Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela’s writing has been recognized by The Leeway Foundation, Hedgebrook and others. Her work has been published in Asterix, Make/shift, Apiary, The Rust Belt Rising and is forthcoming in All About Skin: An Anthology of Short Fiction by Award-Winning Women Writers of Color. Additionally, a story of hers was selected to be part of a series of short stories that The Head and the Hand Press is selling individually in vending machines in Philadelphia. She is a founder of Thread Makes Blanket press, which most recently published Dismantle, an anthology of work from VONA, an annual workshop for writers of color. Marissa organizes still untitled, a quarterly literary salon and other events to integrate writing and community. A former street outreach worker, bicycle messenger, waitress and social worker with an English degree, Marissa eventually returned to school to earn her MFA in fiction from the University of Wyoming. As part of her teaching at Community College of Philadelphia, Marissa teaches in Philadelphia jails. She is working on her first novel.

Gene Frankel Theater, NYC

Marissa is finally on facebook, twitter (@marissajv) and spotify— where she would be happy to share whatever song she is currently obsessed with. As a more of a former, but still sometimes, DJ, she still loves a good hook.