Aida Z. Lilly (she/her) is the Program Coordinator for The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary and, alongside Viniyanka Prasad, spearheaded the creation of #MarginsBookselling Month and its programming. She now calls the East Coast home after spending several years in Denver, Colorado, where she attended the University of Denver’s Publishing Institute (Graduate Certificate) and worked as a retail manager and bookseller for a large indie bookstore, then did a stint in literary agenting. 

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Aida is based in Virginia, loves to travel, and lives to read. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Montevallo with a BA in English (minor in writing) and has an MA in Organizational Management with a specialization in Media Management.

Alyssa Reynoso-Morris is a queer Afro-Latinx Dominican and Puerto Rican writer, wife, mother, and community organizer. She crafts heartfelt stories about home, family, food, and the fun places she has been. Alyssa was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA with her partner and daughter.

Her upcoming picture books are PLÁTANOS ARE LOVE (Atheneum 2023), THE BRONX IS MY HOME (Little Brown/Ottaviano 2023) and GLORIANA PRESENTE A First Day of School Book (Little Brown/Ottaviano 2024).

Prior to immersing herself into the publishing industry, she worked to alleviate poverty in India,  taught English at an orphanage in Tanzania, and facilitated the establishment of the Women’s Witness Protection Program for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Alyssa earned a B.A. in political science and graduated magna cum laude from Arcadia University.

She founded Schools for Sustainability. She assembled a team of 70 volunteers that fundraised, wrote curriculum, built a water purification system, and constructed an aquaponic unit (produces both fish and crops in a closed-loop system without waste) in the Monte Plata region of the Dominican Republic.

Blaire Bridges (they/them/he/him) is an educator, multimedia designer, and poet. As a consultant, Blaire has led organizational change initiatives, created organizational culture, cultivated mindful leadership, and worked in multimedia design and branding with diverse organizations and creatives. 

Blaire completed the Poetry Certificate program with the Independent Publishing Resource Center in Portland, OR and holds a degree in Organizational Leadership, with certificates in Nonviolent Communication and Somatic Trauma Therapy. Blaire produces the monthly mindfulness and creativity newsletter Goodnight Friday, rooted in a reverence for rest.  

Carissa Villagomez (she/her) is the Communications Fellow for The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Chicago with a BA in English Literature and a minor in human rights. 

Carissa has worked in various publishing circles from literary agent internships to editorial and acquisitions roles at independent publishers, an academic press, and a hybrid publisher. Her passion for a mission-driven purpose has led her to additional nonprofit work as a content creator at an Arizona-based nonprofit empowering women to achieve self-sufficiency.

Jesse Martinez is a Colorado native from Grand Junction. He is the founder and CEO/Chief Social Impact Strategist of Empowered, Ltd. and interim Development Director of The Word. He has over 20+ years of experience in public service and the nonprofit sector. 

As a hands-on learner, he has always sought experiences to learn by doing and actively engaging in solutions-based problem-solving to overcome barriers and deliver impact. Throughout his career, his work has centered on engaging and empowering communities from his time in Denver Public Schools, Adams 14 School District, the Piton Foundation, the Colorado Symphony, the Mexican Cultural Center, and Foothills United Way.

Jesse holds a bachelor’s degree in political sociology from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and a master’s degree in organizational leadership, specializing in project management, from Regis University. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado—Denver studying Leadership for Educational Equity and the importance of family and community engagement.

Michelle Malonzo is Co-Executive Director at The Word, A Storytelling Sanctuary. Previously she was a book buyer and bookseller for five years after nearly a decade in publishing. Michelle served on the boards of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association, and ABA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. She was a judge for the 2023 inaugural Republic of Consciousness U.S. Prize, a 2022 National Book Award Judge for Fiction, a recipient of the 2021 BIPOC Bookseller Award for Leadership, a 2020 Bookselling Without Borders Fellow, and a 2019 Kirkus Judge for Fiction.

Viniyanka (she/her) founded the Word in 2016 and serves as Co-Executive Director. She speaks regularly on issues of cultural equity, and serves on a variety of boards and committees including on the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs and as the co-Chapter Head for PEN America's Denver Chapter. She has previously served on the 100th Anniversary Committee for Children's Book Week, and the advisory committee for the Colorado Teen Lit Conference. She is a 2023 Livingston Fellow. 

In addition to her work with The Word, Viniyanka is a practicing criminal defense attorney. She formerly served as a litigation attorney and the Chief Appellate Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana Federal Community Defenders, and also litigated with a civil rights firm in Denver focusing on police misconduct claims. Her legal commentaries have been included in the Chicago Journal of International Law as well as presented to committee at the United Nations. 

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Viniyanka holds a J.D. from The University of Chicago, a Publishing Certificate from The University of Denver Publishing Institute, and a B.A. from The University of Texas.