Our Board of Directors

Deirdre Kelly is a Westport based writer and editor. After moving to the area from London, she took her first class at WWW in 2019 and has been hooked ever since. She has a background in advertising and is a life-long reader and chronic buyer of far too many books. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University and her MSt in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford. She’s been a contributor at writing conferences at Bread Loaf and Yale and is currently finishing what she hopes will be her first published novel.

Galia Gichon is an independent personal financial expert with more than 20 years in financial services, including nearly 10 years on Wall Street and an MBA in Finance. Her career has spanned corporate bond research analyst, personal finance expert, angel investor, entrepreneur advisor and author. As an angel investor, she actively supports women led and impact start-ups. She is the Founder of Down to Earth Finance, independent personal finance education. She has been teaching at Barnard College’s Athena Center for Leadership and Freelancers Union for 10+ years. She has been widely quoted in The New York Times, NBC, CNN, and more. Previously, she worked at Bear Stearns and Nomura Securities. Galia is also the author of “My Money Matters” which was featured on TODAY SHOW, the author of a novel The Accidental Suffragist, and co-host of the popular podcast “Fiscal Firecrackers” with leading actress Susan Yeagley – Funny Finally Meets Money.

Beth Criswell has been writing with Westport Writers’ Workshop for over five years where she has developed her craft and enjoys diving into her YA high fantasy world series. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and brings prior experience as a member of other local nonprofit boards and organizations, and as an attorney.

Beth Stevens is an Emmy-winning writer, editor, and producer. She is a founding editor of Broadway.com, where she continues to serve as Managing Editor. She is the Supervising Producer for The Broadway Show, the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program. She co-wrote and produced the Emmy-winning CBS Special At the Tonys and has worked for such companies as Bravo Television, Barrington Stage Company, Warner Brothers, the Sundance Institute, Richard Frankel Productions, and more. She taught creative writing and playwriting at the Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center and The Writers’ Wing. Her articles, fiction, and poetry have appeared in Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Cleveland Magazine, The Syndrome, The Cape Rock, Chiron Review, The Waverly Review, and others. There are many people named Beth Stevens—this one is not the Harvard neuroscientist, country singer, finance consultant, or young performer in Liverpool.

Natasha Bowens has loved writing since the first grade when she gave out her laminated literary creations as Christmas gifts. She followed the Writing track of an English major at St. Lawrence University, edited the college newspaper and pursued an early career in public relations in Boston, New York and London. After then holding various communications positions at New Canaan Country School and many years into raising a family, she realized how much she missed the creative expression and freedom writing afforded; happily, this was about the time she discovered the Westport Writers Workshop. Since then, and following an awesome first class in fiction writing, Natasha has been involved in screenwriting classes, and currently is in the very ongoing process of revising her first feature screenplay – a comedy, because, life. She lives in Westport with her husband and three daughters of varying college- and high school-ages, and is so happy and grateful to be a part of this amazing and inspiring community.

Patricia Minskoff lived in New York City until the age of twelve when a series of books by Enid Blyton inspired her to go live in England and attend a British Boarding School. She has lived in the UK, NYC, MA and Santa Fe. A graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and the New School, she has an M.F.A. in Directing and Playwriting. In past chapters of her life, she has worked as an actor, stage manager, playwright, producer, and director. As an Arts in Education advocate, she has taught Shakespeare and playwriting at The Harwich Junior Theatre in Massachusetts and from 2016-2021, directed the annual musical for an Elementary School in CT. Trish re-discovered her love of learning and creating with words at the Westport Writers Workshop after taking her first class back in 2017. She adores the discovery of new genres, the incredible staff, and the amazing community at WWW. Trish is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Stage Directors, and Choreographers Society (SDC), and SAG/AFTRA. She has served on the Boards of the Ridgefield Playhouse and ACT of CT.

A screenplay and fiction writer, Alix Morrow has written several screenplays including ‘Till We Meet Again which received awards in the independent film circuit, and two novels for which she is currently seeking representation. After receiving a BA in Literature from Trinity College, an MA in Literature from The University of Chicago and an MFA in Screenwriting & Fiction from Fairfield University Alix ran a content creation business for over ten years. Now she writes full time, serves as PTA President for her daughters’ school, and as the Director of Education for Southport Congregational Church. On a constant search for sanity and inspiration while living simply and pursuing her dreams, Alix maintains her blog Simple Life Big Dreams for posterity’s sake. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters, Eleanor and Ophelia.

Heather Frimmer is the author of three novels: Always Hope, Better to Trust and Bedside Manners. Her books have received multiple accolades including National Indie Excellence and Independent Press awards. Writing with Westport Writers’ Workshop for over ten years, she gives much credit to the organization for her success. With an MD from Weill Cornell Medical College, Heather is a board-certified radiologist by day and a passionate novelist by night, bringing a unique perspective to her stories which blend authentic medical and emotional insights with fast-paced plots. She lives in Weston, Connecticut with her husband, a theater educator and Tony nominated producer, and their two teenage children.

Elizabeth Canner (“ZB”) is a Westport native who returned to town in 2020 after over a decade in New York. She discovered the Westport Writers Workshop shortly after moving back to Connecticut when her preschool aged son asked what she wanted to be when she grew up and she realized the answer was, and had always been, a writer. ZB holds a BA in English from Colgate University and a juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. When she isn’t working as a corporate attorney, you can find her chasing her two lively boys around town, drinking coffee at compo beach, or exploring local bookstores.