Wordcrafters is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Patricia Marshall, Board President. Patricia Marshall lives and writes in Eugene. She is the former editor of Forest Magazine, a conservation magazine published by a national environmental group, and is working on a non-fiction book about Burley Design Cooperative. For the past six years, she has served on the Downtown Events Management Board (DEMI) which produces the Eugene Celebration, and in her spare time, she runs Luminare Press, a publishing company that helps authors navigate the complexities of self-publishing.Patricia has a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College in Baltimore. She is a member of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, the Northwest Independent Editors Guild and the Eugene Chamber of Commerce.
Juanita Metzler, Treasurer, works at Travel Lane County as a Convention Sales Manager. In her capacity, she works with a variety of markets such as medical, military reunions, faith-based, insurance, financial and legal; as well as the arts, crafts, and hobby markets and brings a unique view to that organization. Prior to joining Travel Lane County, she worked in the financial market and as a professional event planner. At Travel Lane County Juanita works with planners as they consider location, speakers, and activities. She understands what the planners are looking for and helps them achieve their goals.
When Juanita is not at Travel Lane County she enjoys traveling with her husband, attending Oregon Duck sports events, trips to the beach, listening to music and volunteering with many organizations.
Matthew Lowes is a writer, a teacher, and a martial arts instructor. His stories have appeared in a variety of publications, including *Dark Recesses* and *Anotherealm*. He has traveled widely, from the deserts of Australia and West Africa, to the jungles and mountains of South America and Southeast Asia. He has been at times a pilot, a scuba diver, and a rock climber. He is currently working on a trilogy of fantasy novels, a collection of horror stories, and two roleplaying games. He lives in the Pacific Northwest where every day he pursues the dreams and ideas that are the inspiration for his work.
Christina Lay has been writing since second grade, when she first knew she wanted to be a writer. Her short stories published in anthologies like Ghosts at the Coast and Dead On Demand. Her first novel, Death Is a Star, was released as an eBook and in print by IFD Publishing. Her award include first place in the Rupert Hughes Writing Competition at the Maui Writers Conference, First Place in the Authors’ Venue Novel Competition, 2nd Place in the Writers’ Digest Short Story Contest, First Place in LaBelle Lettre’s Mystery Short Story Contest, and runner up in the PNWA Novel competition. She maintains her secret identity by working as a bookkeeper for a nonprofit. She has a dog, five cats, and her second love (after writing) is photography.
Wendy Morgan, Board Vice President, spent her early career as a classroom teacher across three US states. She’s now a Program Development Manager at the University of Oregon. Recently, she’s been inspired to start Treadwell Ventures LLC., where she’s piloting an immersive Virtual Reality program to help mitigate the disproportionate discipline and expulsion of students with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Wendy is actively involved in mentoring in the Eugene startup community, sits on two boards of directors, and in her free time writes short fiction, hikes with her kids and dog, and gardens at her historic home in Creswell.
Elizabeth Engstrom Cratty, Founder, is a sought-after teacher and keynote speaker at writing conferences, conventions, and seminars around the world. She has written thirteen books and edited four anthologies, and she has over two hundred fifty short stories, articles and essays in print. She was Director of the Maui Writers Retreat for ten years and is currently on faculty at the University of Phoenix. An avid gardener and knitter, she also hikes the beautiful Pacific Northwest and puts her pen to use for social justice.
STAFF
Daryll Lynne Evans, Executive Director, began her writing career as a playwright with the Performing Arts Conservatory in Colorado, but has since turned to fiction and screen writing. She has an MFA in fiction from Purdue University, where she taught creative writing and worked with Sycamore Review. She has presented workshops for the Willamette Writers Conference, The South Coast Writers Conference, and Wordcrafters Conference. She teaches writing workshops for adults and teens.
Jorah LaFleur, WITS Coordinator, is a writer/performer who performs on stage as a spoken word poet, actor, emcee, ceremonial officiant, and workshop facilitator. She has been hosting the Eugene Poetry Slam at Tsunami Books for the last eight years. Jorah believes that spoken word poetry can be an inestimably powerful tool for young people as they explore their burgeoning identities and linguistic skills. Jorah obtained her B.A. from the Evergreen State College in Olympia WA, where she worked for several years with a non-profit organization that serves incarcerated youth. She also worked as a paraeducator at Avanti Alternative High School in Olympia, before returning to Oregon in 2006. After re-establishing an artistic presence in Eugene, Jorah has continued to give school workshops and performances.
Drea Lee, Program Coordinator, is a youth educator and young adult writer. Originally from California, she studied literature and writing at California State University, San Marcos and educational technology at Azusa Pacific University. Prior to moving to Eugene, she worked for eight years with the nonprofit organization Christian Youth Theater teaching acting and directing productions for students ages 8-18. She’s taught middle school and high school English and drama, both in public and private schools. In 2016, she took courses through Arizona State University’s Your Novel Year program, where she studied under young adult writers Bill Koningsberg and Amy K. Nichols. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers International.
Leah Velez, Program Coordinator, is a writer, educator, and ballroom dance teacher from Chicago. A graduate of the University of Oregon’s MFA program in Fiction, and Northwestern University’s fiction sequence, she taught High School English in Chicago Public Schools for several years, and then Freshman Composition at UO, where she employed lots of analysis through movement and theater. Previously, she was an Arts Programs Assistant Coordinator for the Noyes Cultural Arts Center and the City of Evanston, IL. She enjoys writing strange stories with physicalized metaphors and musical structures.