The West Chester Writing Project

Subarna Basu (she/her)

Youth Events

Subarna is an aspiring scholar, researcher, and an Adjunct Professor in Early Childhood Education at Harcum College. She recently graduated with her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from West Chester University. Her research examines kindergarten teachers’ perceptions on implementing purposeful play for children’s academic and developmental learning. She has contributed to studies on brain breaks and student focus, adult perceptions of play, kindergarten readiness, collaborative teaching, and technology-enhanced learning. Subarna also earned her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from West Chester University. She has been a preschool and pre-K teacher, and an Early Childhood Education lecturer in the UK and the US. She has been a Graduate Assistant for the West Chester Writing Project for three years and a co-investigator for the Library of Congress Grant on Teaching with Primary Sources. She completed the PWP 597 Invitational Writing Institute course in the summer of 2026. Subarna loves traveling, crafting, cooking, and gardening.

Lynne Dorfman (She/Her/Hers)
Blog Manager

Lynne R. Dorfman is a member of the advisory board for the West Chester Writing Project where she also serves on the blog team. For several years, Lynne co-facilitated the invitational summer writing institute at West Chester University. She has facilitated and presented at myriad courses for the Writing Project and has worked in the Young Writers & Reader program. Dr. Dorfman has been an adjunct professor for Arcadia University for the past twenty-three years and loves interacting with graduate students. She enjoys her work as a co-editor of PA Reads: Journal of Keystone State Literacy Association and as a member-at-large of KSLA Brandywine/Valley Forge. Currently, Lynne is the Pennsylvania state historian for Alpha Delta Kappa. Lynne's latest book Now That I Think About It came out in 2026 and focuses on teaching students to be effective and reflective learners.

Janice Ewing (She/Her/Hers)
Social Justice Group Liaison, Institute Coach

Janice Ewing is a writer and teacher mentor. She values the many experiences she has had as a teacher, learner, and leader with the West Chester Writing Project. She co-authored  Action Research for English Language Arts Teachers Invitation to Inquiry in 2019.

Deanna Gabe (She/ Her/ Hers)
Social Justice

 Deanna Gabe is a high school English teacher and a fellow with the West Chester Writing Project, where she facilitates the Social Justice Book Club. The Writing Project has profoundly shaped her teaching, inspiring her to create classrooms grounded in inquiry, writing, and meaningful conversation. She enjoys bringing educators together to read deeply, think together, and explore ideas that enrich their professional and personal lives.  

Jen Greene (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Director, Institute Co-Facilitator

WCWP reignited Jen’s passion for teaching writing and changed the way she views writing instruction. The connections she made with fellow TCs set her on the path to her doctoral work with teacher preparation in writing instruction. Jen loves co-directing the Summer Institute and working with new TCs.

Sarah Hyson (She/They)
Youth Social Justice

Sarah Hyson is an adjunct professor at WCU, teaching in the Secondary Education and English departments. She has an eclectic background, including a BFA in Technical Theatre, MS in Historic Preservation, Teaching Certification for Secondary English, and MA in English, Creative Writing and an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction. Before joining the faculty at WCU she taught middle school and high school English, Drama, Art, Art History, and History, and directed a yearly Shakespeare festival and spring play. She writes young adult and middle grade literature. At the Writing Project, Sarah focuses on engaging our youth in social justice.

Judy Jester
Grants Coordinator

Judy Jester has played many roles in WCWP since 1993. She has coordinated courses, administered Youth programs, led Advocacy work at the state and national level, and served as a co-director of the Summer Institute. She taught English for thirty years in the Kennett Consolidated School District before becoming a curriculum supervisor. She credits her involvement with the Writing Project as having a profound impact on her teaching, writing, and thinking. Her work since retiring has centered on using primary sources.

Bobby Rea
Youth Events

Sandy Shacklady-White
Social Justice Facilitator

Sandy Shacklady-White has been in the field of education for over 35 years. She taught special education for 18 years and was a special education administrator for 12 years.

She is currently employed by PDE's Pennsylvania Training & Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) as an educational consultant, providing training and supports to schools across the Commonwealth. Sandy received her bachelors degree in special education and her masters in reading from WCU. She attended the West Chester Writing Project's Summer Institute in 2019 and found the learning experience to be exceptional. Additionally, Sandy has been a board member of KSLA-Brandywine Valley Forge for many years, including president in 2023-2024. Literacy has been a great love for Sandy since childhood which was instilled in her by her mother who was an avid reader.

Kelly Virgin (She/Her/Hers)
Continuity Facilitator

Kelly Virgin has been a secondary English teacher in the Kennett Consolidated School District since 2005. There she uses her love of reading and writing to inspire her students to view themselves as readers and writers with valuable and unique stories to tell. Over the years, her involvement with the West Chester Writing Project has helped her hone her craft and improve her teaching. In turn, she has taken on several leadership roles with the project in an attempt to give back to the community. In addition to being an educator, Kelly is a mom, a wife, and a breast cancer survivor. She brings these life experiences into her secondary and college classrooms in order to model first hand how life shapes our voices and our stories.

Sharon Williams (She/Her/Hers)
Literary Magazine Editor

Participating in the WCWP Summer Institute was transformational for Sharon. She says, "It is hands down the best professional development I have taken". The institute gave her concrete, practical resources that she could take directly back to her classroom and implement with her students. In addition, the instituted allowed her to grow as a writer on a personal level which ultimately benefits her students. Becoming a part of this community is one of the best decisions of her career.