Aaron Zimmerman, Founder and Executive Director: Mr. Zimmerman founded NYWC based on the success of the workshops he began in April 2000 at The Prince George, a supportive housing community for low-income, formerly homeless and special-needs populations. He has been leading creative writing workshops since 1997 through Manhattan Writers, a writing workshop program he founded. In that time, he has worked with hundreds of writers of all genres, ages and backgrounds. He was named as a 2005 Petra Fellow by The Petra Foundation for his “distinctive contributions to the rights, dignity and autonomy of others.” (Read Aaron Zimmerman’s profile by The Petra Foundation here.) He was named as one of the “Top 100 New Yorkers” of 2003 by New York Resident magazine for his work with NYWC. He also has taught creative writing at City College.
Mr. Zimmerman has an MA in Creative Writing from City College. His novel, By The Time You Finish This Book You Might Be Dead (Spuyten Duyvil, October 2003), was selected by Poets and Writers as a “New and Noteworthy” book. His fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous literary magazines, including The Brooklyn Rail, Georgetown Review, South Dakota Review, Jeopardy and Mid-America Poetry Review. In addition, Mr. Zimmerman has extensive business and legal experience in the entertainment field, most recently as Director of Law Administration for Showtime Networks Inc.
Nancy L. Weber, Youth Program Director: Prior to joining NYWC’s staff in September 2006, Ms. Weber was a Founding Board Member of NYWC. She has led creative writing workshops at the Prince George, a supportive housing facility in Manhattan, and at the Arab American Family Support Center for children of recent Arab immigrants in downtown Brooklyn. Ms. Weber’s work can be found in Evergreen Review, Dicey Brown, VerbSap, Fringe Magazine and the Brooklyn Rail. She was a 2007 recipient of a full Fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center Writer’s Residency Program. She lives and writes in Brooklyn.
Deborah Clearman, Program Director: Ms. Clearman led NYWC’s workshop for seniors at the 14th Street Y from 2003 to 2011 and now leads a workshop for women in jail at RMSC (aka Rosie’s) on Rikers Island. She wrote and illustrated The Goose’s Tale (Whispering Coyote Press) for children. Her short stories for adults have been published by various literary journals, including Beloit Fiction Journal, Connecticut Review, Ginger Hill, Oasis, and Quality Women’s Fiction. She has also performed numerous public readings and story-tellings in New York City, at venues such as The Moth, The Pink Pony, Cornelia Street Café and others. Ms. Clearman has more than twelve years of experience teaching art and English as a foreign language, including a year in Todos Santos, Guatemala. Ms. Clearman has an MFA in painting from Indiana University and her paintings have appeared in galleries and exhibitions throughout the country. Her first novel, Todos Santos, is just out from Black Lawrence Press. Check www.deborahclearman.com for book tour dates.
Erin Hopkins, Communications and Development Manager: Ms. Hopkins is a writer, educator, and choreographer. A creative writing workshop leader since 2004, she has led NY Writers Coalition workshops for diverse groups, including homeless women and gifted public school kids. Erin writes fiction and non-fiction, sometimes dabbling in poetry. Her work has been presented at The Construction Company’s “Sunday Series,” and NYWC’s Writing Aloud Series. When not writing she she can be found directing Push Cart New York, her granny cart drill team, on the lawns of Prospect Park. She currently resides in Brooklyn.
