Executive Director Kristina M.J. Powell joins The Telling Room having dedicated her career to community building, Maine-based nonprofits. She graduated from Bowdoin College with her BA in Anthropology, and for seven years she worked in admissions & enrollment at the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), and then co-managed the study abroad advising department. At Bates College, she served as Associate Director developing and implementing new programs for underrepresented alumni, students, and their families. Kristina later managed the development team at The Center for Grieving Children, and in June 2021 received her MBA while serving as the Director of The Berwick Fund at Berwick Academy.

Telling Room Ambassador Askar Azeez is an Iraqi-born student at Bowdoin College pursuing a degree in Government & Legal Studies and a minor in Arabic. In addition to his studies, Askar works as an Arabic Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant in the Sociology Department, where he supports faculty research on immigration policy. As a new ambassador, he is excited to support the organization that helped him grow as a writer and storyteller. Outside of school and work, Askar enjoys reading, soccer, coffee, exploring new places, and spending time with family and friends. He hopes to continue learning from different people, cultures, and experiences while finding meaningful ways to contribute to his community and the world.

Telling Room Ambassador Didon Heri is a student at the University of Southern Maine studying Social and Behavioral Sciences with minors in Leadership Studies and Regulatory Ethics. She first became involved with The Telling Room after her eighth-grade ESL teacher, Kirsten McWilliams, encouraged her to apply after recognizing her interest in poetry and storytelling. Since then, she has participated in programs such as Theory U for Youth and the Listening School, experiences that deepened her belief in the power of storytelling, leadership, and creating spaces where every voice is valued. Outside of school, Didon works in healthcare and serves as a board member for The Source School, a Maine nonprofit dedicated to youth leadership and community building. She is passionate about helping people feel heard, building meaningful connections, and learning from the experiences of others. Through her work, studies, and community involvement, she hopes to create opportunities for young people to develop confidence, share their stories, and become leaders in their own communities.

Communications & Editorial Director Rylan Hynes (they/them) studied creative writing, visual art, and theatre at College of the Atlantic as an undergraduate. Rylan has worked with independent bookstores and nonprofits across the country, is an alum of the Tin House Workshop, and a member of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance’s Community Advisory Board. Rylan and their work have been a finalist for multiple contests, and have received support from the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and Monson Arts. When they aren't busy writing, Rylan enjoys spending time with their husband, making art, and gardening. Their debut novel Grafting was published by Islandport Press in 2026.

Telling Room Ambassador Sophia Kapita lives up to the meaning of her name—wisdom—by constantly seeking knowledge wherever she goes. She is currently studying politics at the University of Maine Orono, with goals and dreams to rule the world one day. Outside of school, Sophia has a passion for advocacy and volunteering. Whether she is helping community members fill out paperwork, or helping children at the Youth Center decide if pink and green belong together. In her free time, she loves reading (shocker!) diving into classical poetry, history, short stories, and anything that makes her mind explode. Ironically, she used to find reading absolutely horrid until she joined The Telling Room’s summer program in 2020. There, her relationship with language completely transformed. The program allowed her writing to embrace both the culture she left behind and the one she is adapting to. Through it all, Sophia has grown as a person, a writer, a reader, and most importantly, a proud Telling Room alumna.

Lead Teacher - Publications, Jude Marx (they/them), grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and relocated to Maine to study English and Education at Bowdoin College. Jude pursued their passion for teaching multilingual learners through a teaching Fulbright in Puebla, Mexico and four years teaching ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) in Maine public schools. Jude holds a MSEd. in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages and is deeply committed to partnering with young people to transform our educational systems. A poet and artist themself, Jude believes in the power of creative storytelling as a tool for community building and empowerment.

Development Director Sarah Schneider (she/her) holds a B.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Maine at Farmington and has studied towards her M.F.A. at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She was the Grants & External Affairs Manager at Maine Family Planning for over nine years and then worked at the Maine Women’s Fund as their Development Coordinator before joining The Telling Room in December of 2014. She remains optimistic that she will someday finish writing a literary biography of her cousin Dr. Doris Cochran, who was an avid weaver and groundbreaking herpetologist at the Smithsonian. Sarah lives in Portland with her family.

Director of Alumni Development Sonya Tomlinson has been teaching with The Telling Room since 2008. Sonya holds a B.F.A. in Design from UNC-Greensboro. Deeply involved in the arts both professionally and personally, she spent nearly a decade as traffic manager and contributing arts writer at The Portland Phoenix and on the events staff at Space Gallery - all the while moonlighting as performing and recording artist Sontiago on Montreal’s Endemik Music. Her heartstrings are tugged in the direction of teaching high school students self-expression through songwriting and poetry.

Program Director Nick Whiston is originally from Boston, attended Earlham College in Indiana, and came to The Telling Room after working in education for eight years in Oakland, California. As a classroom teacher and then nonprofit director, Nick worked diligently to create opportunities for young people, focusing on college access and preparation. Since joining The Telling Room in 2013, he has rediscovered an appreciation for creative writing and the importance of youth voices. When he is not working, Nick enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, playing tennis, and dominating in fantasy baseball.

Marjolaine Whittlesey grew up in France and came to Maine to go to College of the Atlantic where she focused on literature, ecology, and performing arts. Her innate love of teaching quickly took over and for the past twenty years she has taught French, theater, and creative writing to students of all ages. Her creative work in theater mostly centers around new work and physical theater, with a fun dose of Shakespeare thrown in for good measure. As Education Manager at The Telling Room she continues to teach all ages, empowering youth to find the stories they want to tell, and helping adults accompany them. She loves collaborating with passionate artists and educators who invite students to trust their voice.

Teaching Artist Kathryn Williams is a young adult author, most recently of the novels Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff that Made Me Famous and The Storyteller (published in January 2022). Her nonfiction has appeared in numerous print and online publications, and she holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Sewanee School of Letters at the University of the South. Originally from Virginia, she's been in Maine since 2012 and teaching for The Telling Room since 2014. In the Young Emerging Authors program, she gets to help the next generation of poets and storytellers turn their words and their worlds into books.