Tova Greene, CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Tova Greene (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based producer and poet-person. If you've been to a PSNY event, they probably produced it; as Programs Director of The Poetry Society of New York, Creative Director of The New York City Poetry Festival, and Editorial Director of Milk Press, they create immersive spaces that prioritize collaboration and artistic experimentation. They see producing as an act of radical reclamation: an exercise in reimagining what art can be when freed from capitalist exploitation and allowed to flourish in an environment of accessibility and care. Their events have garnered acclaim from outlets including The New York Times and Observer. Their debut collection, lilac on the damned's breath (Bottlecap Press, 2022), grapples with the cyclical nature of grief.
JACKIE BRAJE, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Jackie Braje (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based poet, a friend of poets, educator, and arts administrator. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Poetry Society of New York. With Stephanie Berger, she co-founded Milk Press—the publishing arm of PSNY— and serves as the editor-in-chief. Her work has been published or featured by Ugly Duckling Presse, Brooklyn Poets, Free People, the Minnesota Review, the Oakland Review, the Westchester Review, Stoneboat Literary Journal, Statorec, the Quarterless Review, the Nottingham Review, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. She is the Allerton Park Fall ‘22 Artist-in-Residence, a 2022 collaborator and artist-in-residence with the 4heads initiative on Governors Island, and the recipient of a 2022 Himan Brown Award. She received her MFA in poetry from Brooklyn College, where she also taught as an adjunct English professor.
Stephanie Berger, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Stephanie Berger (she/her) is the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, and a co-founder of The Poetry Society of New York. She is also a poet and performance artist. She is co-creator of The Poetry Brothel, The New York City Poetry Festival, & The Typewriter Project. She is the author of IN THE MADAME’S HAT BOX (Dancing Girl Press, 2011) & co-author with Carina Finn of THE GREY BIRD: THIRTEEN EMOJI POEMS IN TRANSLATION (Coconut Books, 2014). With Jackie Braje, she founded Milk Press, a publisher & nurturer of poetic collaborations. Her work is largely collaborative, interactive, & community-oriented; & it straddles the worlds of literature, immersive theatre, & public art. Stephanie earned a B.A. in Philosophy at the University of Southern California, received an M.F.A. in Poetry from the New School, & taught in the English Department at Pace University.
JOELIS RODRÍGUEZ, senior EVENT PRODUCTION INTERN
Joelis Rodríguez is a born and raised Puerto Rican poet who uses poetry as a refuge from real life. Her main goal throughout her verses is to represent her heritage and raise awareness to past and present events happening in the small island in the Caribbean. She currently studies at Stony Brook University majoring in Creative Writing and Literature with a minor in TV Writing. When she's not reading or writing, you can find her at the beach collecting seashells or singing her heart out at some concert.
nadja anderson-oberman, website coordinator
Nadja Anderson-Oberman (they/she) is a Brooklyn-based writer and artist, originally from Philadelphia, PA. They are currently finishing up their degree in Literary Studies at The New School, with minors in Race & Ethnicity Studies and Screenwriting. Nadja’s multidisciplinary work centers themes of Black identity, queer identity, and the unique lived experience that comes from the entanglement of the two. Their work has been featured in Eleven and a Half Journal and you can find her on Instagram @nadjamakesart.