Carolyn Schutten is an arts and culture consultant with over 13 years of experience. Her doctoral work and scholarly work includes social and environmental histories, migrant experiences, and social art practices, and she has published poetry as well as essays. At Elyssar Press, Carolyn guides the business strategy to help Elyssar Press grow as a sustainable publication, thereby supporting a local and global community of writers and artists.

Nadia Boulos is a web designer and social media manager for the last five years. Her background includes years in marketing, public relations, web design, and event planning. Nadia is a creative spirit and published poet who draws her inspiration from nature. She also manages all the social media duties, helping share the stories of Elyssar Press with the world.

Wendy Hunt is an artist, illustrator, free-range thinker, musician, and writer living in the Mojave Desert. She loves the playful element of designing and developing brands, websites, and marketing goodies. Wendy has always loved maps and speculates that we can visually map our interior landscape the same way we map our physical world. Wendy designed the Elyssar Press logo and manages the website.

Gayle Baird is an artist and writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her first novel, Dancing with Crows, offers a tale of love, loss, and redemption (Elyssar Press, 2023). She loves to connect with others through the arts and is moved by the transformative power of storytelling. Gayle brings her love of art and her knowledge of video editing to each project at Elyssar Press.

Stephanie Bou Karam is an interior architect and graphic designer residing in Lebanon. A dancer at heart, driven by beauty and order, she loves all things artistic and strives to create the “perfectly imperfects” of the design world. With each book published by Elysar Press, Stephanie brings her passion of design to enhance the reading experience and project the author’s words in the best way possible.

Linda B. Johnson sees spelling and punctuation errors everywhere, even when she’s not looking for them. Linda is a gardener, quilter, mosaic artist, and an animal lover. She is a metastatic breast cancer patient and advocate surviving for 15 years in continuous treatment, and she is passionate about providing support to others. Linda brings her love of perfected manuscripts to Elyssar Press.

Nicole Khoury is an accomplished writer, meticulous editor, and passionate educator, fully devoted to the art of language. She holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition, and her expertise lies in exploring the rich tapestry of Arab feminist traditions across the Middle East. She strives to foster understanding and appreciation for these significant movements. Nicole brings her love of editing and language to Elyssar Press.

Allie Rigby is a poet, an editor, and a Fulbright recipient with a master’s degree in English: Creative Writing. She loves providing editorial guidance to established and emerging writers. As a creative writing instructor, she also leads writing workshops around the world. At Elyssar Press, Allie helps authors explore their craft and polish their stories by providing thorough developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading.

Katia Hage is in constant conversation with music, painting, poetry, and handwork. Her book of poetry, After the War, the Women Spoke, tells the story of two generations of women navigating the trauma, aftermath, and healing after surviving years of war (Cholla Needles, 2019). Katia loves to collaborate and uplift her fellow humans through the arts. She is a metastatic breast cancer patient and learning to live with life in alignment. At Elyssar Press, Katia creates possibilities, brings the team together, and guides authors through the publishing process.

Sharon Yowell holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and Chinese Language and Literature, as well as graduate work in Chinese at the University of Chicago and a grand diploma in classic French pastry from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Prior to Elyssar Press, Sharon worked for Borders Books for 15 years, where she fell in love with the book business.