LEADERSHIP

Nana-Ama Danquah is an acquisitions editor for Jaded Ibis Press. She is also an author, editor, freelance journalist, ghostwriter, public speaker, actress, and teacher. Her groundbreaking memoir, Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression (W.W. Norton & Co.) was hailed by the Washington Post as “A vividly textured flower of a memoir, one of the finest to come along in years.” A native of Ghana, Ms. Danquah is the editor of four anthologies: Becoming American: Personal Essays by First Generation Immigrant Women (Hyperion); Shaking the Tree: New Fiction and Memoir by Black Women (W.W. Norton & Co.); The Black Body (Seven Stories Press); and, Accra Noir (Akashic Press).

Email Nana-Ama at nana-ama@jadedibispress.com

Lorinda Toledo is an acquisitions editor for Jaded Ibis Press. She earned a PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where her writing and research were supported by multiple awards including a Black Mountain Institute PhD Fellowship. She also holds an MFA from Antioch University Los Angeles. Her novel-in-progress was named first runner-up for the 2019 James Jones First Novel Fellowship, and received an honorable mention in CRAFT’s First Chapters Contest. Her fiction has been published in the Mississippi Review, The Normal School, and elsewhere. She is part-time affiliate faculty at Antioch University, where she is a writing coach and manuscript editor across disciplines. Previously, she was fiction editor at Witness literary magazine, and assistant editor in fiction and creative nonfiction at Lunch Ticket. Stories she’s edited have won the O. Henry Prize and the PEN America Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. She has a background in journalism; most recently, her feature writing appeared at Chasing the Cure and Los Angeleno. Lorinda has lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade. She was born and raised in New Mexico, where her family has lived for many generations.

Read Lorinda’s vision statement here to see if your work is a good fit.

Email Lorinda at lorinda@jadedibispress.com

Lisa Pegram is an acquisitions editor for Jaded Ibis Press. She is also a writer, literary publicist and arts integration specialist. Author of Cracked Calabash (Central Square Press) and Larry Neal Writers’ Award finalist, her poetry and essays have been published by Random House, Black Classic Press, L’Officiel, Atlas Obscura and The Independent, among others. As a developmental editor, she has worked with authors on books that span memoir/autobiographical fiction, creative nonfiction, food writing, and middle grade. As a literary publicist, her mission is to amplify the voices of writers from communities underrepresented in publishing.  She served as DC WritersCorps program director for a decade and has taught creative writing at the college and postgraduate levels. She also has over 20 years of experience in literary program design for such organizations as the Smithsonian Institute, Corcoran Gallery of Art and National Geographic. Lisa completed her MFA at Lesley University and has an Executive Certification in Arts & Culture Strategies from UPenn. A Washington, DC native, she is currently based on the Caribbean island of Curaçao.

Merisa Lewis is the Creative Director at Jaded Ibis Press. She has over 8 years of experience in Marketing and Design. She has overseen the marketing and branding efforts for political campaigns, startups, and other varied professional organizations. As the creative director, Merisa designs all things graphic, updated our websites, and ensures that all marketing collaterals are aligned with our mission.

Vanessa is the production manager for Jaded Ibis Press. She is also an avid reader of just about anything. As the production manager, she does nine million things whose range expands even as you read this. She is a wearer of many hats (so far, she likes all of them!). She’s also worn a few hats at INGRAIN Magazine, Hidden Timber Books, and Onion River Press.

Email Vanessa at: marketing@jadedibispress.com

Ashley Perez is the editor of our literary blog, Scarlet. She is also a screen reader, production assistant, and other-hat-wearer. She lives, writes, and causes trouble in Los Angeles. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles. She runs the literary site Arts Collide and does work of all varieties for The Rumpus, The Weeklings, and Midnight Breakfast. You can also find her on Twitter: @ArtsCollide.

Photo credit: Rachael Warecki and Camera RAW Photography

Email Ashley at: scarlet@jadedibispress.com