an impressive LEGO build collection.
Monica Carter (she/her) is a writer, poet and reviewer. She was a PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellow, a Lambda Literary Foundation LGBT Emerging Voices Fellow and a fiction graduate of the prestigious PEN Center’s MARK program. Her fiction has appeared in literary journals including The Rattling Wall, Black Clock, Cactus Heart, Bloom and the anthology Strange Cargo. Her nonfiction has appeared in publications including Black Clock, World Literature Today and Foreword Reviews. She served as a judge for the Best Translated Book Award in poetry and fiction from 2008-2015. Monica currently manages Lambda Literary’s LGBTQ Writers in Schools. She is currently finishing her first novel.
Dolph Goldenburg (he/him) is a consultant, podcaster, blogger, and creator. After nearly a dozen years as an executive director, Dolph started a boutique consulting practice that includes interim executive director engagements. He has served as the interim executive director of many LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Brooklyn Community Pride Center, Southwest Center for HIV, Raleigh LGBT Center, and Stepping Stone of San Diego. Dolph is a blackbelt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his guilty pleasure is reading ¾ of a book a week.
