2026 Faculty & Artists
Cathy Song
Poetry & Creative Writing, USA
Featured faculty • Sept. 2026
Cathy Song is the author of five books of poetry. Her first book, Picture Bride, won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award and was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her second book, Frameless Windows, Squares of Light, was published by W. W. Norton. School Figures, The Land of Bliss, and Cloud Moving Hands followed in the Pitt Poetry Series (University of Pittsburgh Press).
In 2020, Bamboo Ridge Press published her short story collection All the Love in the World.
Her poetry has been featured in many journals including American Poetry Review, Asian America, Asian Pacific American Journal, Bamboo Ridge, Columbia, Carolina Quarterly, Crab Orchard Review, The Cream City Review, Five Points, Free Lunch, The Hopkins Review, The Kenyon Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, New England Review, New Letters, Ploughshares, Poetry, Poetry Ireland Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, The Southern Review, and ZYZZYVA.
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Articulations: Poetry About Illness and the Body, The Best American Poetry 2000, Boomer Girls: Poems by Women from the Baby Boom Generation, The Extraordinary Tide: New Poetry by American Women, Fire in the Sea, The Male Body, The Morrow Anthology of Younger American Poets, Breaking Silence: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Poetry, Multi-cultural Voices (ScottForesman), Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry (McGraw Hill), Unsettling America (Penguin), The Yale Younger Poetry Anthology, The Heath Anthology of American Literature, To Read a Poem (Harcourt Brace), The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry and The Norton Anthology of American Literature represent some of the anthologies where her work has been featured.
Her poetry has appeared on busses and subway cars as part of the Poetry in Motion project as well as on Poem-a-Day, the daily poetry series (poets.org). She is the recipient many awards including The Frederick Bock Prize from Poetry, The Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America, The Hawai’i Award for Literature, a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Pushcart Prize.
Since 2023, she has been editor-in-chief at Bamboo Ridge: Journal of Hawai’i Literature and Arts.
Clair Bremner
Painting, Australia
Featured faculty • Sept. 2026
Clair Bremner is a contemporary Australian artist renowned for her bold, colourful artworks. Her creations reflect a deep admiration for the natural world, as she takes great pride in capturing its beauty and complexity through her paintings.
With each brushstroke, Clair aims to encapsulate the essence of a landscape, stylising it in a manner that is uniquely her own. Her intentional use of vibrant colour palettes seeks to mirror the natural harmony in the world around us while also daring to explore more unconventional combinations.
Clair’s artistic process is both intuitive and spontaneous. She allows each painting to evolve organically as she builds layer upon layer of paint. Through her work, she invites viewers to experience the vibrancy and intricacies of nature from her distinct perspective.
Dr. Pamela Anne Quiroz
Digital Creative USA
Special Fellowship for
BIPOC Cultural Explorations
Cambria Kylinn Martin
Playwriting, USA
Special Fellowship for
Reflection on Identity
Olivia Morgan
Memoir, USA
Lauren Mattone
Fiction, USA
Sept 2025 Faculty & Artists
Danielle Trussoni
FICTION • MEMOIR, USA
Featured faculty • fall 2025
Danielle Trussoni is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Angelology, Angelopolis, The Ancestor, and The Puzzle Master, chosen by The Washington Post as one of the Best Thrillers of 2023. She is also the author of the memoirs The Fortress and Falling Through the Earth, which was named one of the ten best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review.
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Bill Braden
PAINTING • SCULPTURE, USA
featured faculty • fall 2025
Respected Hawaii artist, Bill Braden was born in Tokyo, Japan. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art in London, and received a BFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he spent his final year at the Palazzo Cenci in Rome, Italy.
Since his first solo exhibition in 1978, Braden’s commissioned work has ranged from the largest stretched canvas painting (15′ by 22′) in the state of Hawaii to 5″ X 7″ notecards depicting classic island scenes.
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Bill has done 50’ long paintings for Waikiki high-rise lobbies, crucifix designs for the Catholic Church, and public scale works such as a 3 1/2 ton marble sculpture for the town of Harwich, MA and a 100 ton natural stone sculpture for the entrance of Waimea Valley.
In 1990, he was selected to paint “The Best Beaches of Hawaii” for The City and County of Honolulu. His work is in numerous galleries, shops like T J Maxx & Marshalls, and has been privately commissioned/ purchased by clients around the world.
Bill and his wife Jinny’s latest teaching project was a 100’ long x 10’ high mural at Hawaii’s only women’s prison. Painted mostly by 4 inmates under Bill and Jinny’s tutelage, the instruction included techniques such as sfumato (shading and blending), sgrafitto (scratching), and chiaroscuro (light and shadow contrasting.) The most meaningful to this group was pentimento, which describes the showing through of an earlier, now changed part that depending on one’s attitude, one regrets or adds depth to a work.
John Roedel
Poetry • Improv, USA
Featured Faculty • Fall 2025
John Roedel is a improv comic who unexpectedly gained notability as a writer and poet through his heartfelt writings.
He is the author of five Amazon bestselling poetry books —including his latest offering, Fitting In Is For Sardines, which explores the concept of our lives as a natural wonder that only happens once-in-universe.
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Offering a sincere and very relatable look at his faith crisis, mental health, personal struggles, perception of our world, and even his fashion sense, John’s writing has been shared millions of times across social media and lauded by fans and readers worldwide.
He teaches at universities and retreat centers across the US, blending his trademark comedy with creative exercises, journaling, dialogue, and introspection to help people fearlessly embrace and share their personal stories.
Jennie Lee
Nonfiction, USA
FOUNDER • DIRECTOR • All sessions
Jennie Lee, Founder and Director of the Essere Residency, is a Nautilus Book Award winning author of three nonfiction books: SPARK CHANGE: 108 Provocative Questions for Spiritual Evolution, TRUE YOGA: Practicing with the Yoga Sutras for Happiness & Spiritual Fulfillment, and BREATHING LOVE: Meditation in Action.
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A recognized expert in her field, the Jennie has coached private clients for over 26 years in meditation, yoga therapy, spiritual self-development, and creative self-expression. She is also a frequent guest on podcasts in the wellness sector and has just completed her fourth nonfiction book.
Her writing has appeared in numerous national magazines and blogs, and she has contributed chapters to the books: Yoga Therapy Across the Cancer Care Continuum; Yoga Therapy Foundations, Tools and Practice; and Love- The Ultimate Answer to the Meaning of Life.
Exploring other forms, Jennie has written feature length screenplays, poetry, and even greeting cards.
She has developed and facilitated themed curriculum for 16 international retreats, leading groups in daily practices for personal development and wellbeing.
At Essere, she manages the program on-site, guides meditation sessions, mentors nonfiction writers, and is available to participants for personal and professional creativity coaching around their artistic pursuits.
For more, visit www.JennieLeeCoaching.com
Aleyda Cervantes Gutierrez
Poetry, USA
Special Fellowship for
BIPOC Cultural Explorations
Ari Mokdad
Poetry & Dance, USA
Special Fellowship for
Creative Fusions
Ada Cheng
playwriting, USA
Pamela Stadus
Painting, Australia
The second cohort!
May 2025 Faculty & Artists
Fizza Saleem
painting, Pakistan
featured faculty • Spring 2025
A visual artist and educator based in Karachi, Pakistan, Fizza loves to draw, wander, write and hug trees. Her journey has taken her across local and international platforms, where she explores consciousness through various mediums. She has exhibited her work in India, Pakistan, Italy, UAE, UK, and Sweden.
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She currently runs Fizza Saleem Studio, a platform for students to pursue painting on a large scale. With a background in teaching at institutions such as The Karachi Grammar School, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and Szabist, she brings a diversity of experience to her practice.
Fizza has been an artist in residency at The Lemon Tree House and GCAS Jehan, as well as the Hic Rosa Residency “Anti Maps,” where she actively collaborated within the South Asian artist community.
She is currently pursuing her MPhil in Art and Design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Her research is rooted in a profound connection to trees, finding solace in their tranquil embrace. Her work reflects an appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life forms, finding inspiration in the quiet murmurs of the earth and the wisdom embedded in nature. She takes note of the still in the moving; listening, wandering, and mapping moments.
Nicky Pellegrino
fiction • nonfiction, New Zealand
featured faculty • Spring 2025
Nicky Pellegrino is the author of 15 bestselling novels, including PS Come to Italy, Tiny Pieces Of Us and To Italy, With Love. Her stories have readers around the world and have been translated into over 12 languages. Additionally, she wrote the bestselling, non-fiction book about menopause, Don’t Sweat It: How to Make ‘The Change’ a Good One.
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Nicky is also an award-winning journalist, writing about health, science and lifestyle topics for numerous publications.
Her first published book was a memoir, written about a leading broadcaster.
Raised in the UK, Nicky now lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, an adopted greyhound and a lot of books.
Debra Lee
Painting & Sculpture, USA
Tracey Allan
Painting, Australia
Judy Mohr Peterson
Memoir & Painting, USA
Duncan MacLaurin
Poetry, Denmark
Evelyn Krieger
Fiction, USA
Mira Cantor
Painting, USA
The first cohort!
Sept 2024 Faculty & Artists
Carol Goodman
fiction, USA
Featured Faculty
Fall 2024
Carol Goodman is the New York Times Bestselling author of twenty-six novels, including The Lake of Dead Languages, The Seduction of Water, which won the 2003 Hammett Prize, The Widow’s House, which won the 2018 Mary Higgins Clark Award, and The Night Visitors, which won the 2020 Mary Higgins Clark Award.
She has twice been nominated for the Dublin IMPAC award and has been a Hawthornden fellow. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages.
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Her mystery and suspense novels have explored issues of artistic inspiration, family conflict, and gender, using the landscape and history of New York’s Hudson Valley, the Catskills, and the Adirondacks as setting and motif.
Departing from mystery, she wrote (under the pseudonym Lee Carroll) the urban fantasy Black Swan Rising Trilogy with her husband, award-winning poet Lee Slonimsky. Under the pseudonym Juliet Dark, she wrote The Demon Lover, which Booklist named a top ten fantasy/science fiction book of 2012. Her young adult novel, Blythewood was named a best young adult novel by the American Library Association.
She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family where she enjoys hiking, exploring moldering old ruins, and yoga. She teaches literature and writing at The New School and SUNY New Paltz.
Naomi Shihab Nye
Poetry, Usa
Featured Faculty
Fall 2024
Palestinian-American writer, editor and educator Naomi Shihab Nye grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas, where she continues to live.
She has been the Young People’s Poet Laureate for the U.S. (Poetry Foundation), poetry editor for the New York Times magazine, and The Texas Observer, and a visiting writer in hundreds of schools and communities all over the world.
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Her books include Everything Comes Next, The Tiny Journalist, Voices in the Air, Sitti’s Secrets, Habibi, This Same Sky, & The Tree is Older than You Are: Poems & Paintings from Mexico.
Her volume 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, was a finalist for the National Book Award. The Turtle of Oman and The Turtle of Michigan have both been part of the Little Read program, North Carolina.
Naomi received Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Texas Institute of Letters and the National Book Critics Circle.
Her ever-hopeful approach to human connection and her deep presence of being will be so valued at Essere.
For more, visit
Robin Wellner
Painting, USa
Featured Faculty
Fall 2024
A highly diversified painter of people, landscapes, animals and still life, Robin Wellner has won numerous national awards and inclusion in shows with American Women Artists, Oil Painters of America, and Richeson 75 Figure and Portrait International Show.
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She is an avid plein air painter who explores texture and richness through use of the palette knife in addition to the brush. Her current exploration is in bridging the gap between abstract and realism.
Robin’s fascination with people and using a limited palette, led her to develop the workshop ‘Alla Prima Portraits, Using the Zorn Palette.’ She also teaches Palette Knife painting, and says she loves seeing the lights go on for students when they “get it” in a workshop.
Known for capturing the essence or soul of the person whose portrait she is painting, Robin is genuinely connected with her subject matter. This is evident in her work with Artists for Justice, visible in portraits of people such as Kentanji Brown Jackson, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Ahmaud Arbery.
Her training began in Fine Arts at the University of Southwest Louisiana and she has since studied with renowned artists such as Dawn Whitelaw, Robert Liberace, Rich Nelson, and Chris Saper.
In addition to painting, Robin has worked in stained glass, graphic design, murals, and faux finishing. We are fortunate to have her at Essere to share her wealth of experience, her advocacy for diverse human expression and her contagious joie-di-vivre!
For more, visit www.robinwellner.com
Tracy Wright Corvo
Photography, USa
Featured Faculty
Fall 2024
Tracy Wright Corvo is a portrait photographer with a passion for capturing the soul essence of individuals through her lens. With over 20 years of experience in fine art and portrait photography, Tracy is also well known for her branding photography for a wide range or private and commercial clients.
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Tracy has a unique ability to reveal the true inner radiance of her subjects. She has won numerous contemporary photography awards and has exhibited her work in both the United States and Europe.
Driven by a lifelong thirst for knowledge and a deep love for art, Tracy is a teacher, a visionary, and an explorer as well as an artist. Her studies in quantum physics and metaphysics, have led her on a profound quest to understand more about herself and the universe. This spiritual journey has deepened her understanding of the power of photography as a sacred tool.
Now focused on Soul Light Portrait photography, Tracy creates multidimensional, soul-opening experiences which inspire free thinkers to embrace their power and unleash their full potential.
Using her intuitive gifts and skills as a portrait artist, she guides individuals on a journey of self-discovery, unveiling their unique gifts and genius. Tracy believes that by embracing one’s true self, individuals can lead joyous and abundant lives while making a positive impact on the world around them.
Tracy’s artistic talent and commitment to empowering others to radiate their unique light, make her a beacon of inspiration in both the realms of photography and soul exploration.
For more, visit www.soullightportraits.com
Princess Mhoon
nonfiction, USA
Special Fellowship for BIPOC Cultural Explorations
Cynthia Manick
Poetry, USA
Special fellowship for Reflections on Identity
Linda Sattel
mixed media, USa
Rebecca Henriquez
Poetry, USA
Hathaway Barry
Poetry, USa
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